The Canadian Hereford Association has had some new hires recently. Judy Finseth is taking the helm of the Canadian Hereford Digest. Finseth has 30 years of involvement in the Hereford industry as a breeder, manager, event organizer and volunteer. She and her husband Doug manage Bar Pipe Hereford Ranch at Okotoks, Alta.
Paul Stafford is now the field services representative for Ont., Que., N.S., N.B. and P.E.I. Stafford is working with the Canadian Hereford Digest team on providing marketing services and advertising opportunities to members. Stafford and his wife Laura own Double H Cattle Co. in the Ottawa Valley.
Heidi Voegli-Bleiker has joined the Canadian Hereford Association’s registry and member service team. Voegli-Bleiker and her family farm southwest of Didsbury, Alta. She brings a wealth of knowledge from the Canadian Maine-Anjou Association, the Salers Association of Canada and the provincial and national Holstein associations.
Congratulations to the Richardson family on receiving a Century Farm Award for Richardson Ranch of Haida Gwaii, B.C. Alice Richardson and her son, Don, were on hand to receive the award from the Ministry of Agriculture. The ranch began in 1919, when Eric Richardson, who hailed from Vermilion, Alta., purchased 320 acres. Eric Richardson was an avid fly fisher and appreciated the Tlell River, which was teeming with coho salmon. Over the years, the Richardson family also built a veterinary hospital, a feed and pet supply store, fishing cabins, a kennel and grooming services, and also processed and sold beef. However, the ranch remains the core of their business. Their Tlell Polled Herefords are still sought after by customers as far away as Uruguay and Sweden. Today Don Richardson and his wife Leslie run the ranch and son Dane runs the veterinary hospital on the ranch. Daughter Jamie and son-in-law Bill manage a Hereford ranch in the Interior. For more on the ranch, visit richardsonranch.ca.
Tracy Herbert, the Beef Cattle Research Council’s extension and communications director, begins a maternity leave on October 11. Janice Bruynooghe is covering Herbert’s role as the interim extension and communications director, leading the council’s extension and communication initiatives during Herbert’s leave. Bruynooghe will also remain involved with the council initiatives she was already supporting.
Dr. Catherine Filejski is the new president of the Canadian Animal Health Institute. Filejski previously served as Ontario’s public health veterinarian. She succeeds Jean Szkotnicki as president of the institute. Szkotnicki is retiring after nearly 30 years of leadership. The Canadian Animal Health Institute is a non-profit trade association that represents the animal health industry in Canada.
Erika Stewart of Morse, Sask., is the new provincial co-ordinator for Saskatchewan Verified Beef Production Inc. Sask. VBP oversees the delivery of VBP+ in the province. Stewart was raised on a cow-calf operation and has participated in the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders Program and Young Cattlemen’s Council.
The South of the Divide Conservation Action Program (SODCAP) held its AGM at Eastend, Sask., in August. The following representatives comprise the current board: Orin Balas (Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Inc.), Lorne Scott (Nature Saskatchewan), Chad MacPherson (Saskatchewan Stock Growers Assoc.), Keith Day (Sasatchewan Cattleman’s Assoc.), Larry Grant (member-at large), Norm Nordgulen (SARM), Chad Macy (TransAlta), Cory Larsen (Surge Energy), Jeff Keith (Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment) and Lea Craig Moore (Environment and Climate Change Canada).
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The Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) program, a national youth initiative of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, has announced the 16 finalists for the 2019-20 program year. Each finalist will be awarded a $2,000 travel budget and a mentorship opportunity. The 2019 CYL program finalists include:
- British Columbia: Kate Barnett.
- Alberta: Aaron Birch, Tamara Quaschnick, Lacey Tillotson, Patricia Fawley, Kaitlan McLachlan, Broek Murray, Savannah Hodgkinson, Haley Scott, Cody Adams, Cameron Olson.
- Saskatchewan: Cassandra DeMars, Ethan David, Kimberly Lansdall, Kathleen Holweger.
- Manitoba: Robyn Unrau.
The B.C. Cattlemen’s Association has announced its current board and committees. Larry Garrett of Vanderhoof is the president, Renee Ardill of Fort St. John is the vice-president and Brian McKersie of Canal Flats is the past president. Directors include Judy Madden, Erin Durrell, Ed Wiebe, Jon Solecki, Cheryl Monical, Roger Patenaude, John Anderson, Ryan Scorgie, Werner Stump, Brian Thomas and Larry Rast.
The Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency introduced its board following its annual general meeting August 13 in Calgary. Chad Ross of Saskatchewan is the new board chair, replacing outgoing chair Heinz Reimer of Manitoba. The rest of the executive includes producers Jeff Smith of Alberta as vice-chair, Larry Weatherby of Nova Scotia as governance chair and Kirk Jackson of Quebec as finance chair. Terry Wiebe of B.C., Doug Sawyer of Alberta, Mary Paziuk of Manitoba, Jack Chaffe of Ontario, Trevor Welch of New Brunswick and David Francis of P.E.I. round out the producer members of the agency. Representing the Canadian Meat Council are Russ Mallard, Alexandre Fontaine, Mike Kennedy and Leslie Bielak. Steve Christie represents retail and foodservice and Coral Manastersky I.E. Canada.
