Canadian Cattle Young Leaders
Delanie Ferguson grew up east of Crossfield, Alta., on a cow-calf operation. Her passion for the beef industry started at an early age while helping with the daily chores and developed further as she went through the 4-H program. During her time in 4-H and junior and breed show programs, she acquired a passion for the genetics side of purebred cattle operations and the process of feeding cattle. This led her to earn a diploma in agriculture management, majoring in marketing, at Olds College, as well as become a certified AI technician. Currently, Ferguson is the territory sales representative for DCL, where she sup- ports customers in solution-based animal health and feed products. Ferguson and her husband run their own small cow-calf operation east of Carstairs, Alta. She sits on the Alberta Young Farmers and Ranchers board, planning their 2023 Rock the Farm conference. Ferguson also holds clipping, judging and showmanship clinics for local 4-H clubs, judges or serves as a ring woman for local shows in her area. Ferguson’s mentor is Clinton Monchuck, executive director of Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan. Monchuk has previously served in several roles across North America as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy, and remains active in family farms in Saskatchewan and Oklahoma.
Jill Renton grew up just outside of Moncton, N.B., working alongside her parents and siblings on the family’s sixth-generation maple syrup operation and commercial Limousin cattle farm, raising both feeder cattle and marketing beef direct to consumers. Renton participated in 4-H throughout her eligible years, before attending college for graphic design. She launched a photography and design business quickly out of college, photographing many cattle and equine events in the Atlantic provinces. In 2018 she joined the ShowChampions photography team at Canadian Western Agribition. That jump-started a dream of relocating to the West, so in 2019, Renton moved to Edmonton, Alta., accepting a position with Direct Livestock Marketing Systems (DLMS) where she currently works as a purebred sales rep. Renton found home in the picturesque town of Cayley, Alta., where the quieter summer months are spent in the saddle, or with a camera in hand for fun. Renton’s mentor is Andrea Stroeve-Sawa, owner/operator of Ship- wheel Cattle Feeders Ltd., which includes a yearling grazing program, 5,500-head feedlot, cropland, bees, pasture-raised chickens, compost production and an on-farm store, the Green Mercantile.
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Dr. Natasha Kutryk is the new president at the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association. Kutryk grew up on a farm near Beauvallon, Alta., and graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2014. She has worked in mixed and large animal practices in New Zealand, the U.K. and Canada. She is currently a senior specialist of scientific marketing affairs for Western Canada with Merck Animal Health. Her one-year term as president began after the association’s AGM on February 26.
Dr. Harpreet Kochhar became the new president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) effective February 27. Kochhar was most recently president of the Public Health Agency of Canada. He was previously with the CFIA from 2008 to 2017, and served as Canada’s chief veterinary officer from 2014 to 2017. During that time, he oversaw the CFIA’s response to outbreaks of H5N2 avian flu and bovine tuberculosis, as well as the 2012 beef recall at what was then the XL Foods plant at Brooks, Alta. He has also worked as a vet in private practice, and as an assistant professor at the University of Guelph. Kochhar replaces Dr. Siddika Mithani, who retired on January 20, 2023.
Melissa Downing recently stepped into the role of director of regulatory and sustainability with the National Cattle Feeders Association. Previously, she held the provincial coordinator position in Alberta for Verified Beef Production Plus for over six years. Downing is a professional agrologist who ranches near Metiskow, Alta.
Matthew Atkinson is the new president of the Manitoba Beef Producers, taking over from past president Tyler Fulton after the group’s AGM earlier this year. Atkinson plans to stay the course set by Fulton and previous boards, with attention to issues such as Crown lands, business risk management programs, overall profitability, the valuation of ecological goods and services, plus rebuilding the herd in the province. Rounding out the executive are Mike Duguid (vice-president), Nancy Howatt (secretary) and Mark Good (treasurer).
The Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan (SK PCAP) is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The group started when an ad hoc committee approached the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association to kick-start a new conservation group. Fir Mountain rancher Miles Anderson was the original chair, and Chris Nykoluk the first manager. Today the SK PCAP continues, with rancher Kelly Williamson serving as chair, Carolyn Gaudet as manager and 34 organizations partnering to conserve grasslands as working landscapes.
