David John Malcolm

New Brunswick

David John Malcolm was born in 1931 in Montreal. After receiving his B. Sc. (Agr.) from Macdonald College in 1952 he worked for three years as a dairy herdsman. His twenty-year career in agricultural extension started in 1955 when he took a job as a field crop extension worker with the NB Department of Agriculture. In 1958 he accepted a position in Newfoundland serving as Provincial 4-H Club Director. In this work he left his mark as a promoter of adult education and community leadership development.

David returned to NB in 1966 and worked as District Agriculturist in Charlotte County. During that time, rural development was becoming more prominent in the Department's mandate.

David continued his studies at the University of Guelph where in 1968 he completed a M.Sc. in Extension Education before returning to NB to become Director of the Rural Development Branch of the NB Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. In this capacity he made significant contributions in the area of policy development.

As an extension worker David was highly regarded as a man of principle and integrity with great empathy for rural people and an understanding of their needs and aspirations. He was a strong proponent of leadership development at the community level.

After a solid 20 year record of public service in agriculture extension, David turned his energy and considerable talents to journalism. It was in this field that he was to become one of the most respected agricultural commentators in the Atlantic region. After a short stint as editor and co-owner of a weekly newspaper he began serving as the Agriculture Resources Reporter to CBC Radio. For the next 18 years David was a CBC Radio Noon fixture. His work covered all facets of agriculture and included numerous documentaries at a time when agriculture was undergoing unprecedented social and economic change.

David Malcolm brought a professional standard to his work that was indeed "a cut above". The knowledge and skills from his extension background combined with superior communication skills enabled him to capture the interest of his audience and to explain complex issues with clarity. His coverage was factual, balanced and insightful and earned the confidence and loyalty of an audience that included all stakeholders in the agriculture industry as well as the general public.

David Malcolm was nominated by the Agriculture Producers Association of New Brunswick in recognition of his outstanding contribution to agriculture. It is fitting that he be inducted into the Atlantic Agriculture Hall of Fame.