CARBERRY, Man. – Stacking bales on a hay rack. Herding cattle under the
summer sun. Riding a pony across open pastures.
Those were the things that appealed to Claire De’Athe when growing up
on a farm in the sand hills of western Manitoba.
She enjoyed doing farm chores and being outdoors. Housework, on the
other hand, was something she never grew fond of.
That didn’t change much after she finished high school and opted for a
nursing career. She began her nurse’s training in Winnipeg, only to
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find herself yearning for the chance to get away from the bustle and
din of a large city.
Her love of farming was like an invisible thread that could not be
broken.
“I missed being part of the farm and being unable to get away from
noise.”
Because of those sentiments, De’Athe decided to finish her nurse’s
training in Brandon. It put her closer to her rural roots and to the
farm life she longed for.
She finished her registered nurse’s degree in 1970, got married in the
fall of 1971, and did the one thing that she wanted to do most. She
returned to farming.
She and her husband Doug settled at his family’s farm southeast of
Carberry. It was just a few kilometres from where Claire grew up.
When Claire returned to farming, she felt “relaxed and together.” Hay
fields and wooded pastures were a welcome reprieve from paved streets
and neon lights.
Doug’s father raised purebred Hereford cattle, kept horses and grew
grain in an area now best noted for potato production.
Doug and Claire helped build up the cattle herd and bought more land.
They now calve out 200 cows and run a small feedlot. They also are
custom feeding 200 Alberta cattle this winter.
Aside from their interest in agriculture, Doug and Claire also shared
an interest in the politics of their industry.
Doug served six years as an elected member of the Manitoba Cattle
Producers Association.
Claire used to accompany him to the association’s open meetings where
MCPA directors, all of them men, mulled over issues affecting their
industry.
But she figured she had as much a stake in the cattle industry as other
producers. She wanted to be at the board table, sharing her thoughts.
That passion led her to become the MCPA’s first woman director.
“Which says not much for women, because we’ve been chasing cattle
around the yard for many, many years.”
She was first elected to the association’s board in 1998 and is now
starting her third term as a director. She is also the association’s
secretary, chair of its environment committee and one of its delegates
to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
Claire is especially interested in marketing and environmental issues.
She has concerns about the restrictions placed on producers, and thinks
public understanding of agriculture must be increased.
Her involvement with the MCPA means devoting part of her life to
attending meetings and keeping abreast of issues affecting her industry.
But she said she feels well compensated for those efforts. She meets
many of the people who are shaping the cattle industry. She gleans
practical information from seminars put on by the MCPA that deal with
marketing and production. And she enjoys the challenges as an MCPA
director.
Most importantly, she enjoys the camaraderie that comes from working
with other cattle producers.
Claire also has a passion for words. She has written for several
publications, mainly on agricultural topics.
She also had a book published titled
Cactus Jack’s Daughter, which drew on her memories of growing up on a
farm. Cactus Jack was the nickname given to her late father, a cowboy
who farmed in the sand hills. He was known for having a “kind of
prickly” personality, said Claire, explaining the nickname.
The De’Athes have six horses and an all-terrain vehicle for checking
cattle. They have modern farm implements to put up silage and to feed
their cattle, but Claire admits she hates machinery. She never owned a
bicycle until she was 40 years old.
The De’Athes’ oldest daughter Sharon works in the accounting department
at ConAgra’s Yorkton, Sask., grain terminal.
Another daughter, Signe, attended Olds College in Alberta where she
specialized in beef production and feedlot management. She is now the
load-out co-ordinator for Lakeside Feeders in Brooks, Alta.
Their son Sam attends school in Carberry.
Doug’s father, Bryden, also lives on the farm. He keeps some cattle and
shares in the work of fixing fences, repairing machinery and helping
with the vigil during calving season. Not surprisingly, he holds a
devotion to farming akin to that of Doug and Claire.
“He goes to sleep with his arm out the window, feeling for daylight,”
Claire said.
