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it real for politicians and decision-makers
[by saying] ‘For a young farmer, here’s
how that would impact his decision to
invest or change.’ Bill’s always been able
to make it granular for [them] by saying
‘Here’s how it matters to me, and that’s
why it should matter to you.’”
Amighty resumé
Though his name is not well known
outside the agricultural sphere, Bill
Cooper has shaped western Canadian
grain production, transportation and
marketing for more than half a century.
His resumé is unparalleled.
Cooper is known as the go-to
policy adviser at the rough-and-
tumble intersection of politics and
agriculture. Having formulated policy
recommendations across the industry
spectrum, he is a proponent of market-
driven economics who has pushed for
improved grain marketing, handling
and transport, as well as fair returns for
producers.
The longtime university instructor
and Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall
of Fame member has held many grain
association positions, including executive
director of the Saskatchewan Canola
Growers Association from 1978 to 1987.
Cooper was also a founding member
of the Prairie Oat Growers Association
and has served with numerous other
organizations including Flax Growers
Western Canada (now the Manitoba Flax
Growers Association), Saskatchewan
Wheat Pool and United Grain Growers.
He worked with the Western Grain
Transportation Task Force, which initiated
the Western Grain Transportation Act,
and also on the Western Grain Standards
Committee assessing new grain varieties.
His transport work has been extensive,
having served on the Rail Rate Reform
Committee and on the Prairie Rail Action
Committee that informed the Prairie
Branch Line Rehabilitation Program.
It takes a deft hand to endure in agri-
politics as he has, and his unparalleled
effectiveness owes much to his well-
informed approach.
Colleagues describe Cooper
as consummately practical and
exceedingly passionate about his
work, a disarming advocate for the
best interests of the agricultural sector.
All commend his sharp intellect and
diligent research ethic. Above all,
however, they call him a mentor.
An agricultural education
Born near the southeast Saskatchewan
hamlet of West Bend in 1931, Bill Cooper
had a childhood that reads like a W.O.
Mitchell novel. His English immigrant
father homesteaded in the West Bend
district in 1903. Returning to England
in 1923, he married Bill’s mother. The
couple returned to Saskatchewan to
raise seven children and maintain a grain
operation and shorthorn cattle herd.
Winter
2014
Grains
West
34
“He can manage on the farm
talking to a guy riding a
combine, but he does just fine
in the prime minister’s office.”
– Alanna Koch