A Junior's Point of View – Wyatt & Leighton Dyck

Written by Tessa Verbeek. Photos by Jill Renton with CattleVids or supplied by the Dyck family.

From a young age, Wyatt and Leighton Dyck have been immersed in the Limousin breed. The Dyck family first began raising purebred Limousin cattle in 1984 with the purchase of one bred heifer. Over the years the family has gradually expanded their purebred herd, Short Grass Limousin, on their land base near Swift Current, Sask. They now breed 180 cows with half of those being registered Limousin.

The length and muscle that the Limousin breed possesses are just a couple of the favourable characteristics that drew the Dyck family to the Limousin breed.

Wyatt and Leighton Dyck at the CJLA Impact show in 2019.

Photo by Jill Renton with CattleVids.

“Limousin bulls bring muscle and length of body to the commercial industry, which is something that many breeds do not have,” Wyatt says, “The length and muscle of the Limousin breed are two things we have seen prove themselves time and time again to be very beneficial to our commercial herd and to the herds of our bull buyers.”

Moreover, when it comes to profits, the Limousin breed is unmatched in Wyatt and Leighton’s eyes.

“When it comes to adding pounds to cattle, the Limousin breed is one of the most efficient breeds of cattle to feed,” says Leighton, “It is another huge factor why commercial cattlemen love Limousin bulls and why so many commercial guys are switching from smaller breeds to powerful breeds that add pounds to their calves because in the commercial industry pounds equals money.”

The added pounds coupled with the typical calving ease of Limousin bulls makes them an easy choice for improving your bottom line, without compromising calving ease and calf vigour.

“From our own perspective it gives us an appreciation and passion for the Limousin breed when we can look at our commercial herd and instantly tell that a calf has Limousin influence within its background. Whether it’s adding muscle traits or simply adding growth, we believe that the Limousin breed can benefit anyone’s herd in some shape or form,” Wyatt and Leighton go on to say, “We are not saying that the Limousin breed is the best in all characteristics and areas of cattle, but we are saying that the Limousin breed is the most balanced and efficient breed of cattle in Canada.”

Wyatt and Leighton see unlimited opportunity for the breed to grow and affect positive change on the beef industry. For the Canadian cattle industry, Limousin can increase efficiency and profitability. For consumers, the carcass yield and tenderness of the lean Limousin beef is unprecedented and there is opportunity to highlight that in grocery stores and restaurants.

Wyatt Dyck at the CJLA Impact show in 2019.

Photo by Jill Renton with CattleVids.

The Short Grass Limousin herd maintains a focus on what the commercial cattlemen and the industry demands. The showring has never been the primary goal of their breeding program, however, Wyatt and Leighton’s involvement in 4-H lead them to realize the fun and value around promoting their Limousin genetics through exhibiting their cattle. Both Wyatt and Leighton have won Grand Champion Steer at their 4-H Club Achievement Day three times each, respectively. One of Leighton’s proudest moments was winning Second Year Futurity Cow/Calf Pair at Swift Current Frontier Days with SGL Dreamer UDX 35D and her first calf. In 2018, Wyatt was pleased to bring a home raised Limousin sired steer to the Calgary Stampede Steer Classic. The steer had previously won Grand Champion at his 4-H achievement day.

“I may not have placed high but just seeing that I can take a steer that my family has raised from our Limousin genetics and be able to go to one of the most prestigious steer shows and be competitive was a very proud moment,” Wyatt recalls.

Their successes have not been limited to the show ring either, with Wyatt qualifying three times to compete at the National Judging Competition at Canadian Western Agribition.

Leighton Dyck at the CJLA Impact show in 2019.

Photo by Jill Renton with CattleVids.

Once the demands of post-secondary education are behind them, the Dyck brothers intend to focus more on exhibiting their Limousin seedstock.

Wyatt is presently attending the University of Saskatchewan to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. Leighton graduated from high school in 2019 and is currently attending Great Plains College in Swift Current for first year classes before moving to Saskatoon to also pursue a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at the University of Saskatchewan.

Both members of the Canadian Junior Limousin Association, Wyatt and Leighton felt privileged to attend the 2019 Canadian Junior Limousin Association Impact Show in Saskatoon.

“It’s not every year we get the show so close to home so we decided to make the most of it last year at Saskatoon,” says Wyatt, “We enjoyed every part of the show and couldn’t have asked for a better environment. From the parents, to the CLA Board, to the participants attending the show – they were all very friendly and happy to help out in any way they could.”

“I personally felt at home at the show,” Leighton remarks, “It was like I was hanging out with all my friends. There were a lot of grooming techniques that we saw that we thought could benefit us in the show ring as well. We may not have won any classes while we were at the show, but when you are in such a great environment you kind of don’t care whether you win or lose, you’re just out there having fun. That’s what we feel showing is really about. As long as you are having fun it doesn’t really matter what place you get. We both have been taught and learned on our own, through 4-H judging competitions, that it doesn’t matter what place you finish because it’s only one person’s opinion. At the end of the day the only opinion that matters is the opinion of the person who is buying your cattle.”

Wyatt Dyck at the CJLA Impact show in 2019.

Photo by Jill Renton at CattleVids.

The brothers also remarked that, “The oral marking and judging competitions were a very nice touch to get all ages comfortable with speaking about their animals and learning how to market at the same time.”

Both Wyatt and Leighton plan to continue their involvement in the CJLA and share their opinion when needed. They are in the breed for the long haul and have no plans of altering course. Their intention is to ramp up showing and promoting their family’s Limousin genetics and broadening their involvement in the Limousin community after university.

Wyatt and Leighton did not get to where they are today alone. They credit the mentorship of many people within the cattle industry with making the industry feel like home to them. Their first 4-H beef leader, Grant Scheirlinck of G and J Livestock, taught them the basics of grooming, clipping and showing.

“Grant always kept it fun for us but at the same time always pushed us to go further and learn more so that we could reach our full potential,” Wyatt comments, “When we were younger, Grant basically forced us into 4-H judging competitions. Now looking back, we learned so much from those competitions and did rather well in them too.”

However, it is their parents, Trevor and Lorna, who have been their greatest mentors in the cattle industry and the Limousin breed.

Leighton Dyck with his Champion Limousin Heifer 2018 Swift Current Frontier Days

Photo by Janice K Marshall, supplied by the Dyck family.

“Our parents have taught us lots about the Limousin breed and why we raise Limousin cattle instead of any other breed. The amount of knowledge our parents have given us about ranching and cattle in general has helped us beyond words when working or competing within the cattle industry.”

Wyatt and Leighton are now seen as mentors themselves to youth. They know that raising cattle is a lot of hard work and responsibility and their words of advice for younger cattle enthusiasts is to enjoy the good moments, learn from the bad moments, never stop learning and never give up before you reach your goal.

“When I was 12 years old,” Leighton recalls, “I remember telling myself I was going to quit 4-H and quit ranching. I wanted to go work in the city when I was older and never have to do chores again. But I stuck it out and now I look back on that memory and laugh because I am still ranching and I wouldn’t trade it for any job in the city.”