Long-time readers of this newspaper, particularly those in the cattle business, know Barbara Duckworth’s name. As the Western Producer’s primary livestock reporter, her byline appeared thousands of times in these pages over a 32-year career that ended with her retirement in 2020.
Barbara Duckworth Thompson died Oct. 7, from cancer, at the age of 70. We, as her friends and colleagues, are saddened by her loss.
As a reporter, she was a dynamo who travelled across the country and the globe to gather information on topics ranging from ear tags and bovine genetics to international animal health standards and the impacts of Brexit on the ag industry.
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Rare is the rural Alberta community hall that Barbara didn’t visit as she covered farm meetings of all types. Plus, she was able to compare the attributes of beef on a bun served at each venue.
Barbara was a farm girl born into a cattle-producing family near Mossbank, Sask., which gave her a keen eye for good livestock. At Canadian Western Agribition and similar shows, she often identified the winning animals long before the judges made their announcements, and was always close by when the judge slapped the rump of the winning bull. She delighted in getting that particular photograph. She also delighted in interviewing members of the younger generation at cattle shows, often speaking with the kids or grandkids of people she’d interviewed in years prior.
Barbara covered the BSE crisis and its never-ending aftermath. She covered the devastating foot-and-mouth outbreak in Europe. She analyzed Australia’s competition with the Canadian beef industry. Her expertise was such that she mentored other journalists less familiar with livestock.
She won provincial, national and international journalism awards, but Barbara was somewhat dismissive of those plaudits. She valued the opinion of readers over that of other journalists.
An alumnus of Lethbridge College, Barbara was awarded the Career Virtuoso Award in 2018. She also had an English degree from the University of Calgary and continued her life-long learning through various university courses and pursuits.
A straight shooter, Barbara was always able to cut to the chase, in her writing and in conversation. She was a rare woman, a wife, a mother, a friend, a writer.
Barbara is survived by her husband, Floyd Thompson, their three children, two brothers, one sister, her mother and several grandchildren.
