7 minute read
Youth Feature
Nolan Allardyce – Taking his place in the Ring of Excellence
IIT’S BEEN OVER TWO MONTHS SINCE NOLAN ALLARDYCE CELEBRATED HIS BIG WIN WITH CHAMPION CALF AT THE TD CANADIAN 4-H DAIRY CLASSIC, BUT HE’S STILL RIDING THE HIGH. THE 22-YEAR-OLD BRANTFORD NATIVE KNEW HIS CALF WAS SPECIAL BUT HAD NO IDEA SHE WOULD BE AT THE TOP OUT OF OVER 300 BEAUTIES IN THE RING OF EXCELLENCE. AND WITH 2022 BEING HIS LAST YEAR OF 4-H, HE PICKED THE PERFECT TIME TO PULL OFF A BIG WIN!
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PHOTOS 1. Nolan at right with partners (l to r) Colton Oughtred and Collin Allardyce celebrating their Grand Champion victory with MS-AOL Realist Red-ET, 2. Nolan showing Realist in the 2022 Red & White Show, 3. Nolan at the 2013 Paris Fair with Gerald Vanderlip and a Valmar calf, 4. Nolan and Clarissa with their
2022 4-H calves at university. PHOTO 1 BY VICKI FLETCHER, PHOTO 2 BY THE BULLVINE, PHOTOS 3 AND 4 SUBMITTED.
Nolan’s journey to the winner’s circle has been backed by over a decade of hard work coming up through the ranks of the Brant 4-H Dairy Club. He joined 4-H at the age of 10, and although he has taken clubs in crops and curling, his focus – and love – has always been dairy. “My dad (Glenn)’s family milked cows ‘til I was nine and I was always interested,” he says. With his dad having shown in 4-H growing up, his mom, Tammy, serving as a leader and 4-H President in Brant County, and Nolan’s older siblings, Collin and Serena being involved in the program, joining the Brant Dairy Club was a no-brainer. He’s had some influential leaders along the way, including Gord Vellenga, the late Jean Charlton, and Terry Green, all of whom have been instrumental in what, looking back, has been a very successful and rewarding 4-H career.
Although winning Champion Calf at the Classic has been the cherry on the top of it all, some of Nolan’s most cherished moments over the years are rooted in smaller achievements that didn’t always yield a ribbon. Showing locally at the Paris Fair every year, for example, has been an annual highlight, as has purchasing heifers with his brother under their Allarway prefix (several of which have gone on to earn All-Ontario and All-Canadian titles) and forming special partnerships and mentorships that have opened more doors and opportunities than Nolan ever thought possible.
One such mentor who is top of mind is Gerald Vanderlip of Valmar Holsteins in Brant County. Living a few minutes down the road from Gerald growing up, Nolan milked cows there after school and weekends during high school. When he and Collin first became interested in purchasing heifers, it only made sense to ask Gerald if they could house them at his place. Gerald had the space and was happy to provide guidance to the two brothers along the way. When it came time for Nolan to purchase an animal for his final year of 4-H, he knew he wanted a red one. “That’s kind of what got us started at Vanderlips,” he explains.
After missing out on a few at local sales, the Allardyce brothers and long-time partner, Colton Oughtred of Sunny Terrace Holsteins in Brantford, eyed MS-AOL Realist-Red-ET in the Best of Juniper Sale last spring. “They were selling her and a full sister,” says Nolan. “We liked her, though. Joel Phoenix was at the sale and gave us the low-down.” Nolan admits it felt weird not seeing her in person, but trusted Joel’s judgement and liked what he saw in her photo and pedigree online. Realist has 10 Excellent dams backing her, including several respected brood cows including Glenridge Citation Roxy EX-CAN 6* and Hanoverhill Tony Rae EX-US-3E 5*. Having to register Realist as his 4-H project before even meeting her felt odd, but with all this to back her up, Nolan took the chance and went for it. He was all-in.
The day she arrived at Vanderlips, Collin got her washed and sent a snapchat photo to Nolan, who couldn’t wait to finish up his day at work and go to see her. “She wasn’t quite ready for the show, but she led really well,” he recalls. Nolan and Realist had their fare share of success in the show ring in the leadup to the Classic, including
finishing as 3rd Fall Heifer at Brant-Wentworth, 1st 4-H Senior Calf at Autumn Opportunity, as well as 1st Fall Heifer and Honourable Mention Junior Champion at the same show. By the time of the Classic, Nolan was feeling confident and comfortable in his choice. “I knew all year she was probably the best calf I’ve ever had,” he says of Realist. But he also knew the stakes would be high in Toronto and many other competitors would be showing exceptional calves as well. Realist pulled out a first-place finish in her class and was pulled along with five others, to vie for Grand Champion. “When the judge was coming over towards me, I was just stuck in the moment,” says Nolan. “It felt surreal. It’s what I’ve always tried to do.”
Nolan’s parents and brother and sister were all in the stands to watch him pull off the win, as were many family members watching online. He shared a big hug with Collin at the edge of the ring, before taking his place in the winner’s circle for photos. Nolan’s girlfriend, Clarissa McCallum, whom he says has been instrumental in helping develop his skills as a leadsman, was along ringside to share in the special moment.
This past Classic felt different for Nolan for several reasons, and not just because he had the Grand Champion. It marked only the second time he got his own calf ready for the big show without his brother. “I learned most of my clipping skills from him,” he explains. He’s also picked up some finer details from others he’s clipped with, including Ryan and Justin Crowley. Nolan credits the clipping work he’s done in the past two years for helping him build his skills and is thankful for those who have trusted him with their animals. He has been fortunate to fit animals for such prominent breeders as Winright, Riverdown, Willowcreek and Oakfield Corners.
Nolan has owned or partnered on 20 animals to date and currently owns animals (mostly heifers) under the Allarway prefix. He is always working hard to build up his cattle-buying fund, and his recent hire last May as a Relationship Manager with FCC helps him realize that goal. Working out of FCC’s Simcoe office, Nolan manages a portfolio of 250 customers including cash croppers, and beef, ginseng and vegetable farmers and manages their lending requests. He was hired on with the organization after having worked for them in the Summer of 2021 and part-time when he returned to finish his last year at the University of Guelph. “Every day is different,” Nolan says of the job, “and that’s what I like about it.” He’d like to get into some dairy accounts in the future, but for now, loves the fact that he gets to work in agriculture every day. “It’s kind of fun of seeing the end product; seeing people achieve their goals and being able to help them is very rewarding.”
Nolan took the four-year Agricultural Business program while he was at Guelph and graduated in the Spring of 2022, just before starting full-time at FCC. While at Guelph, Nolan was part of the College Royal for four years, acting as the Treasurer for the last two. He had a lot of fun during his time at school and made sure his time in class was broken up by the many social events university life has to offer: participating in Wednesday night pubs, joining a slew of intramural sports, and forming deep friendships with others in the Aggie cluster, several of which he already knew through showing. “Never underestimate the connections you make through 4-H,” he says to that end.
In addition to building lasting relationships, Nolan has some straightforward advice that has helped him achieve success over his 4-H career: “Wash your heifer, work with her, spend that time at home; that’s the biggest thing and it will eventually pay off. It’s hard, sometimes, to put in the time late at night or after you’ve worked all day, but you’re more apt to do it when it’s your own.”
