ISSUE 13 JULY 2018
K-STATE JUDGES AT SYNERGY
Schaake & Mullinix set to sort the west's biggest Junior showcase
&
Leading by Example – Bashaw's All Breeds Show initiates mentorship program Baby Beef – A look back at the beginning of the market beef shows in Calgary
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FEATURES
JULY 2018
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64
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Leading by Example Bashaw's All Breeds initiates mentorship program
Baby Beef A look back at the beginning of Junior market stock shows in Calgary
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K-State Judges Head to Synergy Catching up with Schaake & Mullinix about the west's biggest Junior showcase
22
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
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ISSUE 13 JULY 2018
On the Cover Maguire Blair shows his steer during the double-header SE Club Calf Cruze/Lord of the Ring weekend.
K-STATE JUDGES AT SYNERGY
Schaake & Mullinix set to sort the west's biggest Junior showcase
&
Leading by Example – Bashaw's All Breeds Show initiates mentorship program Baby Beef – A look back at the beginning of the market beef shows in Calgary
©© Cover photo by Top Stock
DEPARTMENTS 14 CONTRIBUTORS 31 SHOW RESULTS 74 UPCOMING EVENTS 76 ADVERTISERS INDEX
Above Cache McLerie's heifer in the final drive of the 2018 Bashaw Spring Round-up. © Top Stock Magazine
SHOW INDEX 31 32 33 34 35 36 38 40 41 42
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jeff Gaye has worked in an ice cream factory and two breweries, fought forest fires, served in the RCAF, and played in symphony orchestras. He has been writing about the beef industry since 2012, and is also the editor of CFB Cold Lake’s weekly newspaper
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Emily Ritchie Contributing Writer
Technology, she keeps busy working an volunteering throughout the beef industry. Piper Whelan is a writer and editor from Irricana, Alberta. Raised on her family’s Maine-Anjou ranch, she competed in junior shows and 4-H. After graduating from the University of Alberta, she studied at the University of King’s College School
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Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
leading example
WORDS BY EMILY RITCHIE
BY
B
ig things are in the works for the 2018 National Junior All-Breeds show this year. The Bashaw Agricultural Show Committee does a great job of supporting youth in the cattle industry, and they have just kicked things up a notch. In a recently announced partnership with MNP, the committee has launched the newly formed MNP Mentorship Program that will take place during the show, August 15-18 in Bashaw, Alberta. The program is aimed at supporting newcomers to the cattle show world by teaming them up with more experienced showmen during this year’s event. Dawn Wilson, a member of the committee, is thrilled about the new element this year. “We are very fortunate to be working with MNP on this new program. When we contacted Scott Dixon about the concept, he was very excited. Working with MNP is a really natural partnership for us.” MNP has given the show the ability to hire 5 mentors to support young cattlemen entered in the annual event. “The idea is to provide people during the show, who aren’t showing themselves, who are able to assist and teach the less experienced kids.” Wilson explains. Mentorship has become a large part of the cattle industry in recent years through many different programs. The newly developed MNP program however, takes things in a little different direction. Rather than providing mentors to a select group of hand picked individuals, MNP and the Bashaw Agricultural Show Committee are working to provide assistance to all of those who may be
Left Mentor Andie Hadway helps a youth with their fitting techniques at a 2017 Stock Show-U. © Top Stock
in need at the show. Identified with MNP logos, the group of 5 mentors will be on hand for the weekend to answer questions, provide critique and generally support the young showmen entered in the national event. The mentors have been carefully selected to be able to provide assistance to young cattlemen of all levels. “The mentors have all gone through or are just finishing the program here at the National Junior All-Breeds show.” Wilson explains. “They have the ability to help out the new people to the cattle showing world, as well as some of the more experienced kids at the show.” Since the list of mentors includes many friendly faces to the show cattle industry, they will be approachable and relatable to the young cattlemen competing, making it easier to ask for help! The 5 MNP mentors will be roving the show grounds, ready to offer help to anyone who needs it. The addition of the mentorship program is also a benefit to parents at the show. The mentors are able to take some of the stress off by making themselves available to help out where needed, allowing parents to enjoy themselves and take in more of the show as well. The mentors include familiar faces around the AllBreeds show. Each comes from an extensive background of cattle show experience and knowledge – Garrett Lundago, a Bashaw native who graduated high school in 2017, is now actively persuing a career in the cattle industry and will act as one of the mentors for the weekend. Garrett is a familar face at the fall shows where he is in constant demand as a custom fitter. Shallaine Daley, from the Carstairs area, started her show cattle
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
017
Left Top Mentor Ty Dietrich shows his family's Red Angus at the 2015 Farmfair in Edmonton, where they won Supreme Champion Bull. ©© Show Champions
Left Bottom Mentor Garrett Lundago shows a Champion at Olds Spring Classic. ©© Top Stock
Right Top Mentor Shallaine Daley competes at the 2018 Acme Steer show. ©© Christine Boake Photography
Right Bottom Mentor Laurie Morasch accepts the Supreme Female award for her Purebred Angus at the 2017 Summer Synergy. ©© ShowChampions
018
career with her her time in 4-H and her enthusiastic presence has continued on the jackpot circuit. At age 23, she has recently aged out of the Junior National All Breeds program. Ty Deitrich of Forestburg, AB has been a constant figure among the youth and 4-H cattle shows across Canada. Graduating from NAIT in 2015 with his Graphic Design Certificate has allowed him to persue a career servicing the cattle industry, while still being involved in his family’s cattle operation at Redrich Farms. Laurie Morasch is integral to the running of her family's Lazy MC Angus – A Purebred Red and Black Angus operation located east of Bassano, AB. Laurie travels with her family all over North America, showing cattle, which makes her an ideal mentor for young people taking their first steps into the show cattle world. Andie Hadway, a past Stock Show-U professor, rounds out the group. Andie hails from Didsbury, AB where she works along side her parents on Westway Farms.
up is available to assist any of the young showmen during the event, keeping the focus of the show on building skills in young producers through experience. Mentors will be on site to provide hands on help during show day, from the clipping and fitting process, all the way up to when the young showmen walk into the ring. The program is designed to build confidence in the less experienced competitors, while also expanding the knowledge of some of the more experienced ones as well.
The MNP Mentorship Program is ecstatic to be able to supply such a strong lineup of mentors to the young cattle producers entered in the Junior National AllBreeds show this year. The entire line
MNP has been a huge supporter of youth in agriculture in many ways, and the new MNP Mentorship Program is just another example. Their support is working to create a positive and inviting environment for new Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
entrants in the cattle show world, at the National Junior All-Breeds show. Along with all of the work put forth by the committee, MNP is helping to build the next generation of showmen, along with a new generation of mentors and supporters at the same time. Empowering young competitors to share their knowledge in an inviting and friendly setting, while encouraging those who are less experienced to seek out help and expand their horizons, is the perfect storm when it comes to building new leaders in the industry. If you are looking forward to the National Junior All-Breeds Show this year, make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the MNP t-shirts!
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WORDS BY JEFF GAYE
Schaake & Mullinix set to judge at Summer Synergy this July.
I
f exhibitors keep a book on the various judges they show under, what would “the book” say
about Scott Schaake and Chris Mullinix, two judges from Kansas State University who will be in Olds for the Summer Synergy show? Schaake, who coached the Kansas State Livestock Judging Team from 1992 to 2013, laughed when he heard the question. “Funny you say that, because I've actually seen one of those books,” he said. “And they actually track ‘this particular judge likes this or likes that.’” The book entry for Schaake is that he is “a fanatic
for structure.” He doesn’t describe himself as a fanatic, but Schaake says structure is important. “Back then I was doing a lot of steer shows, and of course in a market show you probably put a little more emphasis on muscle as the final product. But I still think structure is a reflection of all the animals in the population, not just the steers. So [the exhibitor] and I had a long discussion about that. Why do you think structure is so important in a steer? I said well, that steer has sisters somewhere around the counter too and they've got to look like a female.”
summer synergy K-STATE JUDGES AT
022
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
Schaake grew up on the farm his family still operates in eastern Kansas. “When we showed cattle I thought the guy judging was just pretty cool,” he said. Schaake started in livestock judging at the age of 10, and his parents encouraged him to get comfortable with public speaking—a key skill for a judge in the show ring.
"You win the show months ahead of it. It's all the preparation, all the work, everything you do at home...You don't win the day of the show."
“So it is kind of natural for me to be able to give oral reasons, just because I did a lot of speaking growing up when I was in 4H and FFA [Future Farmers of America],” he said.
As Kansas State’s coach, he led his teams to five consecutive national championships.
Schaake did well at livestock judging, and worked his way up in competition. He ended up on the Kansas State judging team that won the national
championship in 1983, and he placed as the high individual judge in the contest.
Mullinix is the current livestock judging coach and an instructor at Kansas State. He grew up on his family’s cattle operation in Maryland, and like Schaake, he caught the judging bug at an early age.
Left to Right Kandi, Scott & Shilo Schaake; and Shane & Melissa Schaake run a familyowned Simmental operation in the Kansas Flint Hills. ©© Legacy Livestock Photography
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
023
But the opportunities on the east coast don’t match what the Midwest has to offer.
to communicate with people and judge
“It's a big reason why I was drawn to Kansas State University to study as an undergraduate. The opportunity to follow my interests academically in animal sciences, but also a chance to be part of a collegiate judging team,” he said.
do that.
“So that's kind of how I got started into doing it, and I've had a lot of good fortune.” That good fortune includes following Schaake into the ranks of high individual judges at Nationals.
of people in your country would have had
The Animal Sciences program at Kansas State has been home to great teachers over the years. Schaake and Mullinix, who are both currently on the faculty, had the benefit of outstanding mentors.
generation.”
“Don Good would have been one of them,” Schaake recalls. “You know he judged about every show in the world and was just such a great leader. And another fellow by the name of Miles McKee. He was always a favourite judge of mine. I just loved going to shows and listening to Miles discuss the cattle on the microphone, and his ability
024
shows. It was just incredible how he could “Later on I was able to have him as an instructor in class, and he was just as exciting in the classroom. People like that get you excited about doing shows. Joe Lewis would be another one, I'm sure a lot Joe a time or two come up and judge shows in Canada. “And of course all of those but Miles are deceased, and it's time for the new Mullinix has another name from Kansas State. “Dr. Schaake is certainly a very important mentor,” he said. But Mullinix takes most of his inspiration from the producers in his family, starting with his parents. He also considers his younger brother Randy, who farms with his wife Jamie, an important influence. “I've made a career decision to be in education and to work with young people, and they have stayed in production,” he
Top Schaake is well-respected in the judging circles for his ability to communicate with even the youngest exhibitors.
Right Mullinix describes a class while sorting the market steers at the National Western Stock show.
©© Legacy Livestock Photography
©© ShowChampions Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
"Even if [young people] move on to other career fields, they will be positive spokesmen for agriculture."
said. “That's very valuable from a judging standpoint for me, but also for me to help educate young people. I have to stay in tune with what is happening every day in the industry, and he gives me that opportunity to do that.” For Mullinix and for Schaake, teaching and mentoring are a big part of keeping young people in agriculture. Judging, exhibiting and producing livestock instill a work ethic and a sense of responsibility that will serve them no matter what career path they choose, which is handy: there are few opportunities and few rewards in agriculture for those who don’t see it as a way of life. “They can make a whole lot more money and do a whole lot less work outside of agriculture,” Schaake said. “And for a lot of young people, to get involved in agriculture is tough—they have to either have a great banker, or be lucky at inheriting a big ranch or work their way into a family program.” But an education in agriculture pays dividends for the industry even if young people move on to other careers, Mullinix said. “Even if they choose other career fields, they will be positive spokesmen for agriculture. And we need that as much as we need good people in agriculture. “Obviously we need these young people going back into production and taking over these farms and ranches, and doing it even better in the next generation. But more importantly probably, and we're really seeing it now, we need people in other walks of life that appreciate agriculture,” he said. “And we're really at a turning point right now,
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
025
where so many consumers really don't know or understand where their food comes from.” Both men say it’s people, as much as product, that make the beef industry great. “I don't think there's any question about it,” Mullinix said. “The people that manage these farms and ranches and have done so for so many generations in their families, the passion that they have for what they do and the way that they go about it no matter how things change, no matter what obstacles we have at a given time. The people are our number one asset.” Schaake says ranching is a great way of life, and that’s what keeps people in the industry. “I see that even more so up there [in Canada], and particularly the Alberta region. You know when you look at livestock or cattle producers, it's just a great family business.” But Schaake also says that good food value 026
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
“My hope at the end of the day is not that you're happy that someone else maybe beat you or placed higher than you, but that you are satisfied with the explanation I gave." is a key strength of the industry. Beef is a protein of choice, he said, and the industry has a role feeding the world as inexpensively and efficiently as it can.
simple as a little old small county fair. I think the reason it's special to me is because that's where I started, so even the small shows are favourites of mine.”
“I think we're really pretty good at it,” he said. “If you look at our industry over just the last 20 years, how far we've come along not only in the genetics but our ability to feed cattle, they're efficient. We can do it fairly cheap.”
In the ring, Schaake says it’s the right combination of traits that will carry the day. In his experience—"whether it’s a dog show, a cattle show, hogs or whatever”— judges get into trouble when they single-trait select. “It's easy to do, but it really doesn't get us normally in the right direction,” he said.
The people in the industry make the judging life enjoyable for both Schaake and Mullinix. They have both travelled extensively, and they have both been judges at some of the biggest shows. But when pressed to name a favourite show, they have a hard time. The big shows in Denver, Colorado and Louisville, Kentucky come to mind for Mullinix, largely because of the high quality of the livestock. But it’s not the scale of an event that makes it enjoyable for him.
Top Left Mullinix gives a young exhibitor the slap during the 2018 Supreme Champion Heifer drive at the Houston Livestock show. ©© Show Champions
Top Right Schaake sorts through the Houston Livestock show market steers, a slick show known for its large entry numbers. ©© Show Champions
Bottom Left Mullinix (second from left) and Schaake (second from right) have lead their Kansas state team through many successful competitions. ©© Show Champions
“You know, those places pop in mind but there's people and acquaintances you make everywhere you go that make each place unique,” he said. “Lots of times at the small ones, the enjoyment comes from getting to really be engaged with the people that are there.” For Schaake, nothing beats a county fair. He started showing livestock at the county level, and eventually went on to state and national competition. While he was growing up, the family vacation was a week-long trip to the county fair. So for him, the best show is the one he’s at. “I would say this: I don't know that I've ever judged a show that I didn't say was a favourite show of mine,” he said. “I just enjoy them all. And even something as Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
So instead, a good judge will select for a balance of traits. “Structural correctness or soundness would be one of those at the top of the list. You know the breeding females need to look like females, they need to have some refinement,” he said. At the same time they also need to have some growth and size, some body and some ability to gain weight. “I mentioned earlier our industry's become really efficient. But that only happens if you get the right kind of animal, and we know that cattle have to have some body, some muscle, some frame so they can grow and be efficient and do it pretty cheaply.” Mullinix agrees. “The first and most important thing that I'm looking for is an animal that represents the kind of production traits that can be viable and effective in any breeding program, in any basic environment,” he said. His first criteria will be correctness of feet and leg structure, and the amount of natural body volume an animal has. “Those traits relate to their ability to go out and produce effectively and efficiently for a long period of time, so those basic production traits are going to rank at the top of my list,” Mullinix said. From there 027
he will evaluate secondary (“but very very important”) traits like balance or additional appeal in an animal. “Maybe some differences in growth rates or visual performance are going to play a role in my decision,” he said. “And then we get into things like sex characteristics. If I'm judging females, their femininity. If they're mature cows with calves beside, the quality of their udder is certainly something that is going to play a role in my decision.” For bulls, masculinity and tested testicular development will be factors. “But first and foremost I'm going to try to find those cattle that have the correctness of structure and the right kind of body volume to take on the role that they ultimately have to play in production,” Mullinix said. When it comes to advice for exhibitors on show day, Schaake is straightforward. “You know,” he said, “here's what I always told my boys: you win the show months ahead of it. It's all the preparation, all the work, everything you do at home. And then really in order to win the show, if you've done all your work at home, then you have to have that stroke of luck. And if all the stars line up then you do well. “You don't win the show the day of the show,” he said. “That advice may be geared as much toward juniors as anyone,” Mullinix adds. “That's probably especially true for juniors who have to learn that that day is a wonderful event. But if you're not prepared for show day then you're not going to have the success you want.” And according to Schaake, success in the ring isn’t the biggest prize. “Someday,” he says, ”that ribbon or that plaque or that trophy will really mean nothing to you. It's all of the other skills that you've gotten from showing livestock that are going to be lifelong skills.” Schaake has visited Canada several times. He is impressed by the animals he’s seen, but he especially appreciates the role that shows play in the Canadian beef industry. “The thing I like is that there's still a lot of
028
value in Canadian cattle shows. Breeders still make decisions based on results from shows. You know here in the United States, the shows are more of a social event, I would say. Whereas in Canada, I think there's still a lot of mating decisions and a lot of cattle that are sold and marketed via the show.” This summer’s trip, including Summer Synergy, will be Mullinix’s first time judging in Canada. “I'm really excited,” he said. “The opportunity to go your direction and judge some shows is something that has definitely been on my short list of things that I hope to do in my career. So I can't wait to get up there. “I expect it to be incredibly high quality. I can't wait. I do have an appreciation for those breeders over the years that have come to the States, and even some genetics that have
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
originated in Canada that have played such a huge role and in so many different breeds here in the United States.
So a Canadian exhibitor’s “book” on Mullinix will be blank, at least for now. What does he expect will be in it after the summer?
livestock, that generally means there's a large number of animals that you could justify being the overall winner of that given show. And you know no matter what, if you take the time and the effort to be at that show, if you've really worked hard, only one person can be the champion on that given day. That means there's going to be several that are disappointed. And I understand that. That's part of competition.
“I hope first of all it starts with the word consistent,” he said. “I really do feel like I have an ideal in my mind and I stay very consistent, very true to what I believe is the biggest priority in evaluating cattle.
“My hope at the end of the day is not that you're happy that someone else maybe beat you or placed higher than you, but that you are satisfied with the explanation I gave.
“I fully expect it to be an awesome experience.”
Top Left Schaake selects the Grand Champion steer for the 2014 Houston show.
“The second thing that I sure hope is in there is simply the word ‘fair.’ I don't care who owns the animal, how Top Right & Bottom many times it's won a previous show. I'm going to Mullinix sorts the evaluate what I see on that given day. ©© Show Champions
2013 Denver Steer Show. ©© Legacy Livestock Images (Top), Show Champions (bottom)
“And then the third thing that I take a lot of pride in is my ability as a communicator. I've found over the years that when you go to events that have outstanding
“So I would say if they see me as consistent, they think I'm fair in my evaluation, and they can understand why I made it based on the way I've communicated those thoughts, I'd be very happy if the book on Chris Mullinix included those three things.” Summer Synergy runs from July 9 to 13 at Olds Regional Exhibition.
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
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ust 10, 2018
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Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
SHOW RESULTS
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Grand Champion Heifer
Grand Champion Steer
Miss Rusylvia Elite, Taylor Pashulka
Devon Scott
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Grand Champion Heifer, Champion Angus Heifer
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Champion Shorthorn Female Hill Haven Verona Girl 2E Rylan Knupp
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Champion Commercial Female Blondie Cole Reid
Champion Charolais Female Elder's Revealing 92E Cassidi Elder
Champion AOB Female Anchor B Eva 26E Avery Bohrson
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
FEBRUARY 24-25, 2018 Âť REGINA, SK Judge: Chase Miller Photos: ShowChampions
Division One Champion Steer Keaton Kauffmann
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gmack MARCH 3 & 4, 2018 » LLOYDMINSTER, SK Judges – Junior: Hugh Ross Open: Jordan Buba Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Inc.
Champion Open Heifer & Champion Junior Heifer New Trend Elegance 10E, Jacey Massey
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Jacey Massey & Devon Scott
Champion Junior Steer
Reserve Open Heifer
Jenna Schmidt
Reserve Junior Steer Blayde Lehmann
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GCC Lovely Ann 934E, Boss Lake Genetics
Reserve Open Steer
Paige & Jaryn Lehmann
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Reserve Junior Heifer
HLC Hi Lite 965E, Riley Pashulka
little royal MARCH 10, 2018 » VERMILLION, AB Judges – Junior: Katie Sierenko & Brandon Hertz Open: Garth Rancier Photos: Lakeland College
Champion Junior Heifer
Miss Rusylvia Elite, Taylor Pashulka
Champion Junior Steer Cole Reid
Champion Open Heifer
Boss Lake Ms Munroe 729E, Boss Lake Genetics
Champion Open Steer, Reserve Junior Steer Cobi Quiring
Reserve Junior Heifer Blondie, Cole Reid
Reserve Open Heifer
HLC Hi Lite 965E, Riley Pashulka
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Reserve Open Steer Braydon Thompson
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Champion Simmental, Champion Purebred, & Supreme Champion Female
Champion Senior, Grand Champion Commercial Female
Reserve Simmental, Reserve Champion Purebred Female
Champion Senior, Reserve Champion Commercial Female
Champ Angus & Ch Red Angus Madison Sibbald
Champion Black Angus Female Kalsie Sibbald
Champion Hereford Female Luke Andrews
Champion AOB Female Kord Phillips
Res Angus & Res Red Angus Bailey Dietrich
Reserve Black Angus Female Garrett Liebreich
Reserve Hereford Female Kylee Dixon
Reserve AOB Female Taylor Pashulka
Jacey Massey
Cooper Brokenshire
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Levi Martin
Jacey Massey
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Grand Champion Steer, Champion Heavy Weight Steer Trinity Martin
Champion Light Weight Steer Kord Phillips
Reserve Champion Steer, Reserve Heavy Weight Steer Devon Scott
Champion Middle Weight Steer Blayde Lehmann
Reserve Champion Light Weight Steer Casie Brokenshire
cody sibbald legacy classic MARCH 17 & 18, 2018 » MEDICINE HAT, AB Judges: Dawn & Lee Wilson Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Inc.
Reserve Champion Middle Weight Steer Paige Lehmann Junior Res Commercial Female Cole Reid
Int. Commercial Female Riley Pashulka
Res Senior Commercial Female Hailey Sibbald
Reserve Int. Commercial Female Luke Webb Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Cody Sibbald Legacy Classic Spirit Award Heather LeBlanc 039
junior beef expo
Reserve Champion Market Animal Trey White
Grand Champion Market Animal Brad Regts
Third Overall Market Animal Reegan Sawyer
Fourth Overall Market Animal Ashley McConnell
Fifth Overall Market Animal Ashley McConnell
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Photos: Barn Girls Photography
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Champion Charolais Female Ashley McConnell
Champion Crossbred Female Brinley Miller
Champion Limousin Female Brinley Miller
Champion Maine-Anjou Female Jessica Miller
Reserve Charolais Female Dylan Black
Reserve Crossbred Female Ben Scott
Reserve Limousin Female Carolyn Darling
Reserve Maine-Anjou Female Shelby Higgins
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Champion Mainetainer Female Alex Coultes
Reserve Simmental Female Kade Earley
Champion % Simmental Female Jarret Scott
Champion Speckle Park Female Emily McNeil
Reserve Mainetainer Female Emily Duenk
Reserve Hereford Female Abby Murray
Reserve % Simmental Female Laura Scott
Reserve Speckle Park Female Addison Newman
Reserve Shorthorn Female Carsyn Byrne
Reserve Breeding Female, Champion Simmental Joey Miller
Third Overall Breeding Female, Res Angus Denver Bolton
Grand Champion Breeding Female, Champion Angus Female Hailie Conley
Fourth Overall Breeding Female, Ch Hereford Owen Elmhirst Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Fifth Overall Breeding Female, Ch Shorthorn Layton Chamberlain 041
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MARCH 30-31, 2018 Photos: Melissa McRae, Sadie Anwender
Champion Angus Heifer, Reserve Royal Lady Ponderosa 1418 Fay 178E, Justin Carvey Champion Hereford Heifer C Sull Harley Miles, John Hogberg
Champion Commercial Heifer MTF Legally Blonde, Kaitlyn Davey
Champion Simmental Heifer RJY Signature Lady 79E, Katie Falconer
Champion AOB Heifer RCN Eye Candy, Jules Smyth
Champion Market Steer Contagious Steer, Tracy Wood
Champion Boys & Girls Market Steer Emily Speers
Champion Shorthorn Heifer Hatfield Baroness 3E, Nolan Vandersluis
Champion Prospect Steer Fu Man Chu Steer, Claire Lavallee
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Reserve Angus Heifer, Champion Royal Lady J Square S Ellen 715E, Nolan Glover
Reserve Hereford Heifer Churchill JR Lady 786E Madison Petracek
Reserve Comm Heifer Ellie Grace Glover
Reserve Shorthorn ST Betsy 14E Rylee Paterson
Res Simmental Heifer RJY Pocahontas Cody Carson
Reserve Prospect Steer Angus x Charolais Grace Glover
Reserve Market Steer Black Angus x Club Calf Cade Rutten
Reserve Boys & Girls Market Steer Kaitlyn Davey
Reserve AOB Heifer McCaw Pandora 4E Madison Petracek
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
APRIL 4, 2018 » CLARESHOLM, AB
chinook junior stock show
Judge: Zane Baragree Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Inc.
Grand Champion Steer
Reserve Champion Steer
Grand Champion Purebred Heifer
Reserve Champion Purebred Heifer
Grand Champion Commercial Heifer
Reserve Champion Commercial Heifer
Devon Scott
Jacey Massey
Jacey Massey
Jacey Massey
Angus Banks
Travis Edwards
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
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Grand Champion Steer (Round A)
Grand Champion Heifer
Reserve Champion Steer (Round A)
Reserve Champion Heifer
Trinity Martin
Jacey Massey
Kord Phillips
Taylor Pashulka
making champions APRIL 8, 2018 » RIMBEY, AB Photos: Jenna Lingley
Third Overall Steer (Round B) Cole Reid
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Champion Steer (Round B) Kord Phillips
Reserve Steer (Round B) Devon Scott
Fourth Overall Steer (Round B) Trinity Martin
Fifth Overall Steer (Round B) Jacey Massey
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Grand Champion Heifer
Grand Champion Steer
Wyatt Cuthbertson
Layne Cuthbertson
prospect 2000 APRIL 8, 2018 » KAMLOOPS, BC Judges: Riley Chalack Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
Reserve Champion Heifer Paige Thompson
Reserve Champion Steer Jake Smith
saskatoon jr beef expo APRIL 8, 2018 » SASKATOON, SK Judges: Cam Sparrow Photos: Prairieland Park
Reserve Champion Heifer Alexandra Johnson
Grand Champion Heifer Owen Willms
Reserve Champion Steer Courtney Hanson
Grand Champion Steer Colt Blacklock
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
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APRIL 13-15, 2018 » HAMBURG, NY Judge: Parker Henley
Reserve Supreme Female, Champion Angus Female BNWZ/SWNY Rosebud 7255, Clay Howe
APRIL 21, 2018 » OLDS, AB Judge: Jared Jackson Photos: Prime Cut Publishing
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empire state beef classic
Reserve Light Weight Steer, Third Overall Steer Reegan Sawyer
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Champion Angus Female Jacey Massey
Champion Charolais Female Evan Jameson
Champion Hereford Female Kord Phillips
Champion Maine-Anjou Female Taylor Pashulka
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Reserve Charolais Female Aubrey Fraser
Reserve Hereford Female Hailey Sibbald
Reserve Maine-Anjou Female Julie Sharp
Reserve Red Angus Heifer Tavianne Yoder
Reserve Simmental Female Casie Brokenshire
Champion Shorthorn Female Delanie Knull
Reserve Shorthorn Female Sadie Anwender
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Grand Champion Heifer, Champion Simmental New Trend Elegance 10E, Jacey Massey
Champion Charolais Steer Kord Phillips
Grand Champion Steer, Champion Maine Steer Cobi Quiring
Reserve Champion Heifer, Champ Red Angus Brynne Yoder
Reserve Champion Steer, Champ Simmental Devin Scott, Jacey Massey
Reserve Charolais Steer Evan Jameson
Champion Angus Steer Tyler McMurray
Champion AOB Steer Spencer Mcmillin
Champion Hereford Steer Shelby Bygrove
Champion Limousin Female Tait Ackerman
Reserve Angus Steer Devyn Richards
Reserve AOB Steer Abbegayle Brady
Champion Shorthorn Steer Jacey Massey
Reserve Limousin Female Jaydon Ackerman
Reserve Maine Steer Casie Brokenshire
Reserve Simmental Steer Tessa Brokenshire
Reserve Shorthorn Steer Elizabeth Brady
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
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Grand Champion Open Heifer (Junior Div)
Grand Champion Open Steer (Light Weight Div)
Grand Champion Youth Heifer (Junior Div)
Grand Champion Youth Steer (Heavy Weight Div)
New Trend Elegance 10E, Jacey Massey
Merit Socialite 7163E, Garrett Liebreich
Cobi Quiring
Trinity Martin
olds spring classic APRIL 22, 2018 » OLDS, AB Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
Reserve Champion Open Heifer (Junior Div) GCC Lovely Ann 935E, Boss Lake Genetics
Reserve Champion Youth Heifer (Junior Div) New Trend Jewel's Dream 14E, Jacey Massey 050
Reserve Champion Open Steer (Heavy Div) Devon Scott / Jacey Massey Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Reserve Champion Youth Steer (Light Div) Jacey Massey
Champion Senior Youth Heifer Four Mac Echo, Kathryn Dolliver
Champion Open Senior Yearling, Res Senior Youth Heifer Merit Jilt 7060E, Carson Liebreich
Reserve Light Weight Open Steer, Reserve Light Weight Youth Steer Devyn Richards
Reserve Open Senior Yearling LSF Miley 8Z 23E, Lucky Springs Farms
Reserve Heavy Weight Open Steer Shelby Bygrove
Reserve Heavy Weight Youth Steer Tay Miller
Grand Champion Heifer
Grand Champion Steer
Dallas Grona
Ava Timm
weldon steer & heifer show MAY 5, 2018 » WELDON, SK Judge: Virginia Peters Photos: Colleen and Myles Hansen
Reserve Champion Heifer Colt Blacklock
Reserve Champion Steer Kylee Hansen
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
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Champion Open Heifer Jacey Massey
Champion Open Steer Trinity Martin
Champion Junior Steer Devon Scott
Champion Junior Commercial Heifer Jacey Massey
Champion Junior Purebred Heifer Jill McLerie
Champion PeeWee Heifer Indy Fowler
Reserve Open Heifer Levi Martin
Reserve Open Steer Kade Rancier Champion PeeWee Steer Kade Rancier
bashaw spring round-up Reserve Junior Steer Ashlyn Chessall
Reserve Jr Commercial Heifer Cache McLerie
APRIL 28, 2018 » BASHAW, AB Judges | Open: Greg Pugh Junior: Darrell & Leila Hickman Photos: Top Stock
Reserve Junior Purebred Heifer Evan Patriquin 052
Reserve PeeWee Heifer Reed Howell
Reserve PeeWee Steer Arynn Rodgers
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Reserve Champion Steer, Res Overall & Reserve Senior Showmanship Jean Macaulay
Grand Champion Steer, Int. Showmanship, Res Int. Fitting Hailey Martin
Reserve Champion Heifer Jenna Neilson
island spring beef show Grand Champion Heifer, Junior Fitting, Junior Showmanship Peyton Haslam
Res JR Showmanship Paisley Kovacs
MAY 4-5, 2018 » VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC Judge: Chad Oates Photos: Erin Campbell
1st Year Showmanship Jordan Etele
Int. Fitting & Res Int. Showmanship Layla Dorko
Hon. Mention Steer Peyton Haslam
Res Junior Fitting Jackson Phillips
Res 1st Year Showman Jack Walker
SR & Overall Showman Matt Moore
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Hon. Mention Heifer Victoria Kovacs 053
youth forum
Reserve Champion Female, Champion Hereford Female
Grand Champion Female, Champion Angus Female
Champion Charolais Heifer
Champion Maine Anjou Heifer
Champion Limousin Heifer
Reserve Charolais Heifer
Reserve Maine Anjou Heifer
Reserve Limousin Heifer
Reserve Angus Heifer
Reserve Hereford Heifer
Champion Crossbred Heifer
Katie Elmhirst
Katie Elmhirst
Jackie Wismer
Owen Elmhirst
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Hailie Conley
Morgan MacLachlan
Logan Sisson
Abby Debus
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Paul Twiss
Carolyn Darling
Grace Kuhl
APRIL 28-29, 2018 Âť LINDSAY, ON Photos : Barn Girls Photography
Grand Champion Market Animal, Champion Light Weight Market Steer Ashley McConnell
Reserve Champion Market Animal, Champion Heavy Weight Market Steer Chris Hargrave
Champion Simmental Female
Champion Market Heifer
Reserve Light Weight Market Steer
Reserve Simmental Female
Reserve Market Heifer
Reserve Heavy Weight Market Steer
Reserve Crossbred Heifer
Champion Shorthorn Heifer
Reserve Shorthorn Heifer
Ashley McConnell
Abby Debus
Brad Regts
Ashley McConnell
Jordan Phillips
Maurice Verstraete
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Reegan Sawyer
Trey White
Jacob Bott
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mukk boots or mittens MAY 5, 2018 » WEBB, SK Judge: Matt Cridle Photos: Mukk Boots or Mittens Committee
Grand Champion Heifer Sophia, Hailey Sibbald
Reserve Champion Heifer
Gold-Bar Elba 116E, Hillary Sauder
Reserve Champion Steer
Grand Champion Steer
Hillary Sauder
Tyson Buist
paul delong memorial jackpot APRIL 22, 2018 » DAVIDSBURG, MI
3rd Overall and Champion Crossbred BNWZ/SWNY Rosebud 7255, Clay Howe
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
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Grand Champion Steer
Grand Champion Female
Tess Brokenshire
Carson Liebreich
se club calf cruze MAY 12, 2018 » WEYBURN, SK Judges: Tyson Hertz Photos: Top Stock
Reserve Champion Steer
Reserve Champion Heifer
Champion Herford Heifer
Champion Crossbred Heifer
Champion Charolais Heifer
Champion AOB Heifer
Champion Maine Heifer
Champion Simmental Steer
Eric Fettes
Kylee Dixon
Luke Webb 058
Justin Carvey
Heather Le Blanc
Waylon Blacklock
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Jorja Beck
Casie Brokenshire
Reserve Champion Steer, Champion Crossbred Steer Maguire Blair
Grand Champion Steer, Champion AOB Steer Tess Brokenshire
Reserve Champion Heifer, Champion Simmental Casie Brokenshire
Grand Champion Heifer, Champion Angus Female Justin Carvey
lord of the ring MAY 13, 2018 » ESTEVAN, SK Judges: Allan Hjertaas Photos: Top Stock
Champion Angus Steer Baxter Blair
Champion Charolais Steer Nolan Glover
Champion Hereford Steer Kalen Dunn
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Champion Maine Influence Steer Zane Short
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ufa country classic MAY 27, 2018 » JOSEPHBURG, AB Judges – Open: Owen Leegarden Junior: Leah Allen Photos: Christine Boake
Open Champion Steer
Jacey Massey, Devon Scott
Open Reserve Steer Trinity Martin
Youth Champion Steer Jacey Massey
Youth Reserve Steer Kord Phillips
Open Champion Heifer Levi Martin
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Open Reserve Heifer Boss Lake Genetics
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Youth Reserve Champion Female Wyatt Bradford
Youth Grand Champion Female Thomas Wildman
Reserve Champion Steer Elle Groeneveld
Grand Champion Steer Clara Blatz
4-h on parade JUNE 3-5, 2018 Âť CALGARY, AB Photos: James Hudyma
Champion Purebred Female Elle Groeneveld
Reserve Purebred Female Shae-Lynn Beattie
Champion Commercial Female Brannon Piepke
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Reserve Commercial Female Tyler McMurray
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bruno lion's steer show JUNE 6, 2018 » BRUNO, SK Photos: Bruno Lion's Show Committee
Grand Champion Steer Ava Timm
Reserve Champion Steer Courtney Hansen
Grand Champion Heifer Alex Johnson
Reserve Champion Heifer Justin Harcourt
4-h expo JUNE 2-4, 2018 » LLOYDMINSTER, SK Judge: Justin Morrison (Steers) Chase Miller (Females) Photos: Grant Rolston Photography Ltd.
Grand Champion Steer Shelby Bygrove
Reserve Champion Steer Paige Lehmann
Grand Champion Heifer Jaxon Payne 062
Reserve Champion Heifer Shay Hunt-Sissons Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Reserve Champion Steer Devon Scott / Jacey Massey
Grand Champion Steer Landon Schutz
heartland classic JUNE 9, 2018 Âť STETTLER, AB Photos: Christine Boake
Grand Champion Commercial Heifer Jacey Massey
Reserve Champion Commercial Heifer Cache McLerie
Reserve Champion Purebred Heifer Halley Adams
Grand Champion Purebred Heifer Kathryn Dolliver
Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
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acme jackpot JUNE 16, 2018 » ACME, AB Photos: Christine Boake
Grand Champion Steer, Champion AOB Steer Devon Scott / Jacey Massey
Reserve Champion Steer Landon Schutz
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Top Stock Magazine / Show Results
Photo Leta Boake with her first prize winner in the Boys & Girls Baby Beef Competition at the 1945 Calgary Spring Stock Show. ŠŠ Leta Wise
lookin One writer explores the first junior beef program held at the Calgary Stampede grounds through her family's stories.
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Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
ng back baby beef WORDS BY PIPER WHELAN
AT THE ENDURING LEGACY OF
T
he thing that stood out most of all to Leta Wise was the size of the barn at the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Grounds.
“What I see is a very big barn, huge compared to everything else,” she recalls. “I was just this little scrubby kid flying inside of this big barn.” Inside, the aisles were filled with bulls, while steers and nurse cows were stalled in the part of the barn usually designated for horses. “The nurse cows would be tied up in the old horse barns, and they put a chain around their neck,” she says. “You just let your calf out of there and nurse … then you put its feed in there, and you could brush it some more.” In March 1945, Calgary was growing, no longer a little cowtown in the valley where the Bow and Elbow Rivers meet. Young people dreaming of a future in the cattle industry did not have as many opportunities to exhibit livestock as today’s juniors. And Wise, who was then Leta Boake of Acme, Alberta, was 12 years old and attending the Calgary Bull Sale for the first time. In fact, this was the first time she ever visited the city. Her father, E.J.C. Boake, had been selling purebred Shorthorn bulls from his Downsview Farm herd at the Calgary Bull Sale since 1920, winning the Champion Shorthorn Bull title numerous times. When Wise got to come along to the sale with her father and older brother in 1945, she brought her own Shorthorn calf to exhibit in the Calgary Bull Sale’s youth event, the Baby Beef Competition.
All Trails Lead to Calgary Before the first Calgary Stampede ever took place, the new Calgary Exhibition Grounds at Victoria Park boasted fresh, pristine barns and a grandstand in the first years of the 20th century. With the exception of a few trees growing along the banks of the Elbow River, the land was mostly clear. This location would undergo myriad changes throughout the next century, becoming a place where generations of beef producers would flock to showcase the best cattle in what would soon become southern Alberta. Much as it is today, Calgary was the centre of the region’s beef industry in 1901. With this in mind, the Territorial Purebred Cattle
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
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“During the late forties fad of small, blocky cattle, photographer Ed Saxton (Montana) used to dig a hole in the racetrack, then fill it with straw and stand the bull in that for his photo. Perhaps some of those cattle weren't as short and "legless" as they appeared." Breeders Association (TPCBA) held the first Calgary Bull Sale in April of that year, at a stable on Stephen Avenue in what is now downtown Calgary. The TPCBA was established to “promote the development and improvement of purebred cattle in Western Canada,” writes JoAnn JonesHole in her history, Calgary Bull Sale, 1901-2000. Calgary was the ideal setting for the TPCBA’s first sale of purebred bulls, she continues, “because the thriving young town was central to the main ranching areas as well as to the purebred breeders. It was on the main CPR line, there was hotel accommodation for people and enough stabling for the animals.” After the first year, the TPCBA decided to hold the sale annually at the Calgary Exhibition Grounds. When Alberta and Saskatchewan joined Confederation in 1905, the TPCBA changed its name to the Alberta Cattle Breeders Association (ACBA). “By 1905 the Calgary Bull Sale had gained the distinction of being the largest individual purebred cattle consignment sale in the world,” writes Jones-Hole. It was also in this year that the event introduced a new component: the Fat Stock Show, which was held during Calgary’s annual Livestock Convention Week and was comprised of beef, sheep, poultry, swine and carload divisions. With the success of the Fat Stock Show’s beef division, the Calgary Bull Sale introduced the Baby Beef Competition in 1917, giving youth under the age of 21 the opportunity to exhibit 068
a market animal. Many young competitors were the children of breeders who sold bulls at Calgary. Steers and market heifers were shown in three breed divisions—Shorthorn, Angus and Hereford—and breed champions then vied for the honour of being named the Grand Champion Baby Beef Animal. The grand and reserve champions would then compete against the champions of the Fat Stock Show for the Champion Market Animal title.
The prize for winning the Baby Beef Competition signifies just how prestigious this show was, and as a result was highly sought after. D.E. Black, a well-known jeweller and Calgary businessman, donated a shield to be presented to the first champion of the Baby Beef Show in 1917. The hope of having your name engraved on the D.E. Black Shield provided the motivation that would spur on juniors for the next 57 years.
March 1945: In the Shadow of the Big Barn Although the 1945 Baby Beef Competition was Wise’s first show-ring experience, working with cattle came easily to her, and there were many opportunities to develop her skills at her family’s operation. “There was always a big show string every summer that went out on the circuit … The whole show string would be led every night. Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
After supper, everyone had to go out and lead something. They needed to be led up the road and back,” she explains. “I was involved with that, and I was always in the barn, if I wasn’t on a horse. I was always doing something with the cattle.” Though two of her older brothers exhibited Baby Beef steers, Wise didn’t necessarily
expect to do the same. “You never asked. Somebody said, ‘you can show this,’” she says. At this time, 4-H didn’t have the local presence that it would later. Even as 4-H grew in prominence and more clubs were established in the next decades, some families continued to focus on raising and showing Baby Beef calves, often coming from far beyond the Calgary area to compete. Wise’s older brother helped her to get her steer ready for the show. “He clipped them with hand shears, which would have been done at home, too,” she says. Blowers had yet to be invented, so every animal had to be dried by brushing. While Bull Sale was held in winter, with some of the years that she competed there being extremely cold, she notes that the barns were usually warm. In the late 1940s, the beef cattle portion of the Fat Stock Show was moved to March and was no longer held in conjunction with Livestock Convention Week, as Bull Sale was a now separate entity. In the Fat Stock Show, prize money was paid out to ninth place in each of the three weight classes, and a Fat Stock or Baby Beef animal could sell for as much as $300 in the 1950s. The majority of the calves exhibited in both market competitions were purebred
animals. Calves were generally spring calves, some not yet yearlings, and Wise recalls some being on nurse cows. The animals shown in the Fat Stock competition were usually two-year-olds, as were the bulls sold at this event. Wise remembers a responsibility afforded to her at the show that children may not experience today. For example, one might not let their 12-year-old find their way to a hotel in the downtown core of a city she’d never visited before. For her first Bull Sale, Wise stayed at the St. Regis Hotel in downtown Calgary, in her own room with her father staying in the adjoining room. This hotel advertised itself as the “headquarters for stockmen” and charged $2 per night for a room with a bath. Other exhibitors stayed at downtown hotels like the York Hotel, the King Edward and the Palliser Hotel. Though she didn’t know the downtown area at all, she had to find her way from the St. Regis to the nearby Palliser to attend the prestigious Calgary Bull Sale banquet that year. “That hotel was something else, and the place was just packed with cattlemen and a few kids,” she recalls. After being at the barns for the day, her father took her back to their hotel so she could
Top Baby Beef Exhibitors from 1949 gather in front of the administration buildings, along with the Champion Angus, Champion Shorthorn, and Champion Hereford Steers. ©© Leta Wise
Bottom Helen Yule presenting the trophy for the Grand Champion Market animal in 1973. ©© Jones-Hole: Calgary Bull Sale 1901-2000. Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
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get ready for the banquet, and then let her walk to the banquet all by herself. “So here I’m running up the street—you’ve got to get over there—and I hardly know how the hell to get there. Anyway, I stepped in a puddle and soiled my stockings, so I had to turn around and run back and change them,” she continues. “You had to go to the counter and get your key and go upstairs, and then I went back over.” Wise’s determination, as illustrated here, and her love of raising cattle only increased as she grew up. She went on to compete in the Baby Beef Competition many times, with a number of successes throughout the years. In 1947, Wise exhibited the Reserve Champion Baby Beef animal with a Shorthorn steer, and in 1949, she won the Grand Champion title with her Champion Shorthorn steer, and had her name engraved on the D.E. Black Shield for this honour. “It always amazed me, how these were made,” she says of the Shield. “The trophies were always so beautiful then.” Decades later, Wise remains humble about her early show ring achievements, and speaks of them in a matter-of-fact way. “You know, I never thought I was better than anyone (for winning at this event). When you went back to school, because you were gone for a week, I don’t know if anyone asked about it,” she notes. “I don’t think I would have mentioned it.”
March 1970: Making History Wise went on to become a respected cattlewoman, establishing a well-known herd of purebred Shorthorns under the Boa-Kae Ranch name with her late husband, R.B. Wise, before they began raising purebred Maine-Anjou cattle. They exhibited a number of Shorthorn champions at the Calgary Bull Sale during the 1960s, and it was no surprise that their eldest daughter, Debra, would also excel in the Baby Beef Competition. Debra Rest, like her mother, found the barns and the Pavilion to be larger than life. “I remember thinking how big the Pavilion show ring was, and everybody’s in
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Photo The D.E. Black Shield, presented to the exhibitor of the Grand Champion Steer. ©© Leta Wise
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
“After 57 years, the Fat Stock Show and Baby Beef Competition was suspended in 1975 – the unspoken reason likely being that "fat" had become a word cattle producers did not want connected in any way with the word "beef".
the stands and standing around the ring,” says Rest. “Now when I go there, when you’re there as an adult, you’re thinking, ‘this is pretty tiny.’” She can see herself on the halter, waiting to enter the Pavilion with her steer, in the tunnel-like entrance to the old show ring. “I remember that, standing outside there getting ready to go in, and then you go in through the tunnel and the gate,” she recalls. Rest started competing in this event in the mid-1960s, and cattle shows had evolved in some ways in the 20 years since her mother competed. While there were still no blowers to dry animals at this time, Rest notes that saddle soap was used to fit a calf’s legs. “You basically washed them, you brushed them, you did their legs a little bit and fluffed their tail, and in you went,” she explains. The event continued to be a prestigious program, and there were many prizes put up for the young exhibitors. For several years, Roy Ballhorn, a prominent Angus breeder and one of the Bull Sale organizers, donated wallets to be given to the two youngest competitors in each breed category. Rest was one of these lucky exhibitors in the first year that she competed in the Baby Beef competition. “I still have mine,” she notes. When Rest won the Grand Champion Baby Beef title in 1970, accepting the D.E. Black Shield was even more meaningful because her mother had won it, too. She made history that day, as she and her mother
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
remain the only mother and daughter to have both won the Grand Champion Baby Beef title. “All the trophies that were at Bull Sale, of all the champions, they were so prestigious,” she recalls. “The Shield was so unique, being round like that with the animal’s head in the middle. When you look at it (you thought), ‘Oh, if I could just win that!’” The moment was made even more special because her uncle, Bill Boake, also a wellknown Shorthorn breeder, presented her with the Shield, and this year her parents were competing at the International Shorthorn Show in Brandon, Manitoba, so the 15-year-old had to take care of things on her own. Although the Baby Beef exhibitors had to be 21 or younger, she remembers feeling very young compared to some of the oldest competitors. “It was pretty cool for me. I was only 15, and there were a lot of older showmen in the ring with their calves,” she says. “It was an honour to do it, to come out of that ring.” Afterwards, Rest and her steer were then able to compete against the Champion and Reserve Fat Stock animals, and won Reserve Champion Market Animal of the 1970 Calgary Bull Sale. “To go up against them, it’s kind of ominous, because you’re this little kid in this ring, and here’s this big steer and this big guy,” she remembers. Rest would be one of the last Baby Beef Champions, as the era of this competition would soon draw to a close.
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A Welcoming Place From the beginning of the Baby Beef Competition, female exhibitors were well-represented, and the number of young women listed on the D.E. Black shield reflects what a valuable opportunity this program was for girls to achieve excellence in the cattle industry in decades when young women weren’t always given the chance to prove themselves in other fields. To Wise, this didn’t seem unusual, as she always felt she had a place in this world. “It was just like anything else,” she says. “I was always at the barns.” She also describes the young women who won the show in its first decades as being particularly mature. “They’d come with their fathers’ bulls, for instance. I’d say that’s how most of those girls came,” she says, adding that she even remembers a girl coming all the way from Brandon, MB, to compete. “It was a privilege to enter this, and it was pretty big to come to Calgary.” “If you were there, everybody worked just as hard, shoulder to shoulder,” Rest adds. “Everybody did chores, everybody got the cattle ready, it was all the same. There was no, ‘you’re a girl, so you can’t do that’ … It was your animal, and you were expected to be part of everything that was going on. But we were raised that way here, too.” Wise feels that the organizers of the Baby Beef show made all the exhibitors feel welcome, and there was a high level of professionalism involved. She remembers cattlemen such as Roy Ballhorn and Frank Collicut, who helped to put on the Calgary Bull Sale, as gentlemen. “They were businessmen. They always had a suit on.” Charlie Yule, who played a major role in running the Calgary Bull Sale, was the organizer who stands out the most to her. “To me, he always was special. Always a gentleman,” she says. “Not everybody was like him.” Originally from Manitoba, Yule came west in 1913 and raised purebred Shorthorns at Carstairs, AB. After selling bulls at the Calgary Bull Sale for a number of years and judging cattle shows throughout North
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Top Leta shows in 1952, when the presence of Foot and Mouth moved the steer show to the stockyards.
Bottom Left Leta's Champion Shorthorn and Reserve Champion Baby Beef steer in 1947.
Bottom Right Leta with her brother Ken (left) and their steers in 1946.
©© Leta Wise
©© Leta Wise
©© Leta Wise
America and the United Kingdom, Yule became involved in the organization of the show, first through his role on the ACBA executive. From 1937 to 1940, he served as president of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, and then became the Stampede’s general manager from 1940 to 1951, and is remembered as first-rate promoter of Alberta beef genetics. Wise got to know Yule through the show and her involvement with the Shorthorn breed, and remembers going for dinner at the Yule home with her parents one year during Bull Sale. In 1959, the J. Charles Yule trophy was first presented in his memory to the Grand Champion Fat Animal of the Calgary Bull Sale. Numerous others sponsored prizes for the Baby Beef Competition, making this a worthy payday for the young exhibitors. The Shorthorn, Angus and Hereford breed associations provided cash prizes, and breeders sponsored special prize money awards. The Royal Bank of Canada awarded a five-dollar cash prize to each of the youngest exhibitors in each breed category, and also sponsored a prize for “the
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
two most outstanding black calves” in the show, consisting of a show halter, show stick and watch. There was also a cash prize for the top 10 Angus calves, and in the 1950s, Canada Safeway sponsored a special dinner for all of the competitors at the Palliser Hotel.
Fading into History Though the Calgary Bull Sale is still held annually, both the Baby Beef Competition and the Fat Stock Show ended after 1974. Entries had decreased in the early 1970s, and Jones-Hole writes that by the early 1970s, more young people had access to local 4-H clubs, and there were more steer shows that attracted juniors’ attention away from this event. As well, she notes that the ACBA’s mandate “to promote and improve pure breeds of cattle” clashed with the latest changes to the beef industry, as crosses of European and British breeds ushered in a new era for the show ring. The D.E. Black Shield remained on display at the ACBA office until it was brought out of retirement in 1988 for a new purpose. The winner of the Senior Aggregate award at the Calgary Stampede’s International
Youth Livestock Show had their name added to this prestigious award for several years; today, this honour is given to the Senior Aggregate Champion of Summer Synergy, the current junior livestock competition tied to the Calgary Stampede. It was at the International Youth Livestock Show, more than a decade ago, that I first saw the D.E. Black Shield. This beautiful perpetual trophy speaks to another time, another era of livestock exhibitions. The names inscribed on the shield echo the roots of southern Alberta’s ranching heritage, with past champions going on to become respected cattlemen, or having careers related to agriculture. Some may have stepped away from beef production altogether, but never forgot the feeling of rising above the competition at a prestigious steer show.
August 2017: The Sunny Slopes of Long Ago In my grandmother’s living room, I examine old photos and newspaper clippings. Black and white photos, taken outside at the Stampede grounds, of a girl and her show steers over the years. The steers, all Shorthorn, built in the shorter, square frame favoured in the late 1940s and ‘50s. The girl, slight, with short curly hair, glasses and a determined gaze that didn’t change as she grew up. The oldest photo shows the girl and her steer at the 1945 Calgary Bull Sale. “It was taken on the racetrack, and this was one side of the barn,” my grandmother, Leta Wise, explains, adding that this was before there was a high fence around the track. Another photo, this time in a
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newspaper clipping, shows her and one of her younger brothers, proudly displaying their steers together. The last photo shows her at 19, looking mature and determined, now setting her sights beyond the Baby Beef Competition, with her steer for the Fat Stock Show in a different location than the other photos. “That was in 1952, when Foot and Mouth Disease was around,” she tells me. “The bulls were alright at the Bull Sale in that area, but the steers had to go to the stockyards and be shown there.” There’s one photo that’s always stood out to me—the Baby Beef exhibitor photo from 1949. Each year, the competitors posed for a group photo in front of the old Calgary Stampede Administration Building. The boys and girls line up on the steps, while the exhibitors of the three breed champions stand in front with their winning animals. In this particular photo, Wise is in the centre with her Shorthorn steer, the Champion Baby Beef Animal. “Look at this,” she indicates to the photo. “That was cold. I think it was about 20 below.” She isn’t wearing gloves for the photo, but her free hand is curled tightly into a fist. You can see the steam coming from the steers’ noses, and many of the kids are bundled up. Wise and a few other exhibitors are wearing special Shorthorn sweaters, and some of the Angus exhibitors, she tells me, are wearing white collared shirts with black ties. At the halter of the Champion Angus Steer is Michael Boyce, who died of polio later that year, Wise explains. The next year, the Michael Boyce Memorial Trophy was given out to the Champion Showman in his memory, and was awarded each year until 1973. Today, the Intermediate Aggregate Champion of Summer Synergy has their name engraved on this trophy. Wise tells me that the exhibitors of the breed champions had their prize money doubled if they fed their calves Quaker Ful-o-Pep ration. “I made a few bucks there,” she adds. What she’s not saying is that she used that money to help build the barn that now stands at our home, and this reminds me of the scholarships I received from the International Youth Livestock program. Junior shows, it seems, have helped to set young people on their career paths for a lot longer than some may realize. This is what I see in these photos from another time, with older-styled cattle and an exhibition ground that has changed so much: the juniors are so familiar. They are just like the young people I competed with in junior shows. There’s an eagerness, a hope and a determination in them that doesn’t belong to any particular decade. And while this story has a personal connection for me, it shows a common link—of where we came from, and the moments that allow us to be at our best, something all the more valuable when we’re young. 074
Top Stock Magazine / Summer 2018
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4
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