U of M honours ag leaders

May 14, 2018

Bill Campbell and Chris Hamblin received Certificates of Merit from their alma mater

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A cattle breeder and former member of the Canadian Grain Commission received special honours from the University of Manitoba last week.

Bill Campbell, who also produces cash crops near Minto, Man., received a Certificate of Merit for his contributions to the provincial agricultural community.

He graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1975 with a Diploma of Agriculture.

“I’m thrilled to get this award and it means a lot to me,” he told Discover Westman Thursday. “It’s gratifying to be recognized by other members of the agriculture community.”

Campbell has served on a number of Limousin cattle boards, been involved with his local 4-H club and is vice-president of Keystone Agricultural Producers.

He credits his rural surroundings with his interest in ag and community involvement.

“My involvement in agriculture and wanting to give back (is) probably because of my upbringing,” he said. “Minto has always been a community of people working together to get projects done.”

Bill Campbell and Chris Hamblin with their Certificates of Merit.
Photo: University of Manitoba

The university also presented Chris Hamblin with a Certificate of Merit.

She graduated from the U of M with a Bachelor of Home Economics in 1977 and a Certificate of Education in 1978.

Aside from teaching, Chamblin operated a grain farm with her husband near Morris, Man. until 2012.

From 2002 to 2007, Hamblin served as Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission.

She has also sat on other ag boards, including Keystone Agricultural Producers and Agriculture in the Classroom.

Farms.com extends its congratulations to Campbell and Chamblin!

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.