Western Irrigation District Memories – Doug and Fern Pagenkopf

By John Godsman Times Contributor

Fern’s family originated in Ontario. Her paternal grandfather was AF Quennell who, with his wife Grace, came west in 1910, settling in the Gleichen area. In 1919, after serving with Canadian Armed Forces in the First World War, AF purchased the quarter section their house now stands on.
Fern’s maternal grandfather was August Schweer who was born in Germany and came to this area in 1927, purchasing the first piece of land alongside the E ditch. August became the first irrigator, initially using flood irrigation, before improving to hand moves. His wife Hilda bore him eight children, of which the fifth one was John Schweer.
Fern’s father Howard Quennell was born on the farm in 1923, and her mother Ida was born near Cluny in 1936. They were married in 1967, and Fern was born in 1968, while her brother Ross arrived in 1971.
Fern attended school in Gleichen and Cluny, and farmed with grandfather Allan F Quennell. In 1982, John Schweer sold the original homestead to Howard and Ida Quennell, and irrigation was re-established on that parcel. They began irrigating 10 acres, before increasing to 30 acres using the volume gun along with the hand moves. Fern spent her summers moving hand pipes, while being attacked by mosquitoes and hawks.
Fern graduated from Olds College in 1989, and while there had met Doug Pagenkopf, whose family had immigrated to Canada from Germany in the late 1950s. Fern and Doug were married in November 1990, and they have four children.
They started acquiring land and initially bought an irrigated quarter section. Gradually, they established irrigation on other lands, over time upgrading from wheel moves to pivots. In the mid-1990s, they started exploring newer crops for forage crops including timothy, and now export to markets in Korea and Japan, as well as alfalfa to local dairy markets.
The Pagenkopfs appreciate that irrigation has permitted them to diversify the crops they grow. As long as they have irrigation, they will have the ability to select from a broader range of crops, allowing for greater flexibility within their farm operation. Rehabilitation and conversion of canals to pipelines within the district have been beneficial, increasing water efficiency and eliminating seepage. This has enhanced the ability to farm by improving land and saving water, which would enable an expansion of irrigation in the area.