Hugh Frederic Drake was born on March 18, 1944 in Elkhorn, Manitoba, Canada and passed away on December 26, 2023. In 1904, Hugh’s grandfather, also named Hugh Frederic, moved to a farm outside Elkhorn where he farmed with his son, Hugh. He married Myrna, and today, their two sons Darwin and Dwayne run a 22,000-acre grain, oilseed and livestock operation. Hugh’s grandson Danny is the fifth generation on the Drake farm and operates a forage harvester business as well as farms with the family. In 2004 the Drake family celebrated being a century farm, 100 years working together on the family farm.

Hugh attended Elkhorn High School and dedicated most of his life to service on various boards within the agriculture industry in Manitoba. He helped build the skating rink in Elkhorn in the early sixties, and served on the local skating rink board in the early eighties for many years. During these years he helped raised money to put artificial ice in the local rink, including raffles with a new John Deere tractor. He served on the Elkhorn Board of MPE for 28 years and became a delegate for Manitoba Pool Elevators in 1980.

The nineties brought the start of a period of unprecedented change to the grain handling industry as well farm input supply dealers. The days of having a grain elevator in every town to deliver grain and buy fertilizer and chemical were rapidly coming to an end. Management and boards of directors were making tough but necessary decisions to close hundreds of smaller elevators and build a small number of large inland terminals. This would require substantial trucking for most producers and many rail line abandonments also caused further small elevator closures and a massive increase of heavy traffic on the road infrastructure.

As a member of the board of directors of Manitoba Pool Elevators, Hugh was often responsible for attending meetings to deliver welcomed news as well as the challenges that come in telling local boards that their elevators would be closing. Obviously (like most changes) many people were not happy and probably apprehensive about what the future would hold for their family businesses and the small communities that these elevators played such a crucial role in bringing people to town to support.

The period of change had only begun in the early nineties and by the mid nineties it was clear to the board that with more multi national companies entering Western Canada and building large facilities that Manitoba Pool Elevators must get larger in order to compete. The board had more tough decisions to make regarding mergers and acquisition.

Finally, in 1998 Manitoba Pool Elevators merged with Alberta Wheat Pool to form Agricore. Only one board of directors would be required and Hugh stayed on when the new board was formed, so it was clear the value that both boards thought that he brought to the table especially during the merger negotiations.

The new board was tasked with an additional challenge in the fall of 1999 when the Grain Services Union decided to go on strike during negotiations for a new agreement to replace the existing agreements each previous company had in place. After months of negotiations and a month strike, the two sides reached an agreement in December.

By 2001, more mergers and consolidations were in the wind. The board decided to merge Agricore with United Grain Growers to form Agricore United. More head office and board member positions were cut again, but Hugh was kept on the new board after the company was formed and became the largest grain handling and farm supply company in Western Canada. While at Agricore United, Hugh served on the Human Resources, Risk Review and Agriculture Policy Committees and worked to represent farmers during a difficult takeover. Hugh was also instrumental on the board in taking the company public. It traded on the TSX under the symbol “AU”, limited voting common shares, convertible nine per cent debentures and series “A” preferred shares.

November 2006, the company became the target of takeover bids from Sask Pool and Richardson. Archer Daniels Midland were also buying shares in AU as well. Sask Pool made several initial offers which Hugh and the rest of the board voted against. Intense negotiations were on going for months and in February 2007 the board announced a merger arrangement to form a new publicly traded company to be known as Richardson Agricore subject to shareholder agreement. In the months that followed both Sask Pool and JRI continued raising their bids. Sask Pool came back to the table multiple times with higher bids until JRI bowed out. This marked the end of the Agricore United board and the beginning of the new company Viterra which would have all Sask Pool management on their board.

For 14 years Hugh served as a director with three different grain companies. During this time Hugh also sat on the Heartland Livestock board, an amalgamation of Manitoba Pool Elevators and Saskatchewan Wheat Pool livestock markets. While Hugh was on the board of Heartland Livestock the board built a new auction barn at Virden, Manitoba which remains operational today.

In the late 80’s Hugh participated in the provincial debt review board and played an active role assisting farmers in financial crisis. In 1993 Hugh completed the 20th Farm Leaders course in Winnipeg. This course concentrated on the grain industry. He also received his Farm Business Management certificate in 1988 from Assiniboine Community College, as well as the Management of Leadership Program certificate from the University of Calgary in 1999. Hugh received the Institute of Corporate Director Designation from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary in 2005.

In 2008, Hugh became treasurer of the Manitoba Canola Growers Association. He was a member of the board for six years actively supporting canola research, and promoting the health benefits of canola oil and the advantages of canola meal in livestock feed. At the same time Hugh was a director with the Manitoba Flax Growers Association (MFGA) for eight years. Hugh was on the executive committee for most of his time on the MFGA board, and helped with the amalgamation from MFGA to the Manitoba Crop Alliance in 2020.

During this time Hugh was also a member of the Wasagaming Foundation, operator of the Camp Wannakumbac program at the Riding Mountain Conference Centre in Clear Lake. Hugh was the chairman of the board. Camp Wannakumbac is supported partially by donations of corporate entities, and is a place for kids to make friends, have fun and learn.

Hugh selflessly dedicated his life and time away from his own businesses and family to ensure that these Manitoba and western Canadian non profit agricultural organizations, coops and companies were successful. And in doing so, kept agriculture in Manitoba a cornerstone of our economy and our small rural communities.

Hugh was proud to have the family farm going into its fifth generation. Hugh supported the local 4-H Beef Club that his grandson Danny participated in, proud to be showing home raised cattle every year. His proudest moment was watching Danny’s steer be judged Grand Champion in 2016.

Hugh’s peers described him as an influential leader, great listener, and advocate with a calm demeanor. He was active on a number of boards during trying times in Manitoba, and worked hard to represent the best interests of his organization and farmers. When asked about his favourite experience serving on these various agriculture boards throughout Manitoba, his response was the people he and his wife met. The friends they made along the way and kept in contact with for most of his later years is what he enjoyed most.