‘He made time for everybody’

Farmer, Keystone Agricultural Producers president and father: Bill Campbell put in the work

By: Gabrielle Piché

Bill Campbell joked he was surrounded by girls — his wife, his daughters, the cows.

Really, though, he was surrounded by community. His family bore witness at his funeral: in one pew were members of the Keystone Agricultural Producers, the organization he led for years. Members of other associations he headed arrived, then his fastball friends, then his former university peers.

They all expressed condolences for the man who regularly brought farmers’ concerns to government.

“The same theme kept coming up,” recalled Kaitlin Nykoliation, his youngest daughter. “He made time for everybody.”

Before becoming the voice of Manitoba farmers, Campbell led his own farming journey. He grew up on a fourth-generation farm in Minto, about 200 kilometres west of Winnipeg.

He was driving a combine by age 12. The local 4-H club was his regular haunt; he became a leader there, foreshadowing his coming roles.

In 1974, an 18-year-old Campbell met Lauren Miller through mutual friends. It was actually their second time meeting, but this time, they made an intentional effort to see each other again. Fifty-one years later, they had two daughters and three grandchildren.

Upon marrying, Lauren moved to Minto as Campbell continued to farm. Campbell and his dad had investigated several cattle breeds to add to their roughly 2,500-acre plot; they landed on Limousin and didn’t look back.

So started Campbell’s love for his girls.

They would eventually lead him to join — and become president of — both the Manitoba Limousin Association and the Canadian Limousin Association.

“He understood the value of showing up and taking on leadership roles, for the greater good of the Limousin breed and of the agriculture industry,” said Laura Ecklund, general manager of the Canadian Limousin Association.

During Campbell’s time as president in 2011-13, he led focus groups and a national strategy to better position the breed in the beef industry. He was “consistent” in showing up, Ecklund described.

She viewed him as a mentor. Colin Hornby, general manager of the Keystone Agricultural Producers, felt the same.

“He was accessible any time,” Hornby reminisced. “I could text him or phone him, ask him a question.”

Hornby entered KAP without much farm knowledge. He ran communications when Campbell was the president and often briefed Campbell ahead of media interviews.

Campbell spread awareness about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, international trade tensions, late summer rains and delayed harvests, among other things.

In 2019, he sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, inviting the politician to meet him and fellow farmers at his Minto farm. Producers had experienced drought, excess moisture and trade disputes within the same year; some western Canadian politicians trumpeted separation from the rest of Canada.

“I believe strongly that no matter our political differences, we can work beyond those and move my industry and our country forward,” Campbell wrote. “We have the responsibility to work together in a collaborative way.”

Campbell’s progression from farming to heading Manitoba’s largest farm policy association was natural. He’d already steered other organizations, and as a farmer, he was gaining prominence by talking with media.

Campbell shifted from KAP board member to vice-president and, in 2018, president.

His couch time often involved catching up on the news or watching government question periods.

“He had to be in the know to make the best choices for the farm,” said Courtney Campbell, his eldest daughter. “(It) made him a person people went to.”

Including Hornby. Campbell showed him the impact of government policies on farms, like the carbon tax and education property taxes. An “infamous” Campbell quote sticks in Hornby’s head: “you can’t be green if you’re in the red.”

“He always did a good job of explaining that to me,” Hornby said. “We had lots of chats after hours and on the clock.”

He noted Campbell’s mannerisms — the big smile, the happy-go-lucky responses, the listening ear. Campbell’s term as president ended in 2023, lasting the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, Campbell stayed in contact with Hornby and he kept active with Limousin associations.

“If there was something to do, he (did) it and got it done right,” said Travis Hunter, who was part of the Manitoba Limousin Association alongside Campbell for upwards of 40 years.

Within Minto, Campbell served on the recreation and veterinarian boards. He played hockey and fastball and landed, with his team, in the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame.

He always found time for family. Showing up to his own 4-H competitions turned into chauffeuring his daughters, then encouraging his grandkids from the sidelines.

He and Lauren trekked the land to check for wild crocuses every April.

“We grew up in a house of joy,” Courtney said. “You did play, but you had to get your work done first.”

It’s a message Campbell drilled into them: you put in the work and you try your best.

He was often the last to leave, his wife Lauren recalled.

He lived two miles from his childhood home for most of his life. He continued farming after being diagnosed with ALS last October; he was hauling grain mere days before dying on Jan. 19.

As Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza said in a public statement after his death, Campbell left “an unforgettable mark” on those privileged enough to meet him.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com