Keith Downey (agricultural scientist)
Richard Keith Downey | |
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Born | |
Occupation | agricultural scientist |
Richard Keith Downey, OC SOM FRSC (born January 26, 1927) is a Canadian agricultural scientist known for plant breeding and, as one of the originators of canola. He is largely responsible for transforming rapeseed into canola making him known as the "Father of Canola". [1][2]
Education
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, In 1951 he received a B.S.A. and in 1952 an M.Sc. from the University of Saskatchewan. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1961 and also received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1994.[1][2]
Career
In 1951 Downey he started working for Agriculture Canada initially as an alfalfa breeder in Lethbridge, becoming in 1993 a Senior Research Scientist Emeritus.[2][3] In 1993, he started his own firm and is president of Canoglobe Consulting Inc.[2]
He worked with Baldur Stefansson to develop a variety of rapeseed with low ratios of potentially harmful erucic acid and glucosinolates that could be used as an edible oil. [1][4] This is known as canola and is one of Canada’s top edible oils and one of the largest oilseed crops in the world. This crop was first grown during World War II on the prairies to make industrial oil. It now rivals wheat as the leading moneymaker for Saskatchewan farmers.[1] Downey is the breeder and co-breeder of 13 rapeseed/canola varieties, five condiment mustard varieties, and one alfalfa variety.[1][5] He has shared his oilseed improvement expertise around the world with missions to Pakistan, India, Ethiopia, Chile, Argentina, Poland, Egypt, and Australia.[5]
In 1998, "Downey Street" at a research and development park in Saskatoon was named in his honour.
Honours
- 1963 Bond Gold Medal, American Oil Chemists’ Society[1]
- 1968 Public Service Merit Award, Government of Canada
- 1971 Honorary Life Membership Canadian Seed Growers’ Association[1]
- 1973 Grindley Medal, Agriculture Institute of Canada[1]
- 1975 Honorary Life Membership Saskatchewan Rapeseed Growers’ Association[1]
- 1975 Royal Bank Award, Royal Bank[1]
- 1976 Officer, Order of Canada[6][1]
- 1976 Fellow, Agriculture Institute of Canada[1]
- 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
- 1979 Fellow Royal Society of Canada
- 1982 Century Saskatoon Award, City of Saskatoon
- 1986 Distinguished Graduate Award, University of Saskatchewan, College of Agriculture
- 1990 Gold Medal, co-recipient, Professional Institute of Canada
- 1992 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal
- 1994 Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Saskatchewan[1]
- 1994 Clark-Newman Award, Canadian Seed Growers Association
- 1995 J. Mcansh Award, Canola Council of Canada
- 1995 Eminent Scientist Award / Groupe Consultatif International de Recherche sur le Colza
- 1995 Médaille Chevreul / Association Francaise pour l’Etude des Corps Gras, France
- 1996 Hall of Fame, Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame
- 1997 Honorary Doctorate of Law University of Lethbridge
- 1997 Recognition Award, Canadian Seed Trade Association
- 2000 Honorary Life Membership Saskatchewan Agriculture Graduates Association
- 2002 Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame [5]
- 2002 Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
- 2016 Saskatchewan Order of Merit
- 2017 Canola Influencer Award, SaskCanola[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan | Details". esask.uregina.ca. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ a b c d "Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame citation". Archived from the original on 2012-08-01.
- ^ a b "Dr. Keith Downey - 2016 Canola Influencer Award Recipient". SaskCanola. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ "science.ca Profile : Richard Keith Downey". GCS Research Society.
- ^ a b c "Inductee Details". www.cahfa.com. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ Order of Canada citation