Rosetown area farmer Bill Copeland received the Pulse Legacy Award yesterday from the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.

He received the honour during the Pulse and Special Crops Conference being held this week in Regina

Copeland is being honored for his contributions to the Pulse industry as an early lentil adopter and an entrepreneur in pulse processing.

SPG Chair Corey Loessin says “He has not only taken risks as a producer but is one of the earliest in the pulse processing sector. He is a leader and an innovator for the pulse industry.”

Copeland was one of the first growers in his area to experiment with green lentils in his crop rotations. In 1969, he was one of the first growers in Saskatchewan to work with a local grain company on processing lentils for the purpose of exporting to international markets. In 1978 he created Copeland Seeds which focuses on seed cleaning, providing seed as a Select Seed grower, and processing pulses and special crops.

“When I first started working with pulses, I never could imagine how this would grow over the years,” says Copeland. “To see how much the industry has expanded, and how Saskatchewan has played a major role, is truly something to be seen.”

Bill Copeland is the third person to receive the Pulse Legacy Award. Dr. Alfred Slinkard was presented with the award in 2013, and the late Dr. Guy Lafond was honoured in 2015.