It was his success with showing livestock and participating in livestock judging that led him to his early career, and also to the Calgary Stampede. His first trip to Calgary in 1993 was to support a Calgary Stampede livestock judging school as an instructor. It was an experience he continued for years, as well as attending and judging the Calgary Stampede’s 4-H on Parade. 

As president and CEO of the internationally renowned Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Cowley’s long-standing relationship with the Stampede grew further. Cowley officially joined the Stampede in September, and is now settling in. Canadian Cattlemen congratulates Cowley in his new role!

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“As a community celebration, the cancellation of our annual event comes with our community and public health and safety front of mind,” Stampede president Dana Peers said on a conference call Thursday with reporters.

The provincial health department on Thursday confirmed the gathering restrictions it has in place due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic will also apply to the province’s various summer festivals, agricultural fairs, rodeos, sporting championships and industry conferences.

The Calgary Folk Music Festival, which had also been scheduled for July this year, announced its cancellation Thursday just shortly before the Stampede’s conference call.

The province’s current orders prohibit gatherings of 15 or more people, require two-metre social distancing at gatherings of fewer than 15 and “will continue to apply until evidence demonstrates that the spread is controlled.”

By clarifying those restrictions now, the province said, event organizers “will be able to provide advance notice of 60 days or more that may help them limit unrecoverable expenditures, and cancel contracts in a timely manner.”

The Stampede had been scheduled for July 3-12 this year. The annual event, which dates back to 1912, is billed as a celebration of “the people, the animals, the land, the traditions and the values that make up the unique spirit of the West.”

A showcase and networking event for the province’s farming and livestock sectors, the Stampede’s attractions typically include “world-class” agricultural competitions and displays and the world’s largest outdoor rodeo, which combined involve over 7,500 animals, including cattle, horses, swine, donkeys and sheep.

The event, and others held in any other given year at its host site Stampede Park, are estimated to contribute about $700 million annually to the Canadian economy, including about $540 million to Alberta’s economy alone, Peers said.

Asked whether the Stampede — which previously has survived calamities such as the city’s June 2013 flood — has any insurance coverage that might help it recover some of the costs of such a cancellation, he replied it does not.

The not-for-profit Stampede organization’s focus will now shift to fall, winter and spring events at Stampede Park, and to planning for the 2021 Stampede, scheduled for July 9-18 that year, he said.

“To stand here and say there’ll be no Stampede for the first time in 97 years, that’s very, very, very tough,” Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said on Thursday’s call, adding the city government stands “in full support” of the Stampede’s decision.

“For the last five weeks it has felt to many of us like more and more and more things are getting taken away — and you know what, it is OK to feel sad and angry and frustrated about some of these things,” he said.

He described the situation as “a test of our collective resolve,” and said that eventually, “the rodeo will come back, the rides will come back, the music will come back and what will never, ever go away is our community spirit.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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This lends greater importance to the UFA Cattle Trail, an interactive exhibit about beef production. Set up each year in the Calgary Stampede’s Nutrien Western Event Centre, the Cattle Trail shares the story of the Canadian beef industry with Stampede attendees every July.

“We talk about the natural resources that we deal with, we talk about efficiency and innovation in the industry, animal health and welfare, and then the food aspect of it,” says Stephen Scott, past chair of the Cattle Trail subcommittee and executive director of the Canadian Hereford Association. “The general takeaway is that farmers are here to protect the land, protect the animals and produce quality beef for Canadians.”

The UFA Cattle Trail takes visitors through each step of the production cycle. Members of several organizations are present throughout this exhibit, allowing Stampede-goers the opportunity to speak with various industry representatives and see live cattle up close.

Brad Dubeau, marketing and education manager for Alberta Beef Producers, finds the tone of these interactions to be very positive.

“People are genuinely interested in what the beef industry is about. They are very curious to know the age of the animals on display here, they’re curious about their names, but then it goes beyond that,” says Dubeau.

One topic producers are frequently asked about is how farmers and ranchers treat their animals, which gives them a chance to talk about the everyday life of their cattle.

“I think the majority of the people that are coming through the Cattle Trail are very positive toward the beef industry,” says Dubeau. “You will get the odd person that expresses their concerns. We try to talk to them in a positive format, and you kind of leave it at that.”

For Mathieu Paré, executive director of the Canada Beef Centre of Excellence, questions about nutrition allow him to talk more about the beef carcass, nutrition and environmental impact of management practices.

“They’re already sold on beef,” he says of the majority of attendees who stop at the Canada Beef display. “You see them coming up to the showcase display: their eyes light up, you can see them looking through the cuts and getting excited about it.”

James Jenkins, vice chair of the Alberta Farm Animal Care Association (AFAC), spoke to many Stampede visitors at the AFAC booth, which was located within the Agriculture Barn this year. He fielded many questions related to food safety and production practices.

“Most people kind of knew that our food is safe, but they didn’t really have that reassurance,” says Jenkins, who is also the vice-chair of the Western Stock Growers Association. “We talked about the use of antibiotics and the use of hormones, how they’re used, when they’re used, withdrawal times, and then I always like to go into the food safety aspect of it and all the testing that’s done on our products before they ever reach market.”

With the current disconnect between the general public and the agriculture industry, engaging with consumers in person is vital.

“It’s the one time of year that you really actually get to be face-to-face with the consumer,” says Jenkins. “In my own community, I get to be face-to-face with many people, but not nearly to this magnitude, so just even being here and allowing them to access the information, I think helps people become educated on where their food comes from.”

This individual connection to agriculture is the reason that Alberta Beef Producers’ delegates run its booth rather than the organization’s staff.

“The stories that the consumers are hearing are very personal,” says Dubeau. “It allows for people to make a better connection, I believe, and it works out really well.”

A personal stake in the beef industry can help convey the messages that producers wish to share with consumers.

“We care about our livestock. They’re very important to us, and not just in a monetary way,” says Jenkins when he asked what he hoped visitors learned from this experience. “We’re caring for other beings, so at the end of the day that’s the most important part of it, and the financial aspect comes secondary to that.”

Trusting that our food is safe is another major takeaway. “The one thing I think that we aim to communicate most is that our beef industry here in Canada produces a super high-quality product that is safe,” says Paré, adding that nutrition and sustainability are also important messages.

“Beyond the high-quality eating experience, those are probably the key points that we try to communicate best, and in doing that I think we are building ambassadors who believe in the product.”

Paré also found that younger consumers stopping by the Canada Beef display are very interested in beef.

“They have quite an understanding of the attributes, like the marbling and the fat, and they really have intelligent questions and they’re keen to learn more. So I’m encouraged by that, to see that the future generation of consumers is keen to know more about where their food comes from.”

Not only can this experience prove educational for consumers, it can enlighten the producers involved. Scott explained that by speaking with visitors, it provides a better idea of the range of knowledge that the public has about beef production.

“There’s such a variation of understanding when these consumers come through. We will have questions from, ‘are these pigs?’ to some fairly in-depth conversations about hormones and antibiotics,” says Scott.

“That’s why I love having producers come and sit in here, because I think we as producers take our knowledge for granted and that the greater consumer on average would have such a basic knowledge of the industry that we almost overeducate them. We’re not speaking at their level, so even for us to come in and talk about, ‘this is a heifer, this is a bull,’ they’re not in the normal consumer’s vocabulary.”

Scott believes this is an opportunity for both parties to better understand each other’s perspectives.

“At the end of the day, all these consumers just want to talk to beef producers, and if they meet with a beef producer and get to hear their story, I think it resonates with them,” he says. “I would encourage everyone to get out because it does kind of give you an insight into what the consumers are thinking and how wide the spectrum is.”

Other exhibitions across Canada have similar programs to help engage the public with agriculture, which producers can use to make meaningful connections through one-on-one conversations.

“I find that events and venues like this where you have a lot of people milling around, you can talk to a lot of people that don’t understand or are not involved in the day-to-day,” says Dubeau. “This is a great opportunity to put the beef industry’s best foot forward, remind people this is a fantastic product and it’s healthy and it’s safe, and dispel some myths.”

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‘The Cowboys and Canadian Stampede Manager’s Associations held their annual meeting in Calgary in an atmosphere of cordiality marking a high in relations between the C.S.M.A. and the Cowboy’s Protective Association. There was none of the wrangling that has marked some sessions in the past. but then there were no major rule changes advanced by either side. Each had one major concern – money.’

Click here to read the full article, “Stampede Managers and Contestants Meet” as a free, downloadable PDF.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. You can reach us via the editor at gren@fbcpublishing.com.

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Click here to read the full article, “Fort Normandeau – A Link with Red Deer’s Pioneer Days” as a free, downloadable PDF.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. You can reach us via the editor at gren@fbcpublishing.com.

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‘Southern Alberta carved itself a special niche in the Canadian tour of Princess Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh with the first, and what may be the world’s only Royal Winter Stampede. It was a 90 minute edition of the famed Calgary Stampede, dropped out of the heat and sunshine of July into a swirling snowstorm of October 18th. But if the heat of summer was missing, there was no lack evident in the traditional heat of competition for which the great Calgary Stampede is renowned.’

Click here to read the full article, “Royalty Entertained at Calgary by “Royal Winter Stampede”” as a free, downloadable PDF.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. You can reach us via the editor at gren@fbcpublishing.com.

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‘The story of the 1950 Calgary Stampede is a story of rain, millions of dollars worth of rain, when converted to grass, grain, flour and beef, but it gave Stampede officials, contestants and 373,135 visitors to the big show headaches and heartaches.

Pelting down at the instant Canada’s Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent was giving a brief speech to officially open the 1950 anniversary Stampede, the timing should have been an omen. The deluge wiped out the Monday night grandstand show and more rain made a double program Tuesday evening precarious.’

Click here to read the full article, “Calgary’s 1950 Stampede Makes History” as a free, downloadable PDF.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. You can reach us via the editor at gren@fbcpublishing.com.

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‘With the opening of sales of Calgary Stampede tickets to the public on February 1st and looking over my tickets, my thoughts go back to a stampede in Alberta thirty-six years ago that was not much heralded, was hardly heard of and was not sponsored by the “Big Four,” but was an interesting event and was attended by folks who, while perhaps not in the “Big Four” class were interesting folks in their own right. This show was held on the Smith Ranch just North of the Hutton ferry on the Red Deer River and across from the present Control siding on the Rosedale-Rosemary line of the C.P.R.’

To read the full article, “Rodeo reminiscences” as a free, downloadable PDF, click here.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. You can reach us via the editor at gren@fbcpublishing.com.

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One of the biggest surprise announcements of last month was the unexpected resignation of Canada Beef president Rob Meijer on September 16. A press release from the Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency said Meijer has resigned to spend more time with his two daughters and his wife. He joined Canada Beef in August 2011 with 16 years experience, eight of them with Cargill in Winnipeg as the manager of business development and corporate strategy. The executive staff will carry on his duties until a replacement has been named.

Young Cattlemen’s Council (YCC) president Brett McRae from Brandon, Man., made the most of his trip to Ottawa in September to attend the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association executive meeting and fall picnic on Parliament Hill. McRae chatted with Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay at the picnic and toured Parliament with his MP Larry Maguire. He also observed the meeting of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, where Beef Cattle Research Council executive director Andrea Brocklebank and chair Bryan Thiessen discussed the work being done through the beef research clusters.

There were some changes at the Canadian Meat Council last month. Executive director Jim Laws resigned after 12 years with the industry lobby group to form his own consulting company. Troy Warren of Maple Leaf Foods was elected president and board chair for 2016-18 at the annual meeting in late September. He is currently vice-president, product management, planning, and procurement for Maple Leaf Foods. Finally the council is seeking a director for beef and veal to work with government and industry to focus attention on the key areas of trade and market access, regulatory affairs and access to labour as they affect beef and veal processors. For more details contact Laurence Lavallée, communications co-ordinator at laurence@cmc-cvc.com.

Martin Rice is the 2016 recipient of the Canadian Meat Council (CMC) President’s Award.  He was presented with the award at the meat trade organization’s September 28 annual meeting in Ottawa. Rice retired as executive director of the Canadian Pork Council earlier this year after 30 years of service as executive secretary and executive director. He has served as a director of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society and the Canadian Agri-Food Research Council.

Macgregor “Mac” Tebbutt, from Penticton, B.C. is the 4-H member on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Youth Council, an advisory group of 15 young people to be consulted on national issues. Tebbutt has been actively involved in the 4-H Club for 11 years, holding many executive positions, and has been a 4-H Canada scholarship recipient twice — in 2014 when he received a Ram Canada 100 Scholarship for 100 Years of 4-H Scholarship and in 2015 when he received a John Deere Canada 4-H Scholarship. He has been 4-H B.C. Youth Ambassador for two years and designed and implemented a Safety Checklist for 4-H Horse members. He has travelled across the province to promote agriculture and farm safety, and started a new 4-H club for rural youth in southern B.C. He is also a competitive rodeo athlete and a third-year engineering student at UBC-Okanagan.

Kyle Rock has returned to the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association as interim operations manager. The Airdrie, Alta. resident also served as CPRA rodeo administrator for a period of time earlier this year. A third-generation cowboy, Rock was a two-time Canadian Intercollegiate Bareback Champion and a many time finalist in three semi-professional associations (the FCA, LRA and CCA). He was twice FCA season leader and was named 2013 Foothills Cowboy Association Cowboy of the Year.

Calgary Stampede has been voted the 2016 Stock Contractor of the Year by members of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. The Calgary Stampede is the primary stock contractor for eight rodeos in Canada and the United States including the Strathmore Stampede, Armstrong Stampede, Pendleton Round-Up, and the Calgary Stampede itself. Stampede horses and bulls also compete year-round at many other rodeos throughout North America.

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The 103-year-old Stampede is a 10-day festival of rodeo, street parties and corporate entertainment held in Canada’s oil capital every July.

Nightly chuckwagon races are among its headline events. Drivers, supported by outriders, race chuckwagons emblazoned with the logos of sponsors and pulled by a team of four horses in front of a cheering crowd of thousands.

The rights to advertise on top riders’ chuckwagon canvases are sold off each spring in an auction that many in Calgary consider a barometer of economic sentiment.

This year, total bids fell 21 per cent from 2014 to $2,782,000, reflecting the mood in a city where layoffs among oil producers are mounting.

Benchmark oil prices have plunged more than half since last June due to a global supply glut, with U.S. crude last trading at just over $45 a barrel.

Despite the slide in bids, the 2015 total was still well above the $1,692,000 bid in 2009 following the last major oil price crash. The record auction year was 2012, the Stampede’s 100th birthday, when sponsors bid $4,015,000.

“We are pretty ecstatic that our numbers are up above where they were in 2009,” said Paul Rosenberg, chief operating officer at the Calgary Stampede. “About a 20 per cent drop is to be expected in challenging times.”

— Nia Williams is a Reuters correspondent covering the energy sector from Calgary.

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