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Feeders, Packers and Industry Leaders

Garnet Altwasser and the Brooks Feedlot That Scaled Alberta Beef

A Brooks entrepreneur spent 30 years as president of Lakeside and helped make Alberta a hub for Canadian beef.

Who is Garnet Altwasser?

Garnet Altwasser is an agribusiness entrepreneur from Brooks, Alberta, who co-founded Lakeside Farm Industries Ltd. The Alberta government's hall of fame biography says he served 30 years as its president and chief executive officer and credits him with long-range vision that made Alberta's cattle feeding and beef processing industry large-scale and globally competitive.

He is a living public figure, so this profile follows only his published professional record, including his two hall of fame inductions.

Lakeside Farm Industries and the Brooks feedlot

Lakeside Farm Industries is a diversified company that includes Lakeside Feeders, described by the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame as the largest single-site feeding operation in Canada. A 2023 announcement carried by Farms.com adds that beef from the Brooks operation is sold across Canada, North America and 20 other countries.

The sources used do not give pen capacity, head counts or a founding date, so no such figures are stated here.

The Brooks beef packing plant

Altwasser was also involved in establishing the beef packing plant at Brooks. The Alberta biography says that plant started the modernizing and growth of Canada's beef processing industry, but gives no opening date.

Pairing a very large feedlot with nearby processing is the integration that defines the southern Alberta beef cluster, where finished cattle can move short distances to the packer.

Cattle handling and industry leadership

The Alberta biography records that he was among the first commercial adopters of Temple Grandin's cattle handling designs, which aim to reduce stress during movement through pens and chutes. He was also a founding director of the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association and quietly mentored young people entering the industry.

The County of Newell nominated him for the national honor, which reflects how local government saw the feedlot and plant as regional assets.

The Key to Altwasser's Success

Altwasser's documented record shows scale built through integration and early adoption of better practices. The lessons below come from the hall of fame biographies and press coverage.

The sources do not discuss controversies or financial details.

  • Build at scale: concentrating feeding on a single site produced what the hall of fame calls the largest such operation in Canada.
  • Integrate feeding with processing by helping to establish the Brooks packing plant.
  • Adopt better handling early, as one of the first commercial users of Grandin's designs.
  • Organize the sector: he was a founding director of the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association.
  • Reach export markets, with Lakeside beef reported in more than 20 other countries.
  • Stay for the long term: 30 years leading one company.

Two halls of fame

He was inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2018, alongside Ron Howard and Dieter Kuhlmann, as reported by Chat News Today. He said he was honoured and humbled. In 2023 he was one of seven inductees to the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame, whose ceremony was held on November 4.

Both honors recognize building Alberta into a hub of Canada's beef industry.

Learn more

Feedlots like Lakeside are part of the wider story of North American beef. See the ranching coverage on farm.FM, and one related read is a farm.FM story on Alberta cattle feeding.

This entry is marked thin because sources lack numbers and personal detail, so it adds only verified context.

Timeline

  1. 1939Born (per project data)
  2. Dates not documentedCo-founds Lakeside Farm Industries in Brooks
  3. Dates not documentedHelps establish the Brooks beef packing plant
  4. 2018Inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame
  5. 2023Inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame

Frequently asked questions

Who is Garnet Altwasser?

Garnet Altwasser is a Brooks, Alberta entrepreneur who co-founded Lakeside Farm Industries and served 30 years as its president and CEO. He is in the Alberta and Canadian agriculture halls of fame.

What is Lakeside Feeders?

Lakeside Feeders is part of Lakeside Farm Industries and is described as the largest single-site feeding operation in Canada. Its beef is reported sold in Canada, North America and 20 other countries.

When was Garnet Altwasser inducted into halls of fame?

He was inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2023.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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