Profile - Vandervalk

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The Experience of CCYA

Kelsey Vandervalk

Hard to believe it’s been 14 years since I attended a CCYA Conference and Show. The memories though are still so clear. I still remember at my first CCYA in 2000 in Stettler being a Junior and having no idea what was going on. I remember the senior member in my stall group guiding me to where I was supposed to be for the events and teaching me the ropes. I remember the train ride and robbery that the board had planned for a fun event.

As the years went on, I remember travelling to the CCYA conferences and shows across Canada, sometimes on an airplane and sometimes by road, sometimes with cattle and sometimes without.

Darren, Kelsey, Keston, Sutton and Kaycee Vandervalk

I didn’t grow up on a farm and my parents didn’t own cattle. We lived in the town of Carbon, Alberta, which was about 7 miles from my grandparents’ purebred cattle operation, Bar 19 Charolais. From a young age, I always spent a lot of time there and had a passion for cattle. I went out to the farm every weekend with my parents from the time I was a toddler. I began 4-H when I was 10 years old and then my next leap into the cattle industry was purchasing a Holstein x Charolais replacement heifer (Oreo) from my grandpa, Lloyd Paget. The deal on this purchase highly favored me, $500 and 5 free years of feed.

In 2000, my aunt, Lisa Paget encouraged me to attend my first CCYA conference in Stettler. All I had was Oreo and she was not a show worthy critter. The best part

about the junior cattle conference and shows is you don’t have to take an animal to be involved or participate. You can still be a part of a herdsman group and help your team with their animals, borrow an animal to show for showmanship, still do the grooming, judging, marketing, photography, art competition etc. Most of all, you can still meet new people, see old friends, learn new things, and travel. You see your family go to Sr Steer Judging 2005 - Natalie Oram & Kelsey Brandon great ends to get you there, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, showing the importance of it. In 2005 in Renfrew, Ontario, I didn’t take an animal or show in the conformation classes and still was able to get reserve intermediate aggregate winner because of how I

placed in the other competitions and advanced to the team judging finals at the All Breeds Show in Lacombe, Alberta. In Renfrew, I joined the CCYA board, first as a provincial director and then later as treasurer, and then as secretary. Being on the board and hosting the 2008 Olds Conference and Show taught me a whole new set of skills.

Although I was fortunate to be in 4-H, it isn’t a prerequisite for CCYA. As a matter of fact, the two events are very different. Parents are not allowed to participate in CCYA and the kids learn in a different way. They take responsibility and ownership for their work and the growth is greater and faster. For many kids, it is a turning point in maintaining interest in the industry.

The network of people I met through these conferences will last a lifetime. I will be forever thankful for the skills I developed and progressed each summer in public speaking, general cattle knowledge, and networking. Just like 4-H, being involved in these associations and attending these events does help you in your educational and professional career down the line. Not only are there

Senior Photography 2006 Kelsey Brandon & Nigel Oram Erin Jackson & Kelsey Brandon 2006 Kelsey in 2006 Showmanship

scholarships/educational awards available, but several schools look at it for acceptance into post secondary programs.

I was fortunate to be accepted into the veterinary program at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I graduated in 2012 and began my career as a mixed animal veterinarian at Claresholm Veterinary Services, Claresholm, Alberta. While semen testing bulls, I met my husband Darren and we got married in 2015. We now have 3 children, Keston, Sutton, and Kaycee. We have over 200 commercial cows, some of which are bred Charolais. In July 2021, I became a partner in the vet clinic in Claresholm. We are very excited for the day our kids are old enough to join 4-H and attend the CCYA conferences and shows.

I highly recommend getting out there and attending the annual CCYA Conference and Show. Even if you cannot make it to all of them and can only make it to the ones in your province, as it rotates every four years, do it! Cattle or no cattle, from a farm, or in town, previous cattle knowledge, or not, it will be a positive experience that you will value for years to come.