A great friend and a giant in the pork industry, Bill Vaags passed away recently.

A release by the Manitoba Pork Council said Manitoba’s pork industry has had many champions over the years, but few as dynamic as Bill Vaags, who passed away recently at the age of 82, leaving a hole in numerous lives and a profound legacy for the pork industry.

As a farm broadcaster going back to 1971, I remember Bill as one of the first influential people I interviewed and how Bill helped me overcome my jitters, and how he always treated me with the utmost respect. He wasn’t only the subject of the news story; he was the teacher and friend that showed me how important the farming industry was (is) and the importance of getting the story right the first time.

I remember when I heard of this young farmer in the Dugald area building a huge, almost out-of-this-world sow farrow to finish operation with 700 sows, way too big, and way too expensive. He invited me down to take a look at the new-fangled systems, huge barn by that day’s standards and we sat down to do that big interview.

As president of Canada Pork International, I remember Bill telling me how he had to open a delicacy cafe serving Canadian offal in China officially. (Definition – Offal also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, refers to the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal). Being at the head of the table and everyone watching him, Bill told me how he’d asked for every spice and sauce he could find, smothered the offal and ate it as if it was the best-tasting meal he’d ever had.

“I honestly considered Bill as every other person who knew him as a great friend, and someone who knew the business better than most, and if he didn’t know something, he’d find out in a hurry. My condolences to the family, friends and the hog and farming industry that knew no bounds to Bill Vaags.

George M. Matheson, Chair, Manitoba Pork said Bill’s career as a pork producer began in the early 1960s, and with his family, he built a progressive, sustainable hog operation that at one time was one of the largest in Manitoba. Always active in the industry, he was a director at Manitoba Pork for 37 years, 11 of those as chairman, and president of the Canadian Pork Council for five. He was heavily involved in the global pork trade, president of Canada Pork International for six years, and an active participant in the creation of NAFTA. To honour and acknowledge Bill’s contributions to agriculture, in 2006, he entered into the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame, and in 2010, Manitoba Pork presented him with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“To say that everyone in the Canadian pork industry knew Bill Vaags might be an exaggeration, but not by much. He had a way about him that drew people in and made them feel that their opinions mattered,” said Matheson. “To me, Bill was a colleague and friend, and most importantly, a mentor. He taught me that in our sometimes maligned industry, diplomacy is essential and that it is crucial that producers always present themselves well and with pride. He also taught me the value of consensus. Manitoba Pork’s board of directors is the most diverse group of its type in the country, and Bill knew that a united front was necessary to get a useful message out to governments and the public.”

“With Bill’s passing, the Manitoba and Canadian pork industries lost a terrific friend, and I am sure many producers would say one of their best,” said Matheson. •

— By Harry Siemens