Saskatchewan Angus Commercial Breeder of the Year

Congratulations to Roger & Lou Parsonage, Maple Creek, Saskatchewan neighbours as the benchmark of one of the great cowherds in ranching countr y The -N- calves are always in high demand come marketing time too They primarily market their cattle direct to the feedlots through a buyer rep They have enjoyed dealing with their rep over the years and have built a ver y tr ustwor thy, rewarding relationship. The Parsonages have been using the Angus green tags as long as they can remember. Over the years genetics have been purchased from the Short Grass Bull Sale group, the Dillabaugh brothers, Har vey Bowerman and more recently Sunderland Ranch.

Hard work, integrity, determination and perseverance while putting family first best describes Roger and Lou Parsonage and the -N- Ranch The ranch borders the historic town of Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan; which is 40 miles south west of Maple Creek or 30 miles north of the Montana border

Roger and Lou own and operate the ranch that was established in 1899 when Roger’s grandpa settled on route from Pilot Mound, Manitoba They have two sons Chuck and Jess Chuck along with his wife Kyley and three kids are an important part of running the activities of the operation Although they have their own ranch near Maple Creek, they are ver y involved in the main part of the operation in calving all the bred heifers, a large number of cows and assisting with annual forage production. Jess along with his wife Tanya and their two children also ranch straight north of the main ranch. This would mark the 5th generation of ranching within the Parsonage family in that area.

In the mid 1960s the first Angus bulls were brought in to compliment the Hereford bulls being used at the time. By the 1970’s it was pretty much strictly Angus bulls being used The Parsonages say the main advantages to using Angus bulls is low maintenance cattle that get the job done in both their ranching operation and the feedlot sector as well “Round bales and black cattle are the saviour of ranching” is often said around the ranch With the ranch being located in rough terrain with rolling hills, extreme snowfalls and hot, dr y summers the Angus cows continue to adapt best to the challenges of the environment they are in. The cattle will graze in native pastures up until December with winter feeding consisting of hay and triticale bales. Annually close to 700 cows will calve with the heifers starting the end of March and the main cow herd calving at the end of April. The steers and heifers are backgrounded through winter with the steers being marketed in April/May and the heifers are grassed through the summer and marketed i f ll Th h d i f i d b

During daily ranch activities horses are often used with the exception a side-by-side helps out here and there They have 15 brood mares and they have sold colts very successfully for many years Roger is a well-respected horse trainer, roper, and was the round up boss for the Cypress Hill’s Stockmen’s Association for many years

Like most operations they have also had their share of challenges over the years, that had huge impact on their business including: BSE, drought during the 80s, and “the NDP government ” Adversity has made them stronger and their greatest accomplishments are raising good black cattle and Roger and Lou are proud to have their children and grandchildren as part of the next generation of the ranch.

One of the greatest accomplishments is being recognized by your peers and the Parsonages are ver y humble and thankful to be receiving this award. Congratulations to the Parsonage family on receiving the 2022 Saskatchewan Angus Commercial producer of the year If you ’ re ever in their neck of the woods I would encourage you to touch base with them and go for a tour, I know I plan to