This award was named in honour of Carl Block, a cattleman whose tireless dedication to Canadian agriculture and commitment to animal health will long be remembered. He was the first chair of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency-the agency responsible for administering the national cattle identification program. He was also a Director of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the inaugural chairman of the Canadian Animal Health Coalition and a former President of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association.

Originally from Alberta, Mr. Block moved to Saskatchewan in 1986 and operated a 900 head cow-calf and backgrounding operation. He died in a plane crash on May 29, 2002. Condolence statements on his untimely passing were made in the Saskatchewan’s Legislative Assembly in May 2002 and he was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame in November 2004. A bronze plaque in his honour hangs in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

The Carl Block Award was presented by the Canadian Animal Health Coalition until 2018, and will be continued by Animal Health Canada in 2022.