Through Every Season

What	Grains
Where	Central
Who	Doug & Laurie

Farming For Over Four Decades

Doug has been farming for 41 years. He’s seen dry years, wet years, and everything in between. He’ll tell you agriculture is an interesting industry that demands resilience in the face of many changes. He farms with members of his family: his cousin Jerry, Jerry’s wife Kelly, his wife and his son, Kevin. Doug met his wife, Laurie at a small town bar, back when Laurie was a schoolteacher in Arborg and Doug had a corn plot nearby. Forty-one years later, they had to find their way forward after a sudden health scare.

Life Can Change in a Single Day

Doug had a physical eleven months before, and his doctor gave him a clean bill of health. Then on March 7th, at 68 years old, Doug woke up with a headache and couldn’t walk. Laurie felt this could be serious enough to call an ambulance. Doug was taken to Health Sciences Centre, where doctors identified a stroke in progress. He spent 12 days in hospital and wondered what his outcome would be.

Determined to Recover

Doug’s recovery started with Laurie asking one question: how much do you want to walk? Laurie shared that Doug is a determined person so it wasn’t a surprise when he responded by walking with her at the hospital once an hour during her visits. By the following Monday, his care team could see the difference. That same determination came with him home, where the walking, and the exercise, continued.

Health, Family and Resilience

Doug’s cousin Jerry and son Kevin stepped up as key decision-makers on the farm while Doug recovered, and Laurie was by his side through all of it. Doug says the support of family and friends made all the difference, and that the experience has brought him and Laurie closer than ever. He’s looking forward to getting back on the combine, and his son taking on a bigger role in running the farm. Doug’s closing piece of advice for anyone over 60: get a blood pressure machine and check in with yourself now and then.

Watch Their Story

Watch the full story of Doug and Laurie, proudly sponsored by Manitoba Crop Alliance. If their story moved you, consider donating to the Heart & Stroke Foundation in Doug’s honour: https://heartandstroke.crowdchange.ca/158281. To learn more about crop farmers across the province, visit mbcropalliance.ca/