Georgie Evans showed a Texas Longhorn heifer calf in the Longhorn show at this year’s Canadian Western Agribition, but her venture into cattle didn’t start with that breed — it started with Highlands.
Located near Regina on a small acreage, Evans has three Highland cattle. She is originally from England and moved to the Regina area 10 years ago. She was inspired to work with Highland cattle by a friend who also raised them.
Her venture into Longhorns started because of her desire to show cattle.
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“I wanted to show something, and there aren’t any Highland shows at Agribition,” she said.
“So I did try to get into that, but I decided in the end, it would be easier just to get into something that’s already shown. So that’s partly how this started, and I’ve always liked Longhorns as well.”
She was drawn to Longhorns because of their iconic horns but also because of the colour variety within the breed.
“Highlands obviously have horns, but Longhorn horns are something else.”
However, Longhorns aren’t just about their horns — they also produce lean beef, with 30 per cent less muscle fat and 15 per cent less saturated fat than other meat. They are also well known for being easy birthing animals and generally are docile, which can make them a good choice for a new producer such as Evans.
She said she also chose Longhorns because there are not as many exhibitors as some of the others at Agribition, so it felt like a good entry point for a newcomer like her. She said the Longhorn producers who attend Agribition have made her feel welcome in the industry.
“The people who are exhibiting the Longhorns are really nice, so they’ve been very patient. And I think without the load of hundreds of animals, it’s definitely easier to accommodate somebody who is really new.”
Though Evans only has four head of cattle, she wanted to show cattle at Agribition because of her background, which is in dog shows. She said she is not the norm for producers who show cattle in the industry. Many of them are there to showcase their genetic program and further the breed, while Evans is far more interested in the act of showing itself.
Evans’ heifer, Maeve of Brutilly 64, finished eighth in its class of 10 entries but was not deterred. Instead, she is excited to see how her heifer grows and plans to show it again next year.
Evans said she is also hoping to halter break her heifer so that she can compete in the First Lady Classic.
“It was really cool to hear the judge give feedback on every single one. He had something positive to say about every one,” Evans said.
“She’s young, so I’m definitely going to bring her back next year and see where she’s at then, whereas the judge is concerned and what he’s thinking or what she’s thinking at that point, and then go from there.”
Evans said she would also like to see Highland cattle shows at Agribition. Currently, while a few Highlands are usually exhibited every year, there are no shows.
On the Longhorn side, Evans plans to return to Agribition, regardless of how her heifer performs, because she wants to remain part of the Longhorn community.
“For her, for the Longhorns, the future would be to bring her back. I might just keep showing her, even if she doesn’t score that highly, just to come and hang out with these guys.”
Keith Du Bose from Texas judged the Longhorn show at Agribition on Nov. 25.
DS Cattle Co. of Carman, Man., won grand champion steer and Double D Arena of Outlook, Sask., had the reserve champion steer.
Double D Arena showed the grand champion bull and Kot Livestock of Coronach, Sask., exhibited the reserve champion bull.
On the female side, Cody Robbins of Delisle, Sask., exhibited both the grand champion and the reserve champion.
The Premier Exhibitor award went to Double D Arena, and Kot Livestock won the herdsman award.
