The Rural Voice, 2019-06, Page 36In a world that glorifies
entrepreneurship and
glamourizes success, the
characteristic of “loyalty” is
sometimes undervalued and
underappreciated.
Not so for Bob Rourke, a farm
labourer who has worked on swine
farms in Huron and Perth counties
for over 40 years and at the age of
64, is looking forward to retiring
from long days and hard work.
On a rare Monday off, I met with
Bob where all good farmers meet – at
the kitchen table. He had two pages
of comments he wanted to add as I
asked him about his life, work and
experiences working with pigs.
A shy man, being interviewed
probably isn’t Bob’s favourite way to
pass the time. However, he feels
honoured that Stephen and Leslie
Forman of Venture View Swine near
Seaforth contacted The Rural Voice
to share their appreciation of Bob’s
amazing work ethics.
The fact that Bob has spent his
entire working career in the swine
industry is “truly remarkable from
our standpoint,” said Leslie Forman.
Particularly in a time when many
farms have to hire off-shore workers
to perform tasks Bob did quite
willingly.
“Even though I am an employee, I
always treated the barn like it was
my own out of respect for my
employers,” says Bob.
Bob grew up on a farm, a mixed
operation, with his younger brother
and sister. He attended Centralia
College for a year, graduated in 1976
and started work at Van Oenen
Farms near Dungannon, a large farm
at the time with 250-sows farrow to
finish. He worked there for two years
before moving to a Steckle farm then
settled in at Selves Farms Ltd which
grew from 440 to 2,200 sows farrow
to finish before it went bankrupt. He
experienced some disappointment at
this job when a younger employee
became barn manager over him.
However, he credits the family for
teaching him how to master swine
artificial insemination (AI) and learn
how to manage a sow barn.
His current employers hired Bob
next. Venture View is a 700-sow
farrow-to-finish operation. Bob
primarily does AI work, a job he
finds rewarding, though it can be
tricky if you accidentally insert the
rod tip into the bladder. Something
that doesn’t happen often!
At some point during his career,
Bob had dreams of owning his own
farm. He had hopes to take over the
family farm but Bob’s dad struggled
through the high interest rates in the
1980s and decided to sell the farm.
Later, Bob and his wife Michelle
debated whether to start their own
pig farm. “She talked me out of it,”
he says with a laugh. The certainty of
a regular pay cheque was appealing
compared to the risks of a fluctuating
industry.
Bob says he has always enjoyed
pigs. “They have a lot of
personality,” he says.
He admits sows can be aggressive
but he’s never had broken bones or
stitches from working in pig barns.
“One time I was standing between
a sow and where she wanted to go.
She just picked me up with her head
and shoved me over. I came right off
my feet but I did land on two feet,”
he remembers.
Another memory was having to
32 The Rural Voice
People
Trusted employee retires after 40 years
Bob Rourke has spent 40 years working in pig barns
and is looking forward to working outside raising bees
Bob Rourke has been a trusted employee in pig barns for over 40 years
and always loved working with pigs but he is retiring in September to take
care of a new kind of species.
•By Lisa B. Pot •