Lee, Lloyd Errington - 1998 Hall of Fame Inductee

An insatiable curiosity turned into a labour of love for Lloyd Lee. Since his retirement, the lifelong Alberta farmer-turned-horticulturist has devoted his time to his orchard -- budding, grafting and crossbreeding to improve on varieties of apples, saskatoons, chokecherries, and other fruit trees and shrubs. His pink flowering Mayday tree 'Ethel' is approved and registered with the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in New York, U.S. The Crop Diversification Centre North has dedicated two acres to preserving varieties Mr. Lee has developed since 1992. His interest in horticulture didn't start there, however. As early as 1936, Mr. Lee has grown and sold various bedding plants. In the 1950s and 1960s, he grew gladiolus on a three-acre plot and also developed a unique pink lily. His influence has extended to the livestock industry when, in 1958, he became a founding member and director of the Vega-Mellowdale Artificial Insemination Association. The Association was formed to help improve the quality of livestock in the Barrhead area, and indeed, throughout Alberta. His livestock interest continues today, with his experiments in crossbreeding poultry to act as natural pest predators in his orchard. In 1991, Mr. Lee, together with his son and daughter-in-law, received the County of Barrhead Agricultural Service Board's Conservation Award for their conservation-type approach to farming.

Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame main page

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This information published to the web on October 19, 2001.
Last Reviewed/Revised on January 4, 2018.