+ The Places You'll Go Three Canadian Juniors experience South America's Beef Industry
+ Making Her Mark Indiana Cattle-woman prepares to judge the Royal Heifer show ISSUE 3 NOV 2015
OYAL O N
T H E
R A I L S
T O
T H E
Take a trip back in time with the hired hands and livestock bound for Toronto's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
St ar ck
Ro
S - MR TR Hammer 308 D - RF Intense 359A February 27,2015
FIRST Hammer
Son to sell in Canada
SELLING November 25 at the Agribition Simmental Sale * Explosive New Genetics * 82 lb Birth Weight * Explosive BW to WW Spread * Highly Productive 2 Yr Dam
Dakota Townsend * Sylvan Lake, AB * (403) 505-8450
WORDS FROM THE
The smell of pink oil is in the air, and we’re at it again with a brand new issue of Top Stock. This can mean only one thing: fall show season! This has always been my favourite time of the year. There is a certain satisfaction in heading to the barn to work on the best one yet and watching them progress each day. There is a certain excitement that comes with the walk to the show ring to see how your genetics will stack up against the best beef cattle in the area (or the nation). There is a certain pride when the culmination of your early mornings, late nights and hard work are rewarded. Perhaps most rewarding of all, there is a fellowship and camaraderie that is unmatched in any other industry, and remains constant among cattle breeders wherever you go. This third installment of Top Stock without a doubt showcases our most diverse content to date. A shared passion for good cattle through the years, and across borders, ties this issue together. We begin by interviewing Emily Griffiths, a fifth generation Limousin & Gelbvieh breeder and talented cattlewoman hailing from Kendallville, Indiana as she prepares to sort the entries at Toronto’s National Junior Beef Heifer show, one of the nation’s most prestigious competitions. The Royal Winter Fair is undoubtedly the birthplace of Canadian cattle shows, and so it is only fitting that we stay a while and take a look back in time to examine our roots: Many western cattleman made this trip by train in their youth and Piper, our writer, has assembled their interviews into a fascinating report of their experiences. Reading through breed journals from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s to compile imagery for this story was as compelling as it was humbling: The years, the work and the generations of dedicated cattlemen & women necessary to advance the cattle industry to its current evolution is truly astonishing – And after all this time, some of those same surnames are still active within our industry! I would be remiss if I did not take this chance to thank the Bert Sheppard Stockmens' Foundation and the Canadian Angus Association for their assistance in putting this article together. Finally, we head out of the country altogether to join the three Robert C. McHaffie Canadian Junior Angus Ambassadors in Buenos Aires, Argentina for eight days at La Exposición Rural – I’m sure they would agree that an appreciation for outstanding cattle transcends any cultural barrier. Having been able to attend La Rural for the past three years, I can attest that this is a worldclass event. I would like to extend my gratitude to Cabaña Charles de Guerrero and Las Tres Marías Cabaña for their hospitality, and especially Tiziana Prada, who managed to get me a press pass so that I could photograph the show from inside the ring. It was truly a phenomenal experience. 04
As always, we profoundly appreciate the assistance of the show photographers, staff, and volunteers helping us compile results, the time and knowledge of our interviewees, and of course, our subscribers and advertisers. In speaking with advertisers from our first two editions, I was pleased to have several note their Top Stock ads had a positive influence on their sale results. We want to continue to help you reach your customer base, and welcome any feedback that will assist you in fine-tuning your marketing plans. Of special note, Top Stock’s print publication dates are scheduled around peak sale seasons, so will not be producing a winter edition. We will resume publication on March 10 with our A.I. Sire & Bull Sale edition, and welcome your bookings with either Tracy Kimmel (780.875.2089) or Sarah Buchanan (519.546.3352) prior to Feb. 5, 2016. As you are holding our last edition before the holiday season, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas, a happy New Year, a full bale yard and a trouble-free start to calving. See you next year! – Katie Songer
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
FEATURES NOVEMBER 2015 16
IN THIS
ISSUE
28
16 62
62
The Places You'll Go Three Canadian Juniors tour Argentina's Beef Industry
Making Her Mark Indiana cattlewoman prepares to judge the RAWF
OYAL O N
T H E
R A I L S
T O
T H E
Take a trip back in time with the hired hands and livestock bound for Toronto's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
Top Stock Magazine is published four times per year. One year subscription cost $10.00 per year ($10.50 with GST) in Canada, $40.00 per year in the USA. Top Stock magazine, hereby expressly limits its liability resulting from any and all misprints, errors and/ or inaccuracies whatsoever in the advertisement and editorial content published by Top Stock and its said liability is here by limited to the refund of the customer for its payment for said advertisement, or the running of the corrected advertisement, or editorial notice. Notification by the customer of any error must be made within 30 days of the distribution of the magazine. Advertising copy received after the deadline may not be returned for proofing. Changes to advertising copy made after the deadline date will be allowed only if time permits, and will incur the appropriate charges according to time and materials involved in the changes. The opinions or views expressed in the editorials are those of the writer or persons interviewed and not Top Stock magazine. Top Stock does however reserve the right to edit or refuse all material which might be objectionable in content. No material or part thereof may be reproduced or used out of context, without prior specific approval of a proper credit to Top Stock. Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
05
CROSS-CANADA COVERAGE
NOVEMBER 2015
©© Kurt Knock Photography
SHOW INDEX 42 44 45 36 49 50 52 54 58
DEPARTMENTS
Canadian JR Simmental Show Canadian JR All Breeds Show Pacific National Exhibition Interior Provincial Exhibition Ontario Angus Preview Heritage Classic Young Ranchman’s Show Olds Fall Classic Expo Boeuf
UPCOMING ISSUES Issue Spring A.I. Mid-Summer
On the Cover The 1954 Grand Champion car lot of Steers at the Royal Winter Fair, exhibited by Rio Alto Ranch of Longview, AB. ©© Courtesy of the Bert Sheppard Stockmens' Foundation
ADVERTISING RATES
Ad Deadline
Published
Feb 5
March 10
June 5
July 10
Frequency Double Page Spread
DESIGN RATES* 1x 2x
3x 4x
Rate: $40/hr
1200
1175
1150
1125
250
Full Page
650
625
600
575
175
Early Fall To Be Announced
Half Double Page Spread
650
625
600
575
175
Late Fall To Be Announced
Half Vertical
350
325
300
275
85
*Please contact for camera-ready ad deadlines
Half Horizontal
350
325
300
275
85
Quarter
250 225 200 175
50
Eighth
150 125 100 75
30
Ads paid prior to press date receive 5% discount off the listed price. Back cover, inside back cover, inside front cover, and other position pages are priced upon request.
06
04 WORDS FROM THE EDITOR 10 CONTRIBUTORS 12 JUNIOR NEWSMAKERS 44 SHOW RESULTS 70 UPCOMING EVENTS 72 ADVERTISERS INDEX
All ads are full color. 5% GST not included. *Design rates when you run your ad in Top Stock.
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
Club Calf Monopoly x HSF Your Fantasy
Purebred Angus HF Rebel 53Y x Highland Georgina 10A
Purebred Angus HF Rebel 53Y x Highland Delia 51A
Purebred Simmental G5 Zodiac x KIMM Tijuana Jail
Club Calf Monopoly x HSF Your Fantasy
Purebred Angus Highland Marvel 80Z X Highland Georgina 27Y
Purebred Limousin TMCK Durham Wheat x HSF Your Fantasy
Lim-Flex TMCK Durham Wheat x Highland Barbara 9Y
Purebred Angus Purebred Limousin TMCK Durham Wheat x HSF Your Fantasy Highland Marvel 80Z X Highland Elsa Erica 235W
Purebred Limousin Wulfs Zillion Bucks x Wat-Cha Playmate
Simmental X Shorthorn G5 Zodiac x HSF Xenia Dottie
www.facebook.com/topstockmagazine
M A G A Z I N E NOVEMBER 2015
ISSUE 3 Editor-in-Chief
Letters to the Editor
Katie Songer
Top Stock Magazine welcomes your
Creative/Art Director
comments, questions and opinions. Send your letters via email to
Katie Songer
Contributing Photographers Sam Buschbeck
info@topstockmagazine.com
Back Issues Back issues can be found online at
Erin Campbell Grant Rolston Photography Ltd. Helen Hawke
topstockmagazine.com or can be ordered, subject to availability, from
Kelly Richardson
the publishers.
Kurt Knock Photography
Subscription Services
ShowChampions
Subscribe to Top Stock magazine for
Contributing Writers
only $10/year (+$0.50/GST) in Canada
Piper Whelan
2015 Publication Schedule
Advertising Representatives
Top Stock is published four times per
Katie Songer Canada and USA
year in full color.
info@topstockmagazine.com
All rights reserved
403.714.2832
No part of Top Stock magazine may
Sarah Buchanan Eastern Canada sbuchanan@gold-bar.com 519.546.3352 Tracy Kimmel Western Canada btkimmel@shaw.ca
be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the expressed written consent of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material.
phone 780.875.2089
Office
©© copyright 2015 Top Stock Magazine
Top Stock Magazine 157B Bowman Circle Sylvan Lake, Alberta T4S 0H4 phone: 403.714.2832 info@topstockmagazine.com www.topstockmagazine.com
MEET THE TOP STOCK TEAM
Got Talent?
Interested in writing, photographing or designing for Top Stock? We are looking for you! Contact us at info@topstockmagazine.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITER Piper Whelan is a writer and editor from Irricana, Alberta. Raised on her family’s MaineAnjou ranch, she competed in junior shows and 4-H. After graduating from the University of Alberta, she studied at the University of King’s College School of Journalism. Her work has
Katie Songer
Editor-in-chief Creative Direction
010
Sarah Buchanan
Eastern Canada Ad Representative
Tracy Kimmel
Western Canada Ad Representative
Piper Whelan
Contributing Writer
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
appeared in Atlantic Beef & Sheep and various breed publications.
Send your junior news or letters to the editor to info@topstockmagazine.com.
M A G A Z I N E JUNIOR NEWS + NEWSMAKERS
Record Attendance at third Young Ranchman's show in Swift Current
SHOW RESULTS LISTED FREE
012
The show was attended by youth across three provinces, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. There were 150 participants, exhibiting 170 head of cattle. They competed over the course of three days, in skill competitions such as public speaking, art, photography, team grooming, showmanship and show team judging. Saturday afternoon an open prospect steer show was held. The show concluded on Sunday with the conformation show. Brian Barragree from Absarokee, Montana, evaluated both the prospect steers as well as the female show. On Saturday evening, at the Young Ranchman’s banquet, the online and live auction for the Cody Sibbald Legacy Fund, was completed. Over $60,000 was raised. The funds are going to go towards helping qualified youth at the Young Ranchman’s Show take part in some worthwhile and memorable travel and educational scholarship opportunities.
Attention Event Organizers! We will run your show results for free! Simply email your results and high resolution pictures of your champions to info@topstockmagazine.com
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
Canada’s On-Farm Food Safety Program for Cattle Producers
DRIVING CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO FOOD SAFETY
PROOF OF RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT
NEW HE OT
T AM PROGR
Food Safety Funding
Biosecurity Funding
Food Safety VBP Registered Funding
50% UP TO $750/PRODUCER
50% UP TO $1,000/PRODUCER
50% UP TO $2,000/PRODUCER
Eligible equipment includes:
Eligible items include services provided
Eligible equipment remains the same
by a vet to conduct and develop:
as food safety funding. To be eligible,
•
Squeeze with neck extender
•
Individual livestock scale
•
Biosecurity Assessment
producers must have their cattle
•
Record Keeping Software
•
Disease prevention practices
operation registered with VBP.
To learn more about Visit saskvbp.ca or contact Coy Schellenberg, Provincial VBP in Saskatchewan: Coordinator, at 306.859.9110 or office@saskvbp.ca
FREE LUNCH AT ALL WORKSHOPS
TOWN
DATE
FACILITY & TIME
KENOSEE LAKE
DEC 1, 2015 (TUE)
KENOSEE LAKE INN – 12:00PM
ROSTHERN
DEC 2, 2015 (WED)
LIONS HALL – 12:00PM
KINDERSLEY
DEC 3, 2015 (THU)
ELKS HALL – 12:00PM
ATTENTION PRODUCERS:
PREECEVILLE
DEC 8, 2015 (TUE)
LEGION HALL – 12:00PM
•
PRINCE ALBERT
DEC 9, 2015 (WED)
LLOYDMINSTER
DEC 10, 2015 (THU)
All winter workshops begin with a FREE lunch at noon provided by Boehringer Ingelheim:
funding, producers need to complete
EAST HILL COMMUNITY CENTRE – 12:00PM
the VBP training. •
MICROTEL INN & SUITES – 12:00PM
PIERCELAND
JAN 26, 2016 (TUE)
JOSIE BRITTON CENTRE – 12:00PM
VISCOUNT
JAN 27, 2016 (WED)
COMMUNITY CENTRE – 12:00PM
EARL GREY
JAN 28, 2016 (THU)
SKATING/CURLING RINK – 12:00PM
More workshops planned for February and March 2016. Watch our website for details.
In order to be eligible for any
For Biosecurity Funding, producers must attend a Workshop.
•
For Food Safety Funding, producers must attend a Workshop or take the Online Course.
•
All Workshops and Online Courses are offered at no cost!
•
Please RSVP for the Workshop you plan on attending!
To learn more about Visit saskvbp.ca or contact Coy Schellenberg, Provincial VBP in Saskatchewan: Coordinator, at 306.859.9110 or office@saskvbp.ca
"I was most surprised by how dominating the quality and the quantity of the British cattle were at the show. We were absolutely, totally impressed..." • Chad Lorenz
016
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO WORDS BY PIPER WHELAN
PHOTOS BY TOP STOCK
Join three Canadian juniors on a one-of-a-kind adventure as they experience a taste of Argentina’s beef industry.
T
his summer, South America was the destination for three young Angus enthusiasts. Chad Lorenz of Alberta, Matt Bates of Ontario and Patrick Holland of Prince Edward Island travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for eight days at one of the country’s largest and most prestigious livestock exhibitions — La Exposición Rural 2015. These three travellers have all served a one-year term as the Robert C. McHaffie Ambassador with the Canadian Junior Angus Association, which provided them with this travel opportunity. Guiding them through their adventure was Mariano Etcheverry, who doubled as their translator. Etcheverry, who worked for Alta Genetics at one time and is fluent in English, helped the ambassadors interact with the Spanish-speaking Argentinian breeders they met.
La Exposición Rural in Palermo is a major event for Argentina’s agriculture industry, with just less than 1,000 head of cattle exhibited this year, in addition to the other livestock species. The spectator numbers were equally as impressive. “It was overwhelmingly busy,” says Lorenz. “Everything was well-received and there were spectators no matter where you went.” “It was different from any other exhibition I’ve ever been to before. It was a mix between the Royal and Agribition, is how I’d put it,” Holland explains. “People were very enthusiastic about agriculture, and there were tons of cattle, tons of horses, and it reminded me of Agribition in that sense. But then the amount of people there was very similar to Toronto.”
Photo The Angus Bull show at La Exposición Rural is one of the most competitive shows in the world. ©© Top Stock
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
017
The Cattle of Argentina For the travellers, the main attraction was the cattle exhibited, which all showed outdoors, rain or shine. “One of the main reasons I think we selected Argentina as a destination was the quality of cattle in general,” says Bates, who notes the high level of substance and style in what he saw. Not only did they get to view eared cattle suited to the climate south of the equator, they were also pleased to see how well their own breed was represented. There were so many Angus entries, the breed show took three full days. “I was most surprised by how dominating the quality and the quantity of the British cattle were at the show,” says Lorenz. “We were absolutely, totally impressed with the Angus and Hereford cattle down there, and even the Shorthorns were very respectable.” In regards to the Continental breeds, Lorenz found they had much smaller shows and less quality in relation to their Canadian counterparts. “Consistency of those cattle throughout the barns was very low compared to at home.” Holland noticed a large amount of North American
018
influence in the Argentinian cattle they saw. “They’re similar in phenotype, but they’re definitely shorter animals,” he says. “They were explaining that their export market is not as strong, so they want to keep smaller cuts for themselves, and a lot of the British breed animals are a lot smaller than what we’re used to — but very stout animals, very wide bases, sound, good muscle expression and correct, typically.” After seeing what the cattle barns boasted, it was their turn to take the mike. The three ambassadors, who have all excelled in judging competitions at home, had the chance to take part in the Exposición’s junior Angus judging competition. Around 20 people competed in their age category. “It was not much different in terms of how the evaluation went,” says Lorenz. The major difference was that it didn’t include providing oral or written reasons. “That was obviously great for us, because we would have had absolutely no luck in Spanish,” he laughs. “That was really neat to see those cattle up close out in the ring and presented nicely, and the chance to
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
judge cattle that were different from what we’re used to,” says Bates. “They sure had a lot of substance, and yet on a really moderate frame, so to be able to go out and analyze those cattle was really fun.” Not only that, all three placed well within the senior division; Lorenz was the champion judge, with Holland placing third.
Touring Around This trip included a visit to Casamu Angus, an operation in Buenos Aires province with the biggest registered Angus herd in the country. With approximately 1,000 head, Casamu Angus holds three bull sales a year, and pays special attentional to genomics and EPDs. “They’re very much genetically influenced and interested in animals that thrive on being grass fed,” says Holland. “They were one of the founding Red Angus breeders down there. Although they had
about a 60 percent Red and 40 percent Black cow herd, they focused actually on the Red and they were only using the Black genetics as fresh genetics and outcross genetics,” Lorenz explains. He notes their focus on EPDs, marbling and carcass quality didn’t seem to be shared by all the Argentinian producers they met. “Most places, they were more phenotype breeders … where this place was very number-based.” “By going out to a farm like that, you get to ask some questions and you get an idea of how their cattle year works down there, because their seasons are opposite to ours, and so that makes their calving season opposite to ours and makes their bull sale season different,” says Bates. “It was enjoyable to hear about their operation and hear about how they cope with different things in the wintertime.”
Top Left Press surrounds the Grand Champion Hereford Female at the 2013 exhibition.
Top Right A Gaucho leads his Criollo, the native breed of Argentina known for their endurance and hardiness.
©© Top Stock
©© Top Stock
Bottom Left & Right The cattle shows at La Rural happen outside, rain or shine! Heavy rains commenced during the 2015 Angus show, leaving the judge and ring staff under umbrellas and the showmen wearing raincoats and rubber boots. © Top Stock
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
019
Another stop was the Centre de Reproduccion Bovina, a collection facility with around 70 bulls in stud at the time. “It was really neat, because compared to our studs in Canada, they had very little infrastructure,” Lorenz recalls. “At the end of the day, they did the same thing we did, just with a little different set-up.”
An Agricultural Adventure This experience put a spotlight on the similarities and differences between Canadian and Argentinian livestock shows. For example, Lorenz noticed the influence that North American trends in grooming had on the Palermo exhibitors. “Some go to the full extent and full effort of clipping and washing and fitting at show time, as anybody does in Canada and the United States. Then there’s some cattle who are just very lightly fit and clipped,” he recalls. He mentions how many of the cattle had ample hair, considering the moderate climate. “We asked breeders around the barn and some said that those cattle had been worked on extremely hard before the show, and yet some people made comments that they just naturally had that good of hair.” Their observations provided an educational experience for the three travellers. “I think the three of us took a lot Top Left A Gaucho on his Criollo. ©© Top Stock
Top Right Bates, Lorenz and Holland on tour at the stud in Argentina. 020
out it in terms of understanding a little bit of their culture down there in Argentina, and just the differences in cattle and the differences in the environment they’re raised in,” says Bates. All three agree on how welcome they were made to feel throughout their trip. “It didn’t matter where we went — if we were ordering in a food line somewhere and struggling with that, or struggling with something else, someone who spoke a little bit of English would come up and help us out and lend a hand to make sure we got what we were trying to order,” says Bates. When asked what they’d miss about Canadian cattle shows if they were to stay in Argentina, they each mentioned a different detail – For Holland, it’s the opportunity to show cattle himself. “It’s very similar to Canadian cattle shows, for fitting and showing. I guess getting in the show ring — they have a lot of the guachos (Spanish for herdsman) showing for them, Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
Photo This year's Hereford show was also a wet event. Heavy rains affected the majority of the beef shows in 2015. ©© Top Stock
“That was really neat to see those cattle up close out in the ring and presented nicely, and the chance to judge cattle that were different from what we’re used to. They sure had a lot of substance, and yet on a really moderate frame, so to be able to go out and analyze those cattle was really fun." • Matt Bates
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
021
Above Stock show food with an Argentinian twist! Many vendors on the grounds sell meat & cheese, and the on-grounds restaurants serve Asado, the traditional dish of the nation (Beef cooked on a grill). ©© Top Stock
so I’d kind of miss that aspect of it,” he explains. Bates mentioned weather-related issues with showing outdoors. “They show in the pouring rain and thunder and lightning,” he notes. “Which made it a little bit tough for a national show where there’s no building to show in.” As for Lorenz, he would miss the North American stall set-up. “I get the feeling that this is kind of general at all shows in Argentina: they don’t have stall signs, they don’t have fancy stalls, they don’t have fans to keep the cattle cool — just kind of general, plain, even sometimes messy stalls, and don’t take their own end panels.” As La Exposición wound down, Lorenz, Bates and Holland witnessed the high level of public involvement in some of the show’s most prestigious moments. “You get down to the Friday afternoon, and they divided the big main ring into four smaller rings, and they had the Holstein show finishing off in one ring, the Limo
024
show, the Angus show and one of the horse shows,” Holland explains. “All of the stands were packed. The Angus show was the last one running, and people who were watching in one ring would come over and watch the Angus show, so there were probably 5,000 people watching the Grand Champion Bull get slapped, and 20 or 30 press people in the ring. “The next day, we went for the closing ceremonies, and they bring out all the different breed champions — all the cattle, all the horses, all the alpacas and llamas — and there was a huge crowd there for that. Just listening to the president of the Rural Society, you could tell that they had an influence there and that people are passionate about agriculture down there.” With that, Holland, Bates and Lorenz travelled home to Canada, with new knowledge gleaned from this adventure. “This trip was really the trip of a lifetime,” says Bates happily.
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
CHAD LORENZ, AGE 22
MATT BATES, AGE 21
PATRICK HOLLAND, AGE 22
2013-14 Ambassador from Markerville, AB
2014-15 Ambassador from Cameron, ON
2015-16 Ambassador from Montague, PEI
Years showing cattle: 14
Years showing cattle: 10
Years showing cattle: 13
Studied Animal Science at Lakeland College in Vermillion, AB
Studies Animal Science at the University of Guelph in Guelph, ON
Studies Pharmacy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Works at Bouchard Livestock, Crossfield, AB
Why being a Robert C. McHaffie Ambassador was important to him:
Why being a Robert C. McHaffie Ambassador was important to him:
"It’s sprung from a passion for Angus cattle, for the breed and beef cattle in general. I thought it would be a neat opportunity to be able to take in the travel experience and the networking opportunities that came from the ambassador experience, so I applied for it and became a finalist and went through that process, and enjoyed that part of it, and from that became the ambassador, and really enjoyed the year.”
“I think the Angus breed is pretty unique in that we have the ambassadors. We go out there to get youth involved and breeders involved and continue to grow the breed and strengthen it, especially in a time right now where the beef industry is doing well. I think it’s important we continue that and build for the future as well.”
Meet the producers “You certainly have to walk through the barns and get a chance to speak with the producers and just look at the cattle in the stall,” Bates suggests. “They’re really impressive.”
(please) the most, especially as they could point to something and say por favor to ask for it. Muy Bueno, meaning ‘very good,’ came in handy when walking through the barns. “We described everything that looked good — we’d say, ‘el torro, muy bueno,” Holland explains, meaning to compliment a bull.
Why being a Robert C. McHaffie Ambassador was important to him: "Probably the most important thing was the people I was able to meet within our breed and industry. I got to travel to tons of cool places and do some things I probably would have never been able to do without that opportunity, but everywhere I went and everything I did, it was the people I met that was most exciting.”
V I S I T I N G
L A
EXPOSICIÓN RURAL Witness the moment of victory “I think you must be there for the Champion Angus bull drive to see the enormous crowd, and just try to visualize and understand the amount of people that actually are in those stands and peeking around every corner and hanging off the edges of stairways,” says Lorenz. Take in a sale “Attending the Angus sale was something that you would have to see. Great hospitality, they gave us stew and empinadas and wine and the auctioneering style is completely different from what you would see in North America,” says Holland. Check out the trucks “There was a demonstration with Toyota and Volkswagon — they had all their pickup trucks going through an obstacle course and going up over hills and over rocks, and it was pretty extravagant and actually almost nerve-wracking when you were watching it,” says Bates.
Go sight-seeing “Go downtown and see the town square,” says Lorenz. They saw the parliament building, a cathedral and the national bank. “There’s a ton of history, and there’s some buildings on the town square that are hundreds of years old.” Try the steak, of course All three are in agreement on the best food they ate on this trip. “There was one restaurant that we went to two or three times on the corner close to our hotel, and the beef tenderloin was probably some of the best beef I’ve had in my life,” says Holland. See the champions on parade “I think you must go to the parade on the final morning. I think it was just terrific to see all the other species and breeds out there,” says Lorenz. A little Spanish can go a long way… They used ¡Hola! (hello), gracias (thank you) and por favor Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
…But there’s always more to learn They also all agree a general understanding of Spanish would have been helpful, especially to ask people how they are doing. “I wish I could have just walked up to somebody and said ‘Hi, my name is Chad, I’m from Canada,” says Lorenz. Pack a few essentials in your carry-on. They learned this first hand when Bates and Lorenz’s luggage failed to show up when they arrived. “Definitely deodorant — they do not have that, apparently in Argentina,” says Lorenz. They also recommend a change of clothes and an extra coat, just in case the temperature dips. When they got their luggage back, Bates found his boots were missing, so Holland gives this advice “Always wear your boots when you travel.”
025
SHE SELLS
SALE FEATURE: HE SELLS
SHE SELLS
SHE SELLS
SHE SELLS
COLT’S DYNASTY 10W
CNS Dream On L186 x M&S Miss Black Lace 16T
HE SELLS
HE SELLS
HE SELLS
OYAL Photo The Alberta Steer exhibit at the Royal Winter Fair in 1950. From right to left, the steers were the Shorthorn Grand Champion exhibited by the University of Alberta; the Hereford Reserve Grand Champion and the Angus Reserve Grand Champion both exhibited by Ed Noad; and the Red Angus 1st Grade or Crossbred 909-1000 lb exhibited by W.L. McGillivray. WORDS BY PIPER WHELAN
O N
T H E
R A I L S
T O
T H E
Take a trip by train back in time with the hired hands and livestock bound for Toronto’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
028
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
N
ovember 1953. Bob Smith wakes to a cold, dark morning, ready for a day of work. The train rocks along the rails, traveling through northern Ontario. Below the deck where he sleeps in the box car, the cattle wait to be fed. “You usually slept with your coat on, if you had a sleeping bag or a big blanket to sleep underneath,” Smith explains. “Not quite as cold as outside, but once you got up in northern Ontario when you were going down there, why, it was pretty cold.” On this bracing morning, Smith is 21 years old, on his way to work at
the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair for the first time, taking care of Tom Hamilton’s Shorthorns on the journey to Toronto. Smith, who now lives at Jarvie, Alberta, made this trip 13 times, first working for Hamilton of Rannoch Farms at Innisfail, AB, for the 1953-55 editions of the Royal. These were good years, he says, winning Champion Shorthorn Female and Champion Pen of Three Steers in that time. In 1956, Smith took steers down for Laurie Byers of Byers Flour Mills in Camrose, AB. “Somebody had told him that I’d been down
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
Photo Accompanying the steer exhibit are Dave Simpson, Calgary; Tom G. Hamilton, Innisfail; Jim Cran, Nanton; Mr. Secord, Edmonton; John Hay, Nanton; Honorable David A. Ure, Edmonton; Bill Meade, Edmonton; J.H. Rock, Morrin; Bill Frazer, Edmonton; Bud McBride, Benalto; Mrs. Allan Turney, Calgary; Ed J. Noad, Claresholm; Fred Major, University of Alberta, Edmonton; Warren Smith, Carstairs; Lyle Robinson, Vermilion; Walter Ross, Olds; Lawrence Rye, Edmonton; Alex Webster, Airdrie; Bill Webb, Claresholm; Bill Heanan, Calgary; Cyril F. Hochstein, Pincher Creek; Walter McAllister, Dalroy. ©© Courtesy of the Glenbow Archives PA-3881-41
029
"We had to nominate our cattle in the summertime... If they were selected to go, then everything was paid for. Your only expense was your own personal expenses." • Gavin Hamilton
a few years, and he wanted to know if I would take the steers down, and we won Champion Car Load. Well, after that, it was just a case of he said I had to go and that was it,” Smith explains. “I couldn’t afford to stay home; he was paying me good enough that I had to go.” In the nine years Smith worked for Byers, they won the Champion Pen of Five and Champion Car Load five times each. Smith’s last trip by rail to the Royal was in 1965, for Mickey Collins of Flying Red Wheel Ranch. Smith is one of the many who accompanied livestock to the Royal Winter Fair as part of the Province of Alberta’s official exhibit. The first Royal was established as Canada’s national agricultural show, showcasing the best livestock and agricultural products each province had to offer. Getting the exhibitors Above Doug Buchanan of Pincher Creek, Alberta in front of the awards won by the 1957 Alberta exhibit. ©© Courtesy of Bob Smith
Left The 1966 Champion Pen of Five steers, an Angus pen owned by Laurie Byers of Camrose, Alberta. ©© Courtesy of the Canadian Angus Association (reprinted from the Canadian Aberdeen Angus News)
Opposite Right A stiff championship drive at the 1966 Royal Winter Fair steer show. Vying for the title were the Champion Hereford Steer (Ed Noad, High River, AB); Reserve Champion Hereford Steer (Dwayne Jones, Balzac, AB); Champion Angus Steer (Bolduc's shown by Bob Smith); Reserve Angus Steer (Unknown); Champion Shorthorn Steer (Unknown); and the Reserve Champion Shorthorn Steer (Tom Hamilton, Innisfail, AB). ©© Courtesy of Bob Smith
030
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
and their livestock to Toronto, however, would prove difficult for a number of the provinces without financial assistance for transportation. The first Alberta exhibitors in 1922 — including beef and dairy cattle, sheep, swine and horses — were enticed to go through subsidized transportation, and from 1922-72, Agriculture Canada paid 75 percent of the freight cost for exhibitors from away. Alberta Agriculture then agreed to subsidize the remaining 25 percent, and other provinces had similar systems. The Alberta Livestock Board, established in the 1930s, “set the parameters governing selection such as the number of entries per class” and “generally stressed to selectors the necessity of maintaining a high-quality exhibit,” states Alberta Royal Exhibits, published by Alberta Agriculture. The selections took place in the first half of September, and letters were
sent out in the second half to those whose animals had been selected, giving them time to enter. “They usually had three breed representatives (for the beef cattle) that came around and checked out all the cattle, and they checked the steers to see if they were good enough to go,” says Smith. “1969 was the first year I went on the train,” says Gavin Hamilton, now of Belvin Angus at Innisfail, AB. Hamilton took his father’s steers and breeding cattle to the Royal. He also looked after cattle owned by Berwyn and Leta Wise, Dave Durie and others over the years. “We had to nominate our cattle in the summertime, and so then about the first part of September, there would be a group of four people come around to select the cattle… If they were selected to go, then everything was paid for. Your only expense was your own personal expenses.”
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
031
"We just slept wherever you could sleep. We slept in the old nurse cow barn ... and we slept in army bunk beds up above the show ring. Later a dormitory was built outside of the cattle barns. That was a lot better." • Bob Smith Heading East In the 1920s and ‘30s, exhibitors prepared box cars and loaded livestock at their local railway stations, connecting until they were all joined together on the main line. Later, the cars were prepped and loaded at the Canadian National Railroad siding at the Edmonton Exhibition Grounds and at the Canadian Pacific Railroad siding north of the Calgary Stampede Grounds. “We had to put decks in the box cars and get them repaired. We’d put feed up in the deck and our tack,” said Hamilton. The Calgary and Edmonton trains met and hooked together in Regina. Smith recalls the loading of the cattle going smoothly, “but when they loaded horses that sometimes took a long time to get them loaded, so it took a half a day. It was usually dark at night when they got away from the train station.” In the first two decades, the trip generally took a week. “Railway law required that livestock be unloaded, rested, fed and watered at intervals no longer than 72 hours. Because of this, the livestock in the Alberta exhibit was unloaded at Winnipeg and again in northern Ontario,” states Alberta Royal Exhibits. After the Second World War, the trip was made more convenient with freight trains that traveled faster, less time waiting for connections and colonist coaches that the attendants could stay in. Now, the trip took less than 72 hours, and the livestock didn’t need to be unloaded throughout. The box cars were fitted with wooden decks half way up at one end of the car; feed and tack were stored up there, and the attendants slept on the decks, particularly
032
in the early years. Smith notes that it was important to sleep with your feet facing the front of your car, as if the car somehow unhooked — which happened once year — you wouldn’t hit your head or get seriously hurt. “We had to have a little ladder to get in and out if you wanted to really get out, but we had to put a plank in the door to keep the door from coming shut, because otherwise you’d be locked in there,” he says. “To start with a lot of guys just had a kerosene lantern, which was awful dangerous when you had straw and cattle in there. So then we started taking a battery with a 12 volt or a 6 volt bulb, so then we had just a bit of light in there.” “Any bulls had to be tied, so there was always a lot of room,” says Hamilton. “On average, the heifers would be turned loose on one end, so there would be about probably 15 to 20 head, depending on how many calves. If there was a car load of steers, they would usually have a car to themselves, so they were never overcrowded.” Even with the coaches, many hands stayed in the cars, which were made warmer by the cattle. “We always took enough feed up in the train where we were decked, and took enough hay and straw and grain,” Smith explains. “We had a big 45-gallon water barrel, and they always said don’t take on water in Winnipeg because the cattle won’t drink that water down there. They’d stop two or three times on the way to Toronto, and usually we took on water in Regina and different places along the way.” Brian Good of Black Browe Cattle Co. at Red Deer, AB, was thrilled when he found out
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
Left Competition between Eastern and Western breeders was fierce. Here, Prospect Lucy 153, bred and owned by Prospect Farms of London Ontario (Col. D. B. Weldon) is prepared for the ring. She was named Junior Champion and Grand Champion Angus female at the 1969 Royal Winter Fair. ©© Courtesy of the Canadian Angus Association (reprinted from the Canadian Aberdeen Angus News)
Below With so much time spent together on the train and taking care of the cattle, friendships were a highlight of the experience. ©© Courtesy Thomas Whelan (Both photos)
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
033
LIFETIME F I N A N C I N G
T H E
T R I P
O F
A
ALBERTA AGRICULTURE CONTRIBUTED THE FOLLOWING TO WESTERN PRODUCERS ATTENDING THE ROYAL:
25%
100%
100%
100%
FREIGHT COSTS
FEED & BEDDING
LUMBER & LABOUR
60 GALLON BARRELS
(from assembly point to Toronto and back)
(from assembly point to Toronto and back, and while at show)
(for decking cars in preparation for cattle)
(for water storage on car)
X2
GRANTS TO MATCH PRIZE MONEY (dollar for dollar, on all money won in regular classes)
PLUS Alberta Agriculture paid a modest per diem to cover hotel and meals for board members; Payment of travel and living expenses for
breed selectors (Neither were paid for their time); Provision of staff time to advertise for and collect nominations, co-ordinate selection and assemble the exhibit; provision of a person to oversee and travel with the exhibit. (Source: Alberta Agriculture, Royal Exhibits)
034
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
RING R E A DY
FO R
T H E
"You'd cover that steer with bran and rub it all over, because they'd be just ringing wet, and so you'd rub bran all over them and then you had to brush it out. So that was a lot of work, keeping those steers dry."
T
here were many differences in grooming cattle back then, meaning more time required to get ready and substantially more work for those taking care of the cattle. “They didn’t have blowers in those days, so it was a lot of work looking after those steers, because they’d start sweating down there,” Smith explains. “So we’d get one of those electric barley cookers and we’d boil water in there, and somebody would bring a big towel from some hotel, and you’d soak that in boiling water and ring it out and rub the steers with that. That hot towel would stop them from sweating. “Sometimes, if that didn’t work, you’d cover that steer with bran and rub it all over, because they’d be just ringing wet, and so you’d rub bran all over them and then you had to brush it out. So that was a lot of work keeping those steers dry.” Cattle had to be clipped by hand with sheep shears, requiring considerable strength, skill and precision. A talented clipper was in high demand, and it was Smith’s trimming abilities that made him a valuable hand at the Royal. “One year I clipped 30-some steers with hand sheep shears, and I would never do it today. Nobody was clipping with electric clippers back then. It would take you four or five hours at least (per steer by hand),” he recalls. “I know Ed Noad was one of the first ones who started clipping steers, and he said that I couldn’t clip steers, and that was why I had to show him I could clip steers just as well as he could.”
The Overseer’s Job
E
ach year, someone was put in charge of the provincial exhibit on the journey and while at the show. Laurence M. Rye was the overseer of the Alberta exhibit from 1948-1953. His tasks in this role were as follows: He “took the exhibit in hand when assembled, had custody of all bills of lading (shipping) and was the person in contact with railway officials while enroute. He relayed messages of any importance to the men aboard and arranged where the train would stop to replenish water supplies. On arrival in Toronto, he hired trucks to move all tack boxes, baggage and other equipment from box cars and coaches to the barns and dormitory. He then made sure that all cars had been cleaned, that decks were removed from the steer cars which terminated at Toronto and the lumber carefully stacked in cars that would be returning. He then took inventory of feed and bedding left on each car and arranged with the Royal feed supplier to add what was necessary to get the
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
cars home again … When this flurry of activity was over, the overseer could then settle down to the routine of placing daily feed and bedding orders to meet the exhibitors’ requirements. He also acted a liaison between the fair office and Alberta exhibitors. When the last day of the fair arrived, he allocated space for the return shipment and made up bills of lading covering same. Again, he hired trucks this time for reloading.” Source: Alberta Agriculture, Alberta Royal Exhibits Far Left The 1958 Royal Winter Fair Champion Pen of Steers in front of the Byers Flour & Feed Mills, Camrose, AB owned by Laurie Byers and groomed/ shown by Bob Smith. ©© Courtesy Bob Smith
Left The Grand Champion Shorthorn Steer at the 1955 Royal, pictured with owner Alan Wilson, and groomed/shown by Bob Smith. ©© Courtesy Bob Smith
035
Above Killearn Conquest 29th, Grand Champion Shorthorn Steer and Grand Champion Steer Over All Breeds for Ed Noad, Claresholm, AB. Shorthorn steers captured the Over All Breeds Title in 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1953. ©© Reprinted from the Shorthorn News, courtesy of the Bert Sheppard Stockmens' Foundation Library and Archives.
Right Judging of the Champion Carload at the Royal Winter Fair. ©© Courtesy of the Canadian Angus Association (reprinted from the Canadian Aberdeen Angus News)
he would be working at the 1971 Royal. “I think you had to be 18 years old to go, and I think I was going to be 18 in December, so I was 17 and we just didn’t tell anybody. It was a pretty exciting time,” he says. Good and Ken Cox worked for San-Dan Charolais of Erskine, AB, and shared a box car with Ralph Griffiths of CorAlta Angus at Coronation, AB. “Ralph Griffiths was a character. His slogan on his business card was ‘If you come to CorAlta Angus, you’ll see more bull than you hear.’ So we had a good time with him.” It was a cold year, Good recalls, and he was glad to sleep in the coach. “But when you had to go back to look after the cattle, you could get stuck back there for quite a while, and it got pretty cold. I can remember one time being back there, and we got down with the cows to stay warm,” he explains. “We had ours tied up, so in order to water them we had to get up in between them, and it was tight quarters. When you think back on it, it was probably dangerous doing that, but we did it.” Meals were cooked in the box cars. A little wooden tack box was filled with food, and Good helped prepare meals with Cox, who acted as the cook for their car that year. “Ken knew about how much food to take, and we all cooked as a team of those who were traveling together,” he says. “I remember the bacon was out of a can. It was good. You didn’t cook a roast or anything — it was all sandwiches and stuff like that.” “The dairy and the horse people, they had baggage cars that they rode in, so they were insulated and heated for the dairy 036
cattle and the horses, and they could actually go from the coach right into their cars. But where we were in the box cars, you had to wait for the train to stop,” Hamilton explains. “So even if you were staying in the coach, if you got back in the box car, it might be four or five hours, or you didn’t know how long it was going to be before that train ever stopped again.” “One thing that stands out in my mind is the year that John Boake fell off the train,” he laughs. “We actually had gone back to one of the cars where there was steers to feed, and we had to ride there for a while and we were going to go back up to our other car, and the train was just about stopped, so we started running alongside, and then the train started going faster again. So I actually made it back to our car, and he tried to climb on another car, because the train was picking up speed. He couldn’t pull himself in there so he had to let go, and that was in Saskatchewan somewhere, and then the train got into a town somewhere and stopped, and he had to walk up to that town and they actually brought him down to another crossing and he got back on the train again … They didn’t know if he was going to make it there that year.”
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
"[The cattle] seemed to adapt pretty well. I remember when we'd get to Toronto and unloaded, they were a little frisky getting off the train!" • Brian Good
Showing at the Royal Good says the cattle didn’t seem too bothered by riding the rails. “They seemed to adapt to it pretty well. I remember when we’d get to Toronto and unloaded, they were a little frisky getting off the train,” he remembers. “They were tired, though, because a lot of them were standing up the whole way.” In the early years, there was no set place for the workers to sleep. “We slept wherever you could sleep. We slept in the old nurse cow barn … and we slept in army bunk beds up above the little show ring,” says Smith. Later, a dormitory was built outside of the cattle barns. “It was a threestorey dormitory, and Alberta had the top floor. That was a lot better.” “It might have been 20 bucks to stay there for the week, and they had kitchens on each floor,” Hamilton explains. “It would
have maybe eight bunk-beds in a room, so a group would get together and maybe there’d be eight or ten people staying in one room, and usually that group would eat together and you’d have your time in the kitchen.” “They wanted to kick the Alberta guys out of the dormitory one year because some of the guys got excited one night and they brought a bunch of straw bales up and bedded all the hallway down in the dormitory with straw,” Smith remembers. “They thought that wasn’t a good idea, so they were going to kick us out, but we managed to stay there.” The friendships were often the highlight of these experiences. When Smith talks about these years, he mentions the people he worked with, how they helped each other and the fun they had. “I had a lot of good friends. I was really good friends
Above 1956 saw Blair Athol Miss Dandy 059J named as the Grand Champion Hereford Female at the Royal for Lees Brothers, Arcola, SK. ©© Reprinted from the Canadian Hereford Digest
Left The Reserve Grand Champion Steer and Champion Hereford at the 1968 Royal, exhibited by Justamere Farms Ltd., Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. Herb Strandquist is at the halter. ©© Reprinted from the Canadian Hereford Digest
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
037
Right Domino 49th from Frank Collicutt's Willow Spring Ranch herd was Grand Champion Bull at the Royal in 1931. ©© Courtesy of the Glenbow Archives NA-2040-1
with Tommy Noad — I used to help him with his steers quite a bit if I had any spare time,” he says. “The Alberta steer exhibitors were a closely knit group. Naturally each exhibitor was in it to do his personal best. Beyond that he was a member of a group of ‘Alberta Boys’ who were very conscious of the fact that their combined success was the very best kind of advertising that the province of Alberta could get,” states Alberta Royal Exhibits. They’d hang their ribbons on the Alberta Steer Exhibit sign to show how well they’d done. Smith remembers there being a huge rivalry between the western and eastern cattlemen. “In the steer barns, being from Alberta, we always figured we had to beat all the rest of the people who were at the Royal, and we always did, too,” he says. “It was quite a rivalry. We tried to win everything away from the people in Ontario. “I took a steer down for Mrs. Bolduc at Stavely, and she gave me $50 and everybody thought that I had broke her. But I took that steer down and he was Reserve Grand Champion, and I clipped him and I showed him. And people thought that, boy, she gave me too much money. Well, nowadays you wouldn’t be able to get these guys — they charge you $50 an hour, not $50 for looking after a steer all the way down and then down there.” The beef classes were always competitive, but Alberta’s exhibitors were known for rising to the top, with their cattle as strong contenders in the Shorthorn, Angus and Hereford divisions and the Continental breeds once introduced, as well as in the steer competitions. The Carlot of Steers and Group of Five steers were particularly tough competitions in which Alberta 038
excelled. Of the 44 shows held from 192272, the highly-coveted Grand Champion Steer honour was awarded to an Alberta exhibitor 17 times. “There was always a lot of winners,” says Hamiton. “The steers, of course, you always sold at a premium down there, so it was a good payday for a lot of people that took steers down because they got extra prize money and your expenses were minimal.” In the 1950s, the price range for the Grand Champion steers was from $1.40 to $2.60. This increased to $10 to $13 a pound in the 1960s, an attractive incentive to steer exhibitors from all over Canada. Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
“The Trip of a Lifetime” Gary Latimer of Remitall Farms at Olds, Alberta, was 15 when he went to the Royal by train in 1965. On this trip he took care of three Shorthorns and two polled Herefords for his dad. At this time, some traveling with cattle slept in the passenger cars, but Latimer’s dad told him to stay there and take care of the cattle, so he slept in the box car the entire trip. Latimer and his cattle shared a car with Bill Boake of Alta Cedar Shorthorns at Acme, AB. They also stayed in the same room in the dormitory when they arrived in Toronto. Boake, who was 13 the first time he accompanied cattle to the Royal in 1937, was a lot older than Latimer, and took him under his wing. Boake was also the cook for them on their car. Latimer notes that this kind of camaraderie was the case with the Alberta exhibit. “We had a pretty good time,” he recalls. The older guys on train, he explains, all had a good time on the trip, and they took care of the younger guys. “There was always someone to take care of you,” he says, if you needed it. He also notes there would be a bit of rivalry between the eastern guys and the western guys. Remitall had the Reserve Champion Shorthorn Bull that year. After the Royal, they sent their Herefords home by train, and Latimer took the Shorthorns to Windfields Farm, owned by famed Angus, Shorthorn and Thoroughbred breeder E.P. Taylor. They stayed there for a few days, and Taylor, who was 64 at the time, helped Latimer exercise the cattle. After that, Latimer took the two Shorthorns to the world-famous Chicago Fair by train. He had the responsibility of showing them there, then sold then and headed for home by train. He had been to Chicago for the fair before but he’d never taken cattle. Both Chicago and the Royal were huge shows in those days, with huge crowds of agricultural people coming to see the shows, which was quite something to experience, he explains. “It was the trip of a lifetime for me,” he states proudly.
Left The 1970 Champion Pen of Five steers shown by Southolm Farms, Coaldale, AB. Pictured with the steers at left is John Boake. ©© Courtesy of the Canadian Angus Association (reprinted from the Canadian Aberdeen Angus News)
Bottom Right Sandan Charolais Farms, Erskine, Alberta was awarded Reserve Crossbred steer at the 1972 Royal with this 1325 lb Angus-Charolais cross steer. ©© Courtesy of the Canadian Angus Association (reprinted from the Canadian Aberdeen Angus News)
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
039
Below The Champion Pen of Three steers at the 1953 Royal, groomed and shown by Bob Smith. ©© Courtesy of Bob Smith.
Bottom Frank Slezina winning the Champion and Reserve Carcass at the 1970 Royal. ©© Courtesy of the Canadian Angus Association (reprinted from the Canadian Aberdeen Angus News)
040
Heading Home
when we left Toronto, the water in the water barrels was freezing, so then we moved to the coach.”
Traveling west after the Royal, the mood on the train was decidedly tame. “I remember coming There was time to celebrate a job well done, though. back out of Toronto, and we were so tired I crawled “Laurence Rye (the Alberta Exhibit Overseer at the into the bunk where the sleeping bag is and time) was against drinking, because when MacIntyres probably never woke up for two days,” Good recalls. and some of those people would win in there, they always put a case of whiskey on the train. And With the temperature dropping in late Laurence convinced Mr. Byers to put on steaks, 100 November, and the steers sold in Toronto, the T-bone steaks,” says Smith, who, along with Doug box cars became much colder to ride in. “It Wilson of Camrose, had the honour of preparing them was only the breeding cattle coming home, so on the journey home. “We cooked them on one of those it wasn’t as crucial to ride with the cattle, so coal stoves on the way home, and everybody said that we usually rode in the coach coming home,” says Hamilton. “I know one year coming home, was the best steak they’d ever ate.”
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
"It was only the breeding cattle coming home, so it wasn't as crucial to ride with the cattle... I know one year coming home, when we left Toronto, the water in the water barrels was freezing, so then we moved to coach." The End of an Era Two major changes in the late 1960s and early ‘70s affected this system. With the creation of the Canadian Western Agribition and the re-framing of the Edmonton Exhibition as a fall show, prairie producers sometimes chose to stay closer to home for the winter show season, as going to the Royal would mean missing these two events. The second change was in support at the provincial level. Alberta Agriculture wanted to pay more attention to a wider scope of agricultural marketing, rather than focusing so much on one show. After 1972, the province dismantled the selection and subsidization program for Royal exhibitors. They did provide a dollar per head grant for those exhibiting at the Royal, as well as at Agribition, the Pacific
National Exhibition and the National Western Stock Show, but exhibitors had to pay their own way. In 1922, Alberta sent three carloads of livestock to the first Royal Winter Fair. By the 1961 edition, the exhibit consisted of 23 carloads. The winnings were great, and the memories greater. “It was an experience,” Good states reflectively. “I’m glad I got to do it, once anyway, because lots of people never got to do it.” Today, producers from across Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes flock to the Royal, as they have since 1922. Western spectators arrive by plane to enjoy the show, and breeders make the long trip to Toronto by truck and trailer if they want to compete against the best of the eastern provinces. Today’s juniors will never have the experience of riding the rails across the country with their best show cattle in cold box cars as previous generations of cattlemen did. They do know the memories passed down to them — the souvenir programs kept by an older relative, their name and farm name carefully handwritten on the cover. The stories of family friends’ antics aboard the train heading east. The banners and photos lining the walls of a grandparent’s house, glimpses into those special victories. Memories of a different and important time in Canada’s agricultural history. And in what they established as breeders and as an industry, the tracks still take us back to that train bound for the Royal.
Crossing Creek Cattle Club Calves & Clinics
One Day & Multi Day Clinics for 4-H Clubs & Events Cattle Judging and Selection • Halter Breaking Pre-Show Care at Home • Equipment and Products Washing • Clipping • Fitting • Showmanship Colin & Tessa Verbeek Morinville, Alberta, Canada Colin 780.982.1676 Tessa 403.636.1066 crossingcreekcattle@hotmail.com
www.crossingcreekcattle.com Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
041
042
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
043
ycsa national classic
Photos: Kelly Richardson
Grand Champion Female & Junior Champion Owen Elmhirst
Grand Champion Bull & Junior Champion Owen Elmhirst
Reserve Champion Female & Reserve Jr Champ Kade Earley
Reserve Champion Bull & Reserve Jr Champ Sophie Wotten
Grand Champion Commercial Female & Junior Champion Ashley McConnell
Grand Champion Bred & Owned Female Kade Earley
Other Champions Reserve Commercial Female & Calf Champion Gus Reid (No picture) 044
Reserve Senior Champion Female Evan Pearson (No picture)
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
JULY 30 - AUGUST 2, 2015 Âť LINDSAY, ONTARIO
Judge: Garth Rancier, Killam, AB (conformation); Stacy Romanyk, Breton, AB (showmanship)
Heifer Calf Champion
Reserve Heifer Calf Champion
Senior Champion Female
Bull Calf Champion
Reserve Bull Calf Champion
Get-of-Sire
Breeders Herd
Progeny of Dam
Spirit of the Show Award
Katie Elmhirst
Owen Elmhirst
Shelby Crawford
Brittany Caldwell
Katie Elmhirst
Novice Showmanship
Res Peewee Showmanship Hannah
Res Novice Showmanship
Cameron
Katie Elmhirst
Kaylea Donovan
Peewee Showmanship
Grace Fisher
Kaylea Donovan
Katie Cox
Chloe Whalen
Junior Showmanship Katie Elmhirst
Res Junior Showmanship
Alysa Mowat
Dylan Foley
Int Showmanship Kade
Sr & Overall Showman
Res Int Showmanship
Res Sr & Res Overall Showman Clay Howe
Earley
Owen Elmhirst
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Evan Pearson
045
canadian junior all breeds
AUGUST 12 - 15, 2015 Âť BASHAW, AB Judge: Brody Gardner, Olds, AB
Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
UFA Supreme Quest Champion Halley Adams
Champion PeeWee Female
Champion Open Female
Champion Purebred Female
Champion Commercial Female Cole McMahon
Reserve PeeWee Female
Reserve Open Female
Reserve Purebred Female
Champion Commercial Female Laurie Morasch
Katey Tufty
Kasey Adams
Candace Fankhanel
Chase Miller
Halley Adams
Kathryn Dolliver
JR Western Canadian Team Judging
Keely Adams & Maddie Stanley (representing the Provincial 4-H Beef Show)
SR Western Canadian Team Judging National Young Cattlemen of the Year
Bailey Dietrich & Mckenzie Paget (representing Olds Summer Synergy)
Kailey Brandl (Junior); Brooke Bablitz (Senior)
046
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Grand Aggregates
Luke Wray (Pee Wee), Keely Adams (Junior), Wacey Townsend (Senior)
pacific national exhibition
AUGUST 12 - 15, 2015 Âť VANCOUVER, BC
Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd. (Steers); Erin Campbell (Females)
Grand Champion Steer Courtney Friesen
Champion Overall Female Amanda McGillivray
Untitled-1 1
Judge: Shawn Wilson (Steers & Open Females); Gary Woods (Homegrown Females)
Reserve Champion Steer Hailey Erichuk
Res Overall Female & Champion Homegrown Matthew McGillivray
Reserve Homegrown Female Mackenzie Schurmann
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
2015-10-05 11:53 AM
047
interior provincial exhibition
Supreme Champion Female, Champion Angus Female Harvest Angus
Poplar Meadows Angus
Champion Hereford Female
Champion Hereford Bull
Champion Lowline Female
Reserve Hereford Female
Reserve Hereford Bull
Reserve Lowline Female
Champion Simmental Female
Reserve Simmental Female
Champion Simmental Bull
Ken Paul
Smith Farms
Rock Star Cattle / Lone Star Angus 048
Supreme Champion Bull, Champion Angus Bull
Copper Creek Ranch
Copper Creek Ranch
Rock Star Cattle / Lone Star Angus Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Highpoint Lowlines
Highpoint Lowlines
Poplar Meadows Angus
SEPTEMBER 2 - 6, 2015 Âť ARMSTONG, BC Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
Grand Champion Female, Junior Show
Reserve Champion Female, Junior Show
Dakota Townsend
Dakota Townsend
Champion Lowline Bull
Champion Multi-Breed Female
Champion Multi-Breed Bull
Reserve Lowline Bull
Reserve Multi-Breed Female
Reserve Multi-Breed Bull
Highpoint Lowlines
Big Island Lowlines
Pinnacle View Limousin
Pinnacle View Limousin
Pinnacle View Limousin
Pinnacle View Limousin
Other Champions Reserve Angus Female
Poplar Meadows Angus (No picture)
Reserve Simmental Bull
Rock Star Cattle / Lone Star Angus
Reserve Angus Bull Shiloh Cattle
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
049
interior provincial exhibition
Grand Champion Steer
Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
Reserve Champion Steer
Lone Star Angus
Spady Farms
Champion Jackpot Heifer
Stars of the Future Champion Heifer
Stars of the Future Champion Yearling
Reserve Jackpot Heifer
Stars of the Future Reserve Heifer
Stars of the Future Reserve Yearling
Stars of the Future Cow/Calf Champion
Sires of Tomorrow Champion Bull
Stars of Tomorrow Reserve Bull
Pinnacle View Limousin
Rock Star Cattle / Lone Star Angus
Harvest Angus 050
SEPT 2 - 6, 2015 Âť ARMSTONG, BC
Harvest Angus
Poplar Meadows Angus
Rock Star Cattle / Lone Star Angus
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Harvest Angus
Poplar Meadows Angus
Copper Creek Ranch
SEPT 20, 2015 » BRAMPTON, ON Photos: Sam Buschbeck Judge: Bob Goble, MI
central ontario angus preview
Grand Champion Female & Senior Champion Premier
Grand Champion Bull & Senior Champion Ryan Currie
Reserve Champion Female & Calf Champion Whiskey Lane
Reserve Champion Bull & Calf Champion Kemp Brothers
Reserve Heifer Calf Champion
Junior Champion Female
Reserve Bull Calf Champion
Junior Champion Bull
Reserve Senior Champion
Reserve Junior Champion
Reserve Senior Champion
Reserve Junior Champion
Livestock & Hasson Livestock
Ron & Linda Bryant
Ron & Linda Bryant
Rob & Sandy Foubert
ADA Cattle Co
Kevin & Tracy MacIntyre
William Jackson
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Melmac Angus
Gold-Bar Livestock
051
heritage classic
Judges: Lance Leachman (Breed Classes); Lance Leachman, Sean Firth, Nancy Milton, Dale McPhee (Supreme Panel)
Supreme Champion Female, Champion Angus Female JEM Farms
Mutch Farms
Champion Angus Bull
Reserve Angus Female
Champion Hereford Female
Reserve Angus Bull
Champion Hereford Bull
Reserve Hereford Female
Champion Commercial Female
Reserve Commercial Female
Champion Steer
JEM Farms
JEM Farms
MorseView Farms 052
Reserve Supreme Female, Reserve Simmental Female
MacKinnon Homestead
EagleCrest Herefords
MorseView Farm
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Oultons Farm
Geoffrey Larkin
Hillfoot Farms
SEPTEMBER 25 - 26, 2015 Âť WINDSOR, NS Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
Supreme Champion Bull, Reserve Hereford Bull
Reserve Supreme Bull, Champion Simmental Bull
Oulton's Farm
Jo-Dreen Farms
Champion Shorthorn Female
Champion Shorthorn Bull
Reserve Simmental Bull
Reserve Shorthorn Female
Reserve Shorthorn Bull
Champion Simmental Female
Fraser Farms
Fraser Farms
Fraser Farms
Green Grove
Jo-Dreen Farm
Windy Knoll Farm
ADVERTISE IN THE TOP STOCK SPRING A.I./BULL SALE EDITION! Advertising Deadline: FEB. 5, 2016 Call Tracy Kimmel at 780.875.2089 or Sarah Buchanan at 519.546.3352 to book!
Reserve Champion Steer Green Grove
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
053
young ranchman's
Supreme Champion Female, Champion Angus Female Garrett Liebreich
Judge: Brian Barragree, Absarokee, MT
Reserve Supreme Champion Female, Champion Club Calf Female Chance Jackson
Champion Hereford Female
Champion Charolais Female
Champion Simmental Female
Reserve Hereford Female
Reserve Charolais Female
Reserve Simmental Female
Reserve Angus Female
Reserve Club Calf Female
Champion Multi-Breed Female
Tyson Scott
Matt Hanson
Baxter Blair 054
SEPTEMBER 25 - 27, 2015 » SWIFT CURRENT, SK
Wacey McCaw
Cassidi Elder
Laura Horner
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Jacey Massey
Sadie Anwender
Jacey Massey
Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
Grand Champion Steer Double B Cattle Co
Reserve Champion Steer Katie Wright
2015 Public Speaking Participants
Reserve Multi-Breed Female Riley Ingram
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
055
olds fall classic
Champion Angus Female
Champion Angus Bull
Champion Red Angus Female
Reserve Angus Female
Reserve Angus Bull
Reserve Red Angus Female
Champion Hereford Female
Champion Hereford Bull
Champion Limousin Female
Reserve Hereford Female
Reserve Hereford Bull
Reserve Limousin Female
Miller Wilson Angus
Remitall Farm
Flewelling Cattle Co
Brost Land & Cattle Co
056
Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
Remitall Farm
Miller Wilson Angus
Remitall West
Harvie Ranching
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Ter-Ron Farms
Compass Ranch
Greenwood Livestock
B Bar Cattle
OCTOBER 2 - 4, 2015 Âť OLDS, AB
Judge: Todd Bygrove, Lloydminster, AB (Open); Ty Dietrich, Forestburg, AB (Jackpot)
Champion Purebred Angus
Champion Charolais Female
Champion Charolais Bull
Reserve Purebred Angus
Reserve Charolais Female
Reserve Charolais Bull
Champion Limousin Bull
Champion Shorthorn Female
Champion Shorthorn Bull
Reserve Limousin Bull
Reserve Shorthorn Female
Reserve Shorthorn Bull
Redrich Farms
Shiloh Cattle Company
Cottage Lake / Boss Cattle
B Bar Cattle
McLeod Livestock
Daines Cattle / O’Neill Livestock
Creekside Shorthorns
Lucky Springs Farms
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
McLeod Livestock
Future Farms
Alta Cedar Shorthorns
KC Stock Farm Ltd.
057
olds fall classic
Champion Simmental Female
Champion Simmental Bull
Industry Leadership Award
Reserve Simmental Female
Reserve Simmental Bull
Cam Clark Herdsman Award
Champion Purebred Jackpot Heifer
Champion Purebred Jackpot Yearling
Champion Purebred Jackpot Bull Calf
Reserve Purebred Jackpot Heifer
Reserve Purebred Jackpot Yearling
Reserve Purebred Jackpot Bull Calf
Nolara Farms
Mader Ranches
New Trend Cattle Co
Compass Ranch
058
Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
Outlaw Cattle Co
Ultra Livestock
Wildman Livestock
Compass Ranch
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Lazy MC Angus (the Morasch Family)
Mader Ranches
Ultra Livestock
Greenwood Livestock
OCTOBER 2 - 4, 2015 Âť OLDS, AB
Judge: Todd Bygrove, Lloydminster, AB (Open); Ty Dietrich, Forestburg, AB (Jackpot)
Champion Commercial Jackpot Heifer
Champion Commercial Jackpot Yearling
Champion Jackpot Steer
Reserve Commercial Jackpot Heifer
Reserve Commercial Jackpot Yearling
Reserve Champion Jackpot Steer
Miller Show Cattle
New Trend Cattle Co.
Fairland Cattle Co
Terra Sol Cattle
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Fairland Cattle Co
Compass Ranch
059
expo boeuf
Supreme Champion Bull, Champion Simmental Female Mutch Farms
Ferme Lerose
Champion Hereford Female
Champion Hereford Bull
Champion Charolais Female
Reserve Hereford Female
Reserve Hereford Bull
Reserve Charolais Female
Champion Angus Female
Reserve Angus Female
Reserve Angus Bull
Matt Leahy
Eric Regier
Pierre Somers 060
Reserve Supreme Champion Female, Reserve Simmental
Ferme Maple Hill
Ferme Maple Hill
Donovandale Farms
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Whitewater Livestock
Duboc Charolais
Raynald Noiseux
OCTOBER 9 - 11, 2015 Âť VICTORIAVILLE, QC Photos: ShowChampions  Judges: Kurtis Reid, Marlin LeBlanc, Brent Saunders
Supreme Champion Bull, Champion Angus Bull Blacklane Angus / Ryan Currie
Reserve Supreme Champion Bull, Champion Simmental Greyledge Simmentals
Champion Charolais Bull
Champion Shorthorn Female, 3rd Overall Female Shadybrook Shorthorns
Champion Shorthorn Bull
Reserve Simmental Bull, 3rd Overall Bull Todd Simmentals
Reserve Shorthorn Female
Reserve Shorthorn Bull
Champion Peidmontais Female
Reserve Peidmontais Female
Champion Peidmontais Bull
Cornerview Charolais
Dave & Rose Stewart
Shadybrook Shorthorns
Dave & Rose Stewart
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Shadybrook Shorthorns
Pinch Hill Cattle
Serge Bergeron
061
expo boeuf
OCTOBER 9 - 11, 2015 » VICTORIAVILLE, QC Photos: ShowChampions Judges: Kurtis Reid, Marlin LeBlanc, Brent Saunders
Champion Salers Female
Champion Salers Bull
Champion Blonde D'Aquitane Female
Reserve Salers Female
Reserve Salers Bull
Reserve Blonde D'Aquitane Female
CIAQ Jackpot All Breeds Champion Bull
CIAQ Jackpot All Breeds Champion Heifer
Champion Blonde D'Aquitane Bull
Ernest Hunter
Marion & Douglas Beard
barrie fair
Dale Butler
Marion & Douglas Beard
Don & Wendy Dunham
Ryland Cleary
Clemence Landry
AUG 27, 2015 » BARRIE, ON Photos: Helen Hawke
Reserve Blonde D'Aquitane Bull Don & Wendy Dunham
Other Champions Supreme Champion Female
Peter Frijters / Hasson Livestock / Six Mile 062
Supreme Champion Bull
Rollin Acres / Gold Bar / Foundation Sires Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Reserve Peidmontais Bull Michel Dame - (No picture)
TRADE SECRET
WHISKEY
1/2 Interest purchased by Wolf Lake Speckle Park, Bonnyville, Alberta
Reigning Reserve National Champion Bull purchased by Minnamurra Station, Australia
NEW
NEW
CONTINENTAL
YOGI
WORLDWIDE
Unique Power & Style, 1/2 interest purchased by Lee Jack Cattle Co, Pine Lake, Alberta
Purchased by Semex Alliance
Maternal strength, power, style and performance 1/2 interest purchased by Red Maple Speckle Park, Elgin & Joan Craig, Arthur, Ontario
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
063
MAKING HER MARK WORDS BY PIPER WHELAN
Indiana cattlewoman Emily Griffiths heads to Toronto for a muchanticipated judging milestone.
W
hether she’s in the show ring or the boardroom, Emily Griffiths is making her mark in the American beef industry. Not only is the Kendallville, Indiana, cattlewoman a rising star on her home state’s agriculture scene, she is becoming a respected livestock judge, and not just in the United States. One of the first major shows she judged was, in fact, north of the 49th Parallel — the Gelbvieh show at the 2007 FarmFair International in Edmonton, Alberta. Since then, she’s held the mike at a number of regional shows in the U.S., and her highlights include the Georgia State Fair and the North American Livestock Exhibition at Louisville, Kentucky. This November, Griffiths will return to Canada to judge conformation at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair’s National Junior Beef Heifer Show in Toronto." Griffiths was raised on her family’s Limousin and Gelbvieh operation, 3G Ranch, and is a fifth-generation cattlewoman on her dad’s side of the family. “Cattle is something that’s been in our family for a long time,” she states proudly. Her father grew up on a polled Hereford operation that introduced Limousin bulls to their breeding program in the 1970s. Along with using Limousin genetics in his own program, he also brought in Gelbvieh cattle for another option with Continental maternal qualities, which is attractive to their British-based customers. “We’re fortunate to be able to build the program and have a pretty good customer base of purebred cattlemen as well as commercial cattlemen,”
064
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
FAVORITE SHOW JUDGED So far that would have to be the Red Angus show at the North American in Louisville. For me, growing up and exhibiting at the North American since 1995, when we started showing Gelbviehs and started being pretty successful showing cattle, to be acknowledged to get to judge the Red Angus there at the first part of Louisville was really exciting and truly an honour.”
QA &
ALL TIME FAVORITE COW/BULL
Photo Griffiths brings a wealth of experience in the ring to the Toronto heifer show. Above, she shows the triple crown winning female, 3G X-Factor 014X. ©© ShowChampions
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
I would have to say it’s a heifer that we call 3G X-Factor 014X, and I showed her at the end of my junior career. She was a bred and owned heifer and she won all of the triple crown of the majors (the American Royal at Kansas City, the North American at Louisville and the National Western at Denver). Probably the most exciting thing for us was that she was four generations of our breeding on both sides of her pedigree, and she continues to produce some really good calves that have been competitive as well. Those that are representative of your breeding and have had success in the show ring but then make great cows are what we’re about. Ones like that are exciting to show and still be able to go out and see in the herd every day."
065
"When somebody goes to a show, they may not like the same kind of cattle that I like, but, hopefully, I’m pretty predictable and they’ll know the kinds of cattle that I’ll pick." ROLE MODELS GROWING UP & HOW THEY AFFECTED YOU There’s a lot of great cattlemen, but for me the one that I most respect will always be my father. He always provided such great opportunities, not just to be able to show cattle but really in teaching me about good livestock and helping our family build a program. My dad’s dad — my grandpa — didn’t give him the land and didn’t give him the cows because he thought he was the brother who could succeed on his own. He still tells the story of how he was only ever going to have five cows and they each had their own feed pan, and now we have 150, and he started there in about 1985 building that breeding program. For me, to be able to look up to him and look at the program that he built and the kind of cattle that he taught me to like and to raise and breed has truly been humbling. He is easily, I think I can say, that one individual that I look up to and always will."
WORDS OF ADVICE FOR JUNIORS I enjoy judging market animals, but to judge those breeding females, those are truly the next generation and hopefully they’re proud of those animals that they’ve brought, not just to show on that day, but that they’re the kind of cattle that can work for them. Everybody likes something different — that’s what makes the industry great — but hopefully they’re the kind they can be proud of, not just to show them on that day but, more importantly, to take home and put in their herd and continue to build and be that next generation of cattlemen that we talked about are so important to continue to develop.”
066
Above Griffiths showing Gelbvieh at the American Royal in 2013. ©© ShowChampions.
Right The American Gelbvieh Assocation welcomes Griffiths on the board of directors. Far Right Griffiths shows with her father at the National Western in 2015. ©© ShowChampions.
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
Griffiths explains. Today, 3G Ranch runs around 150 head, and is a Limousin cooperator with Wulf Cattle Co. of Morris, Minnesota. “We send about 15 to 20 bulls up there a year, and that’s a great outlet for our Limousins.” Growing up, Griffiths excelled in livestock judging, capping off her 4-H career by winning the National 4-H Judging Contest at 18. She then went on to compete on judging teams while studying science at Black Hawk Community College and then agribusiness at Western Illinois University. At the junior college level, Griffiths was particularly successful with her team, winning the junior college contest at the North American Livestock Exposition and placing second at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. By growing up on a beef operation and getting to make breeding selections, she’s developed the type of animal she likes, which holds true in the pasture and in a conformation class. “When somebody goes to a show, they may not like the same kind of cattle that I like, but, hopefully, I’m pretty predictable and they’ll know the kinds of cattle that I’ll pick,” she says. After graduating from college, Griffiths worked in public relations positions in the beef industry. Currently, she is the livestock manager at the Indiana State Fair Commission, and is the first to hold this new position. “We have about 19,000 entries at our fair each year, so everybody’s really glad to see a designated livestock person here on staff full-time,” she says. “I have the great fortune to work with everything from dogs to draft horses, both on the 4-H and the open side as well … So it keeps me incredibly busy.” Something she’s particularly enthusiastic about in her new job is launching a statebred initiative for the 2016 Indiana State Fair, which is currently in the planning stages. “A lot of neighbouring states already have developed, long-standing, long-running programs, and we used to have a program in the state that was like that but kind of went by the wayside for
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
067
Right The 3G ranch has a long history of success at the National Western Stock Show. They were the premier breeder and exhibitor of the show in 2015. ©© ShowChampions
Bottom Left After being named Reserve Spring Bull Calf Champion in a tough division, 3G Bootlegger 439B went on to be named the Reserve Grand Champion Bull
the last few decades. So I’m really excited to get that state-bred program to reward those breeders and exhibitors of those purebred livestock species in our state.”
©© ShowChampions
Through her own success as a young person in the agriculture industry, Griffiths knows that encouragement works when it comes to keeping youth involved. “That is the biggest challenge and the biggest obstacle I think we face, and that’s regardless of geographic location. With the average age of the American farmer and rancher continuing to increase, we have to keep young people involved and engaged.”
Top Right Judge Doug Satree, Montague, Texas selects GGGE 3G X-Factor 014X as the National Champion Female in 2012. ©© ShowChampions
"With the average age of the American farmer and rancher continuing to increase, we have to keep young people involved and engaged.”
068
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
One such example in her own life, she notes, was being the youngest director elected to the American Gelbvieh Association board of directors. “Not only was I really honoured by my peers to be nominated, but I think that in of itself is an example of breeders really being proactive and really encouraging the next generation,” she explains. She sees judging in the same light, and believes that while it’s necessary for young people to pay their dues, established breeders have a responsibility to guide and embrace upand-coming producers. “Allowing them to have a voice, listening to that voice and continuing to keep them engaged keeps young people excited about the future of the industry.” The diversity within the beef industry, she explains, is just one of the strengths of the business to be excited about. “We have a lot of different types of cattlemen producing a lot of different, whether it be
FAVORITE SHOW DAY TIP I think that there is so much work that goes into it ahead of time, but really on show day, is not to overlook some of those important things. I think a lot can be done; we call it managing the logistics, making sure the cattle have the appropriate amount of time to rest … and to keep them full and keep them fed and to get them clean at the wash rack and get them dry and get fit. Obviously, I always like one that’s well dressed and well presented, but all of those little things that go into it ahead of time long before they get to the ring.”
WHAT WILL YOUR BE LOOKING FOR ON SHOW DAY
purebred breeds or hybrids, and they all do something a little different, and I think that allows us to be unique and not maybe necessarily go as vertically integrated as some of our other protein competition has,” she says. “I think with the demand for beef what it is, we certainly haven’t given up any market shares, so that’s fun to see that demand from the consumer side for me, but also as breeders and producers.” These opportunities keeps Griffiths motivated for the future of her family’s herd, and she plans to focus her efforts on quality genetics. Their home in northeast Indiana, she explains, has two of the highest prices for pasture rent of all the counties across the U.S. Urban sprawl and crop production affects this, she notes. “We’re a little bit more limited in that we try to keep the number of cows that we can manage if we lost all of our rented hay and pasture grounds, so I
think that forces us to continue to work on quality and to work on genetics, and to continue to spread out in terms of some different clientele.” As for her future in the show ring, Griffiths is looking forward to judging the Junior Heifer Show at this year’s Royal Winter Fair. “I’m excited and looking forward to some great cattle, and I think it will be a lot of fun,” she predicts. “Everybody, whether they disclose it or not, kind of have that group of shows that’s on their bucket list to judge, and I would have to say judging at Toronto would be just that … Within the last year I’ve got to judge several shows in Ontario and know the kind of quality that were at those shows, and with the Royal Winter Fair being the next level, that next calibre of exhibitor … I just expect good cattle, so I’m excited about that.”
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
At the end of the day, I just like ones that I know are going to go out and be good cows. I’ve said that my role model is my dad and what I say at a lot of shows is that ultimately I want one that I can unload in front of him and make him proud and that will go out and work in our herd. So those low-input, easy-keeping type females that have great rib, great body and are in the right amount of flesh. You want them fresh and you want them pretty, but you also want them to be the kind that will be low-input and maintain themselves for years to come. Probably my single most important characteristic that I look for, whether it’s steers or females, is they’ve got to be on a good foundation. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the mud of Indiana or covering a lot of ground in western Canada, they have to be good in terms of their feet and legs … because I think a foundation is just so important when it comes to longevity in any kind of livestock, especially the breeding females that I’ll be judging there at the Royal Winter Fair.”
069
find us on the web www.topstockmagazine.com
NOVEMBER NOV
14
NOV
24
NOV
27
“November Gold” Club Calf + Prospect Sale Saskatoon, SK
Shadybrook Farm "Power of Excellence" Online Sale West Brome, QC
T Bar C “Champions by Design” Club Calf Genetics Sale Regina, SK
DECEMBER DEC
4
DEC
7
DEC
8-9
DEC
12
DEC
14
Riverstone Cattle “Forged in Fire” Sale Olds, AB
M&S Cattle/Colt Cattle/Ty-D Livestock Complete Dispersal
2
WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE
At www.topstockmagazine.com Hit ‘Suscribe’ and click the ‘Subscribe Now’ button to subscribe and pay online.
UPCOMING SHOWS + EVENTS NOV
5-8
NOV
6-7
NOV
By Snail Mail Send a cheque for $10.50 to: Top Stock Magazine 157B Bowman Circle, Sylvan Lake Alberta, Canada, T4S 0H4
6 - 15
Plus, now you can subscribe to our e-newsletter! Find out more on our website www.topstockmagazine.com
NOV
NOV
7
Deer Ridge Ranch Maine/Mainetainer Female Sale
11 - 15 NOV
23 - 28
Gilchrist Farms Prospect Steer and Heifer Sale
DEC
18 - 19
Lucknow, ON
Blairs.Ag/Six Mile Ranch “Genetic Focus ‘15”
JAN
9 - 24
Regina, SK
JAN
JANUARY JAN
2
CORRECTION
21
Denfield, ON
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Toronto, ON
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Junior Fitting Competition Farmfair International
Edmonton, AB
National Maine Anjou/ Mainetainer Show
22 - 23
Canadian Western Agribition Regina, SK
All Beef Pen Show & Christmas Trade Show Medicine Hat, AB
National Western Stock Show Denver, Co
Canadian Bull Congress
Camrose, AB
SHOW RESULTS LISTED FREE
Triple S Red Angus Annual Bull Sale Calgary, AB
The Reserve Maine-Anjou Heifer at the Saskatchewan Beef Expo this past march was exhibited by Caitlyn Spratt. Our apologies to Caitlyn for our mistake! 070
Toronto, ON
Phillips Cattle Open House and Sale
MARCH MAR
Ontario Trillium Classic
Farmfair, Edmonton, AB
NOV
Dewberry, AB
Lloydminster, Sask
Toronto, ON
11
Streamstown, AB
Lloydminster Stockade Round-up
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
Attention Event Organizers! We will run your show results for free! Simply email your results and high resolution pictures of your champions to info@topstockmagazine.com
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
071
www.facebook.com/topstockmagazine
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
072
Arch Holdings Club Cattle
72
Gilchrist Farms
27
Rasmuson Cattle
B Bar Cattle
11
Halls Cattle Company
47
Saskatchewan Verified Beef
Blairs.Ag
3
Hannah Simmentals
13
Shadybrook Shorthorns
74 14, 15 7
Canadian National Jr All Breeds Show
42
Hillbilly Cattle Company
40
Six Mile Ranch
Colt Cattle Co
26
Johner Stock Farm
63
Spady Farms
Crossing Creek Cattle
41
JT Livestock Ltd.
71
SSS Red Angus
IBC
Daines Cattle / O'Neill Livestock
12
Lucky Springs Farms
43
Townsend Show Cattle
IFC
Dorran Marketing Service
41
M & S Cattle Co
26
Ty-D Livestock
26
Farmfair International
59
Phillips Cattle
55
UFA Junior Steer Classic
BC
Genex
73
Riverstone Cattle Company
8, 9
Top Stock Magazine / Winter 2015
3 10