The community of Minto, as well as cattle producers in Manitoba are still reeling from the sudden passing of former president of Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) just over a week ago.
Bill Campbell passed away at the age of 69 after losing the battle against ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease on Sunday, January 19th.
Campbell was a fourth-generation farmer, operating a mixed grain and cattle farm near Minto, Manitoba. He was well-known for his purebred Limousin cattle operation and his involvement in the Limousin Association of both Manitoba and Canada. Bill served as president of the Canadian Limousin Association for two years, from 2011 to 2013.
More recently, Campbell served as president of KAP from 2018 to 2023, and as vice president prior to that. At the time of handing over the reins to current president, Jill Verwey, in early 2024 Bill had said that the past 4 and a half years as president of this significant organization had been a real learning experience.
“It’s a lot of work and I encourage anyone to get involved if they are curious or want to know why things are the way they are," he had said last January. “The way to learn is to get involved, gather information and get educated. I’ve met a lot of people and learned a lot about the industry and Canada as a whole with agriculture, where our food comes and how important the ag industry is, to things like GDP and things like that.”
As Executive Administrator for the Manitoba Livestock Marketing Association, Rick Wright and Bill Campbell were well-acquainted. But their history goes back much farther than that.
"Well, I've known Bill for a long, long time," shares long-time friend Rick Wright. "We went to high school together and sporting activities and 4-H and all sorts of things. We didn't always agree on everything. We even played on opposite sports teams, so we always had a healthy competitive relationship. But I certainly respected his dedication to the industry and to and the time that he took to put into it."
A dedicate cattleman and agriculture advocate
"Bill was certainly a dedicated cattleman," notes Wright. "He was well respected in the industry, especially in the Limousin Association, both nationally and provincially. You know, Bill was a leader and past presidents of both organizations. The Campbells had a reputation for very good quality cattle, and he was very conscious about producing superior genetics. He loved the cattle business. He was in it every day of life."
Wright says Bill's dedication to farming and to each of the organizations he participated in was clear to see.
"Bill's heart was always in the right spot when it came to Agriculture, and especially promoting cattle. I mean, he never missed a beef producers meeting. He was always there," Wright says. "He was always quite vocal, entering into discussion and putting his input into, you know, discussion on resolutions prior to the votes, those types of things. And Bill didn't always agree with the activities that were happening, but he always had good math and good science behind his opinions. And his opinion, whether it was the same as yours or not, was always well respected."
Campbell a strong community leader
"He was a great community man," he explains. "He was heavily involved in the Minto Mustangs for a number of years. And they had one of the best fastball teams in Western Canada. Bill was heavily involved in that organization and the Minto community centre and minor hockey and a number of other things. You know, many people knew Bill as the cattle guy or the KAP president, but they didn't know exactly how much he was involved in the local community."
"So, you know, the community of Minto and district also lost a very important cog," adds Wright.
Bill Campbell, 69, passed away at Brandon Regional Health Centre on January 19, 2025.
A celebration of life service for Bill Campbell is scheduled for 1:00 pm this Friday afternoon, January 31 at the Minto United Church.