Canadian Cattle Young Leaders
Alice Rooke emigrated from England with her family in 2013 and currently resides in Alexander, Man., where she is involved in her family’s cattle, grain and custom farming operation. Rooke obtained her degree in agribusiness at the University of Manitoba. However, it was her minor in agronomy that led her to independent agronomy consulting. Rooke’s interest for agronomy stems from the same root as her interest in cattle and she applies the same principles to her purebred Red Angus and commercial cattle operation — how to take a cow and find her best potential. Currently, Rooke is operating her own agronomic consulting company with a business partner (J&A Ag. Solutions) and hopes to integrate these two interests in the future by incorporating forage agronomy with traditional practices. Rooke’s mentor is Trevor Atchison, who operates Poplarview Stock Farm with his family. Their farm, near Pipestone, Man., has been recognized as a century farm.
Arlis Hanson hails from Val Marie, Sask., where he’s heavily involved with his family’s VBP+ seedstock and commercial cattle operation. Producing functional Black Angus and Hereford cattle is his passion. Hanson is working his way through the University of Saskatchewan to become a large animal veterinarian. He aspires to specialize in beef production and grow his family ranch. Since purchasing his first registered cows in 2016, he has extensively implemented embryo transfer and artificial insemination, slowly developing his own herd. He now rents some land where he can manage his small herd, consigning bulls in the Grasslands Bull Sale and marketing boxed beef. Hanson’s mentor is Dr. Doug Mann, who practiced at Swift Current for years, as well as working for the CFIA and ran a purebred Polled Hereford and commercial Red Angus operation, with his wife, Wanda, also a vet college grad.
Read Also
Condolences to Jack Anderson’s loved ones on his passing
John “Jack” Corbett Anderson, born in Edmonton, Alta., on October 28, 1927, passed away peacefully at 97, with family by…
Steve Hendrick of Lethbridge, Alta., has been named the winner of the 2025 Veterinarian of the Year Award for his contributions to bovine veterinary medicine and the cattle industry, notably in clinical practice, research and mentoring future generations of bovine practitioners. Hendrick is a consulting veterinarian and epidemiologist at Telus Agriculture in Lethbridge where he focuses on feedlot, dairy and cow-calf veterinary medicine. Before joining private practice, he was an associate professor in the department of large animal clinical services at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to his work in clinical practice, Hendrick has spearheaded new practice development programs in nutrition services and data analytics, and a greenhouse gas initiative. He was instrumental in the development of herd health and management programs in all three clinical service sectors: feedlot, dairy and cow-calf.
The Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame recognized six individuals who will be formally inducted into the Hall in April of 2025 for their lifetime of achievements and contributions in agriculture. They were announced at the Crop Production Show in Saskatoon, Sask., in January. The late Harold Martens has spent his career contributing to Saskatchewan agriculture as an elected member of the Legislative Assembly, a senior official with the Ministry of Agriculture, a rancher, and a board member of several livestock and farming associations. In 1975, Martens, along with his brother and brother-in-law, established Martens Ranch Ltd. near Swift Current, Sask. He served as president of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association from 2011 to 2014 and board chair of the Livestock Services of Saskatchewan from 2014 to 2022, among many other boards.
Dr. Grant Royan and partner Dr. Del Pearson operated the Sherwood Animal Clinic in Regina — the main large animal clinic in the Regina area — for over 20 years. Royan also served many years as a Canadian Western Agribition board member and the official veterinarian, ensuring the show’s animal health protocols were best practice. He has mentored many veterinarian students and also worked as a technical consultant for multiple Canadian veterinary pharmaceutical companies.
Robert (Bob) Bors is the head of the Fruit Program, Plant Sciences Department at the University of Saskatchewan. He has successfully introduced nine sour cherry and 10 haskap varieties and has supported the commercialization of cherries and haskaps across Canada. The late Frank Bourgault founded Bourgault Industries in St. Brieux, Sask., in 1973. His entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to innovation helped establish the company as a pioneering force in the agricultural equipment industry. Frank’s son, Gerry Bourgault, joined Bourgault Industries in 1975 and became president after his father’s death in 1989. Gerry was instrumental in growing the company to 500,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space, mainly in St. Brieux. Gerry and his company were always on the leading edge of agronomy and how best to use technology to enhance fertilizer use.
Bill Wilson had a successful career in the media educating people about agriculture. After starting as a radio reporter in Weyburn, Sask., he later moved to CKRM Radio in Regina where he began to specialize in agriculture, and then to CBC TV where he reported on agriculture at the provincial and national level. In 1983, he started his own business and developed the Prairie Farm Report television show to keep Western Canadian farmers and ranchers informed on the latest agricultural news and trends. His company, Ag-Com Productions, produced agricultural print publications and established a national television channel, the Rural Channel.
Larry Thomas will be retiring as environmental manager with the Canadian Cattle Association at the end of March. He started with CCA in 2008 as lead on the team developing the Beef InfoXchange System. Following that, his work focused on the Verified Beef Production Plus program and then the environment portfolio. Before joining CCA, Thomas had worked for over two decades with Canadian Cattlemen magazine as associate editor.
