George Daugela
George Daugela wore many hats during an agricultural career that spanned several decades.
An agricultural engineer who shared his expertise with students at Lakeland College in Vermilion, Daugela was
also an equipment designer who used technical expertise to design equipment that is still used today.
Daugela was living in Vermilion in 1971 when he established Vertec Industries, a
family-owned business, and began designing and manufacturing grain dryers and other agricultural equipment.
Word of mouth advertising by farmers helped generate significant sales, and revenues and production expanded
in the 1980s.
The Vertec grain dryer was created specifically for the crops and climate of western
Canada, and included an electronic sensor that could give a continuous readout of the grains moisture.
The portable version could be attached to a tractor or truck and transported from field to field, as the
need arose.
Daugela became recognized as an expert on harvest management, and he shared his expertise
with Canadian and international agriculture groups. He was an advisor to agricultural experts from China and
was a frequent guest speaker at farm organizations across North America.
Daugela was a long-time member of the Alberta Institute of Agrologists, a director of
the Canadian Society for Agricultural Engineers, and one of the founders of the Prairie Implement
Manufacturing Association.
Mr. Daugela died in 1990. He was inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame
in 1995.
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