Don Flaten named recipient of the 2025 Les Henry Award
Sourced from SWAT MAPS news release from July 10, 2025:
Dr. Don Flaten, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Soil Science at the University of Manitoba, has been announced as the 2025 recipient of the Les Henry Award. The official presentation of the award from Dr. Jeff Schoenau to Dr. Flaten took place during Ag in Motion in the soil pit at the University of Saskatchewan booth near Langham, SK.
Jeff Schoenau presents Don Flaten with the Les Henry Award – photo: Pat Flaten.
The Les Henry award recognizes an individual in Western Canada that demonstrates excellence in soil and water science and its application to the farming community. Flaten is the second recipient of the award, which was established by the late Les Henry himself in 2024. The award will be presented to Flaten in recognition of his outstanding and lasting contributions to the study of soil fertility and crop nutrition across the Canadian prairies. Henry’s legacy, passion, and integrity in agriculture is carried forward with this annual award.
“Receiving the Les Henry Award is a very special honour for me,” says Flaten. “In addition to being an excellent soil scientist, Les was a fantastic mentor and friend of mine for nearly 50 years and I miss him dearly. Every time Les and I chatted by phone, exchanged emails, visited a field, or met in his office, it was a personal tutorial where I learned something valuable. In addition to my respect and appreciation for Les’s outstanding contributions to prairie agriculture, I am also personally grateful for the interest and effort he invested in me and my career.”
Over his distinguished career, Flaten published nearly 100 peer-reviewed papers and delivered more than 300 extension presentations. His work has advanced nutrient management practices and bridged the gap between scientific research and on-farm practice, exemplifying the spirit of leadership and impact that the Les Henry award celebrates.
The inaugural 2024 Les Henry award recipient, Dr. Jeff Schoenau of the University of Saskatchewan, presented this year’s award to Flaten. Dr. Schoenau commented, “Dr. Flaten has made exceptional contributions in his soil and water research activities on the Canadian prairies. In particular, his work on developing fertilizer and manure phosphorus management strategies to enhance crop recovery and reduce phosphorus losses in run-off has contributed to better yields while protecting water quality in prairie landscapes.”
Henry was a renowned soil scientist in Saskatchewan and Professor Emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan. He received many honours and awards throughout his career including induction in the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame. He authored “Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water” and contributed columns to the Grainews newspaper for 48 years.