b' the seed had to be cleaned, inspected, graded, properlyTom probably felt like he didnt get that growing up, since documented and bagged. his parents handled things much differently in terms of passing Tom came to me and said he wanted to line his trailerthe farm on, and he was the eldest son.with vapour barrier, load the seedwhich I would cleanAs late as this past spring, despite being ill, Jackson was still and grade for himand then use our bag closer to stitch themaking deals, and continuing to make his mark on how things plastic ends of the vapour barrier together, creating one gigan- were done at the farm. tic bag in the back of his truck. That way, he could meet theI think my dad felt for a long time that he was preparing Wheat Boards requirements.something that would become a legacy for someone else to pick Thats exactly what Jackson did. He drove down to theup, Daniel recalls. He was never really ready to let go, you U.S. with his bagged, cleaned wheat seed, bypassed the Wheatknow? He wasnt ready to stop being the guy in the field, but Board, and sold it there, Galloway recalls. he was always open to talking about his plans and what he was After his trip, I asked him how it went. Toms reply was,thinking. Well, Im not in trouble yet. That was just the kind of person Tom washe always tried to prove a point, to help other farmers, and find ways to work within the regulations, even if it was sometimes a bit on the grey side.Ken Lopetinsky, considered one of the fathers of Western Canadas modern-day field pea industry, says Jackson will be a force that will be missed in an industry always grappling with change and how best to meet the future.Lopetinsky was heavily involved with the Alberta Pulse Growers Association, which he joined in 1983 and which in 1989 became the Alberta Pulse Growers Commission (APG). He remembers Jackson as someone who was in the right place at the right time when pulse growers were grappling with how best to fund seed development after the provincial government began to tighten the purse strings.Tom was instrumental in the formation of APG. He climbed right on board and what needed to get done, he helped get done, Lopetinsky says.In 2001, Jackson made a bold move, launching a new seed farm just west of Killam. Relocating from the city didnt slow him downhe continued to push boundaries, experimenting with exotic crops like einkorn wheat and Jerusalem artichoke.Jackson bought more land and put some of it in son Daniels name, thinking that Daniel would eventually take over the farm. In 2020, after living in California, Daniel did come back, and Jackson really began the process of transition-ing the farm to the next generation.Tom was determined to move as much land as he could into his eldest sons name, Lucy says. HELPING YOU TAKE CONTROL THROUGH AUTOMATIONwww.ezratek.comT: (204) 331-3000 AUTOMATIC BAGGERS BULK BAG FILLERS PALLETIZERS TAGGERSNOVEMBER 2024 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA 5'