STE. ANNE, Man. – Marg Rempel punches a couple of keys on the computer keyboard and a chart appears on the screen telling her when a group of sows is due to give birth.
“These ones will have babies in May,” she said, pointing to some of the numbers in the chart, “and these ones are due in June.”
Rempel is in her element as she leads the way through the maze of barns that have been built and renovated since 1979, the year she and husband Ron built a farrowing barn as part of an effort to make hog production the foundation of their farming efforts.
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She grew up on a dairy farm in western Manitoba and credits her parents with nourishing her desire to remain in farming. Despite the many challenges that hog producers have faced in the past few years, that desire remains unshaken.
“It’s a calling,” she said. “It’s not just a vocation.”
Ron Rempel died last year, but left a lasting impression on the hog industry. During a quarter century of farming together, he and Marg became well known for their willingness to try new innovations as well as their involvement in organizations important to the farming community.
Their farm, Rempelco Acres, was recognized this year with the Swine Steward Award from the Manitoba Pork Council. The award honoured their dedicated community service and their leadership in adopting forward thinking and innovative farming practices.
Marg now manages the farm with hired help. Their three children, Jason, 27, Joel, 24, and Alison, 22, are pursuing other careers. Only Alison, who is studying animal health technology at the Red River Community College in Winnipeg, appears to share her mother’s interest in livestock.
“She has always been passionate about animals, including the pigs,” Marg said.
The computers used in the hog barns are one of the many innovations embraced by the Rempel family to keep pace with the constantly changing world of agriculture and hog production.
Automated feeders linked with computers save endless hours of manual labour at this 500-sow, farrow-to-finish hog and grain farm southwest of Ste. Anne.
Detailed records are kept on what blend of feed goes into each barn over the course of the year, making it possible to review what rations gave the most efficient gains. The records are also part of a commitment to the hog industry’s quality assurance program.
A silo for storing corn silage towers above the hog barns. It was built last year to trim the time it takes to harvest the farm’s corn crop and to mill it into feed. Rempel is eager to put it to use this fall.
Meanwhile, the farm’s manure management continues to improve to get the most benefit from the nutrients in the liquid manure while tempering the odours given off by the storage lagoons.
The Rempels never shied away from challenges following their marriage in 1975 and their decision to pursue hog production.
They both had a passion for farming and their involvement with farm and rural organizations helped to put them at the leading edge.
Ron served for more than 15 years as a delegate and director at Manitoba Pork and the Manitoba Pork Council. He was also on the board of directors for the Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatoon and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization.
During his time on the swine centre board, one of the moments he treasured most was the opening of the interpretive centre, a place where the public can get a first-hand look at modern hog production practices.
“He was so happy to see the interpretive centre up and running,” said Marg, noting the importance of that centre in helping the public develop informed opinions about the hog industry.
Marg once served on the executive of Keystone Agricultural Producers. She was also on the founding board of the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council and recently completed six years on the MRAC board of directors.
She found her time on the KAP executive and with MRAC to be fulfilling.
Both organizations offered a place to bring ideas forward while also gathering the insights and opinions of other producers with interests in a range of commodities.
MRAC was formed to manage money sent from Ottawa to help farmers adjust following the loss of the Crow benefit subsidy. The council continues that role by supporting research that fosters innovation in agriculture.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Marg, describing working with MRAC.
“It’s exciting to be at the cutting edge a lot of times.”
Never in haste
Although her family has embraced a lot of change, Rempel believes changes should not be made hastily.
She views the loss of single desk hog marketing in Manitoba as an example of a change that went ahead without enough thought given to the consequences.
Ron and Marg both were active in their community and church, and Marg continues that involvement.
A willingness to help people in developing countries was another commitment they shared. Before beginning their farming endeavours together in the late 1970s, they spent 21/2 years in northeastern Brazil as volunteer workers in places where children were not even guaranteed the opportunity to attend school.
Marg helped teach nutrition to mothers there and also taught preschool children. Ron shared his knowledge of agronomy with area farmers and worked on water well development.
That experience, organized through the Mennonite Central Committee, helped shape Marg’s outlook on life.
While the people lacked material wealth, they shared a sense of community and placed a high value on their families.
“There’s a lot we’re giving up,” Marg said of society in North America. “There’s a lot we’re sacrificing for our move to a material wealth focus.”
As part of her ongoing commitment to helping others, Marg chairs the board of directors for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The bank gathers donations of grain from farmers each year and ships them as food aid to people in developing countries.
