'It isn't the size of the man in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the man.'

Weyburn's late Art Mainil lived by those words.

Kara Cubbon, Mainil's eldest of three daughters, remembers seeing those words written on a plaque which hung on a wall in his office.

"Anyone who knew my father, knew he wasn't a big man in stature but what burned inside of him was enormous," she said.

Mainil never looked for the spotlight, according to Cubbon, but recently that's where his name landed.

Mainil was recently inducted into the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame. Around 50 family members and friends attended the ceremony in Saskatoon over the weekend at the Western Development Museum where the hall of fame is located.

Cubbon said if her father was here today, he would probably give a smile and a thumbs up - not for the award, but rather for how his efforts have benefited future farmers.

"What he was really, really known for was for his strong convictions towards farmers having freedoms to be able to chose how they want to market their grain products," Cubbon explained.

"He would never back down, he was persistent, he was tenacious, he was a fighter, he would never back down."

Mainil farmed in what Cubbon likes to call 'The Golden Triangle,' between Benson, Lampman and Stoughton. However, Mainil called Weyburn home for many years.

As an inductee in the Sask Ag Hall of Fame, Mainil was recognized for his efforts with the Weyburn Inland Terminal, involvement with Farmers for Justice and Palliser Wheat Growers Association, now known as the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association.

Cubbon reflected on the times her father was thrown into jail fighting with Farmers for Justice, hauling grain across the border and trying to bring awareness to the public of the injustices Western Canadians farmers were experiencing from the 1970's to 2000's.

"It's so many things related to agriculture that ultimately benefit all farmers, give farmers more freedom, more ability to be in control of their products," Cubbon said about the 2017 induction.

Mainil passed away Nov. 5, 2011, but his legacy as a farmer, innovator, maverick and 'Wheat Warrior' lives on in both the Sask Ag Hall of Fame and in front of City Hall in Weyburn as he was inducted into the Weyburn Walk of Fame in 2013.

"We're just so honoured and humbled for this award for my father," she said.

"He was amazing."

ArtMainilInduction Apr2017
Lyle Stewart, (left, Minister of Agriculture) along with Art Mainil’s three daughters Kara Cubbon, Tricia Mainil and Stephanie Sovdi holding the portrait of their dad which was unveiled at the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame ceremony in Saskatoon. (Photo courtesy Mainil family)