"Born in Germany, Jochum moved to Manitoba with his family in 1980, where they built a grain and hog operation from the ground up. What followed was rapid expansion, tight margins in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and an unexpected turn when his brother -who had planned to run the hog side of the business - left the farm entirely."
""I was absolutely steamed. I was so angry," Jochum recalls of being left to manage a hog operation he hadn't planned to run. Yet, rather than walk away, he leaned in. Over time, that experience pushed him to develop stronger marketing skills, build grain-trading relationships, and deepen his understanding of risk and resilience. "You can't be angry at the business that you're in," he says. Farming, he says, is a long game built on trust, relationships, and a willingness to see tough seasons through."
Gunter Jochum moved from Germany to Manitoba in 1980 and helped build a grain and hog operation from scratch. The farm experienced rapid expansion and tight margins in the late 1980s and early 1990s. An unexpected departure by his brother forced Jochum to take on hog management responsibilities he had not planned for, prompting anger but ultimately leading him to lean into the challenge. He developed stronger marketing skills, built grain-trading relationships, and deepened his understanding of risk and resilience. Farming is described as a long game that depends on trust, relationships, and enduring through difficult seasons.
Read at Realagriculture
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