Manitoba auction industry loses an industry leader

Jul 27, 2023

Bill Klassen passed away suddenly

By Denise Faguy
Farms.com

On Monday, July 24, 2023, the auction industry in Manitoba and Canada lost Bill Klassen of Bill Klassen Auctions Ltd. in Blumenfeld, MB. Bill Klassen held his first auction on July 23, 1968 – 55 years ago. That same year he flew to Kansas City to attend at two-week auction course at the Missouri auction school.

On the "About Us" page of the Bill Klassen Auctions Ltd. website Bill told the story of how he grew his business. Near the end he wrote, “Over the years many real nice people have been a real asset into making what we are today, and of course it’s the people who do the work that make this auction company function to the satisfaction and often the praise from our clientele.”

“In the last years we have started internet bidding, my nephew James a electronic buff, took on the challenge of bringing this service to our bidders; because of him we were the first Manitoba company to bring live video from a farm auction site to the world's kitchens and home computers.”

Bill was an advertiser with Farms.com, this week he placed an ad in the Farms.com prairies newsletter that thanked western canada for its great support over the years.

Bill said he enjoyed being on the board of the new Manitoba Auctioneers Association when he served as its president for 3 years.

The family has said that auctions that have already been booked will continue as planned, and then they will take things day-by-day to determine the plan forward.

Bill Klassen’s Memorial service will take place on Sunday July 30, 2023, at 4:00 pm at the Bethel Bergthaler Mennonite Church.

If you are interested in sending a donation in Bill’s memory, donations may be made to the Church of Believer's (Kenya). For more information, visit the company website: https://www.billklassen.com/auction/bill-klassen-memorial-fund/.

Video: Canada's Agriculture Day 2025

Let's celebrate Canadian agriculture.

Well, number one, you don't eat without farmers. Farmers put food on the table. And what could be more important than that?

Well, I think it's important that Canadians understand exactly what takes place, what happens to produce this food, no matter what sector you're talking about.

An awful lot of work goes into that. It's important to understand that meat does not come out of a showcase, and milk does not come out of a bottle. It's produced by farmers and hard work.

Canada has the best farmers in the world. And agriculture is vital to Canada.

In 2024, our agriculture and agri-food sector represented $150 billion of Canada's GDP, nearly $100 billion of our exports, and one in nine jobs.

From grains to fruits to dairy and beef, we are truly blessed with an incredible bounty. Having spent my whole life in agriculture, I see so much potential for the sector.

This time last year, I was proud to open our first-ever agriculture and trade office in the Indo-Pacific, the world’s fastest-growing economy, to cement our presence in the region and grow our exports even more. We've also been making historic investments to help our farmers to boost their yields, protect the planet, and earn a fair living.

The world wants more top-quality, sustainable food, and I know our Canadian farmers can deliver. And it's so important that you do that with pride. We need you.

Quite simply, you eat the most top quality food in the world. You do that because of the quality of farmers and ranchers you have in this country.

Just say thank you to a farmer or a rancher. They work very hard, yes, for a living, but also with a sense of pride in what they produce.

That's what Canada's Agriculture Day is all about.