4-H Holstein Heifer and All Canadian List Champion
that he decided to show him off at the Toronto Royal Winter Fair! “Dad had never been to a cattle show,” Juanita recalls. “After many phone calls to Fred, Dad purchased a brush and some show supplies (not knowing how to use them), put the bull in the trailer and headed to the Royal! The bull placed second in class, and the purebred Simmental operation grew from there.” Larry purchased a second bull from the Reichelds and profited selling semen across Canada. The Behnkes then partnered to import a Simmental bull directly from France, and before they knew it, Larry was the President of the Ottawa Valley Simmental Club, Florence was a Simmental Belle, and they were hosting their own production sales at the Hobbs Sale Barn in Ashton. They exhibited their Simmentals at numerous summer fairs that led up to the Toronto Royal each fall. Florence became the fitter of the family, and as Juanita remembers, “Mom was an excellent fitter and could wax leg hair like no other! It was during those years working at the fairs with Mom that my love for the show ring started.” Flo-Lar Farms also raised horse hay and exported it to New York. Florence and Juanita were in charge of cutting, raking and baling square bales, but they hired men to stack them. “Nothing made Dad prouder than when his daughters could bury the boys in the hay mow,” Juanita chuckles. “My sisters and I had no trouble building muscles. We also ran an All Breeds bull test during the winter, and we carried 25 or 30 pails of grain to the bulls both morning and night.”
Juanita’s Family
Larry and Florence accomplished their goals and raised their family with rural values. Larry passed away in 2009, but not before he shared his love for family and his love for cattle with his daughters. Florence is retired and still lives on their farm overlooking the Ottawa River. The four Behnke daughters grew up with a soft spot in their hearts for the livestock industry. Today, the youngest Behnke daughter, Jane, works for the Ontario Farmer Daily, a publication reporting on agricultural news throughout the province. She also raises Shorthorns and Simmentals near Glencoe, Ontario with her husband Reed Crawford. The second youngest daughter, Sally, and her husband Todd Bulmer have two sons, Shayne and Dakota, and live near Pakenham, Ontario. Sally co-manages a large Daycare and doesn’t live on a farm, but she still loves to come to the shows. The second oldest daughter, Tracy, is a Chartered Accountant in Russell, Ontario. Tracy and her husband, Kevin MacIntyre have one daughter, Morgan. They raise Angus and Simmental cattle. Morgan has also inherited the love of showing cattle. The eldest Behnke daughter, Juanita Elmhirst and her sisters remain close. “We talk on the phone almost every day,” she tells me. “We all meet at the Royal each fall, and we often end up showing cattle against each other. It’s great!”
The Big Fish is where Juanita grew up. The farm was located on the Ottawa River. Katie, Larry Behnke, and Owen
Herefords Today Winter 2011
4-H Simmental Heifer 53