Awarding a Full Circle Journey – Macy Liebreich

WORDS BY BRUCE DERKSEN

There are some people that travel a literal and emotional distance in their lives, even while those lives are in the process of finding their footing. Macy Liebreich is such a person.

The daughter of Trent and Janelle andolder sister to Garrett and Carson, Macy did many of the same things her neighbours and friends did in the small southern Saskatchewan town of Radville while growing up—went to school, joined the 4-Hprogram and pitched in with the day-to-daywork on the ranch. Her family owns MeritCattle Company, home to 200 purebredBlack Angus females.

Like most Canadians, she developed a passion for hockey and at age 15 moved to Weyburn, SK to play competitively on theWeyburn AAA Goldwings. Hockey was herpriority, but she eventually had to let it go.

Photo supplied

“4-H was my first step into the business world because on the farm you are involved in the day-to-day operations, and 4-H just gave me another perspective. I was really fortunate to receive some scholarships because of my long-time involvement,” she said. “I was a member of the Radville club for 11 years.”

The family would show cattle at Agribition, plus she also showed at Canadian Junior Angus Showdowns. Up until the dispersal of her family’s Charolais cattle in 2009, she also showed at Canadian Charolais Youth Association shows across the country. Soon the Canadian Junior Angus Association (CJAA) began to direct the focus in her life. “I was looking for something else to devote some time to because I wasn’t playing hockey or doing the extracurricular training any longer.”

She knew of the Guiding Outstanding Angus Leaders (GOAL) conference that promotes leadership skills within the Angus breed, and at the urging of her parents she applied for the Legacy Foundation Scholarship. Along with four other juniors, she was chosen to attend the conference in Edmonton, AB in February 2017.

Macy related just how stressful it was. “I got really intimidated because you have to do an interview, but also a panel discussion. All your peers are there watching you and you get asked various industry and breed questions by professionals and respected people in the industry. I wasn’t feeling prepared as I hadn’t had that dinner table talk during the last four years being away playing hockey and going to school.”

Macy participates in Beef Week in Australia.

Photo Supplied.

She told the story of how Cecilie Fleming, a Canadian Angus Foundation board member, asked her a question about the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) before the banquet. “I had no idea what that was. I was so embarrassed because I felt like I just blew my interview. Oh my God, I have to do some research!” During the banquet, Cecilie brought up a similar question and was impressed that Macy had taken the initiative to investigate the subject. She ended up placing first in the Legacy Scholarship Program. “I guess it was a good learning experience,” she said with a laugh. Although sometimes terrifying, Macy said it helped her composure and public speaking, plus gave her a chance to feel comfortable and integrated into the industry.

During the same 2017 GOAL conference, she was also chosen to go to Scotland for the World Angus Forum. Again, she had reluctantly applied at the urging of her parents and was surprised to be chosen along with 11 other recipients to represent Canada at the Forum.

On the heels of these accomplishments, she applied for the Robert C. McHaffie Canadian Junior Angus Ambassador position. After another screening process she was one of five people chosen to compete.

At the Canadian Angus Association’s annual general meeting, the five candidates endured a quiz on general knowledge, an interview, presented a speech and were scrutinized on their interactions throughout the conference. After the intensive process, Macy was selected to represent the association at events across Canada and the world. “The Ambassador position was a really great opportunity because it got me more in tune with agriculture. I felt like I was reconnected in a different way.”

The position also gave her a chance to do even more traveling during her year-long reign. She visited multiple shows including Expo Boeuf, Maritime Field day and Junior show, CJAA Showdown, Farmfair, Agribition and numerous conferences, one of which was at the Certified Angus Beef Center in Ohio. Then it was off to Beef Australia for a week.

All these accomplishments were a driving force in Macy’s schooling plans. She settled on the University of British Columbia and began working on a bachelor’s degree in commerce, majoring in human resources with a focus on sustainability and social impact.

“UBC appealed to me. It had the highest ranked business program, and the other thing that intrigued me was I would have the chance to go somewhere that was completely different, the exact opposite of where I was raised and what I grew up learning.”

Though solidly entrenched in her schooling, Macy’s successes through the Angus Foundation were not over. She recently applied for and received a Self-Directed Travel Bursary and used it to attend the Junior Achievement Global Alumni Conference in Vienna, Austria. There she gave a short speech to 400 people gathered from around the world on the sustainability of the Canadian beef industry and how it helps the environment by having a circular economy concept that people don’t normally associate with it.

“It was cool when so many people came up to me and said they hadn’t thought about it that way. Putting a face to a person in agriculture makes them so much more comfortable to be able to ask questions versus just hearing, this is right, and the other stuff is wrong.”

After completing her commerce degree, Macy wants to attend law school. She loves her cows, but it’s not where her real passion lies. “I would love to be in agriculture law. I have the upbringing and background to relate and am most passionate about trying to solve the communication misinformation gap.”

Macy, along with Raina Syrnky, at the 2017 Canadian Beef Industry Conference.

Photo by Loree Photography.

In the urban atmosphere of UBC, Macy has noticed a large disconnect in her interactions with people from diverse backgrounds. “It’s a totally different mindset. The majority of people are just consumers and have no connection whatsoever to where their food comes from.” Previously, she hadn’t encountered many vegans, vegetarians or even people very concerned about such things, but now meeting them is a common occurrence.

Whenever possible, she tries to include agriculture-related material in her school projects as a way of passing vital information to her classmates. “People will listen, and I don’t think anyone is mistrusting, but some are timid about trying to find more information that contradicts what they are thinking. It’s the whole confirmation bias loop.”

Macy wanted to thank many people, including Cecilie Fleming, Belinda Wagner and Rob Smith—all from the Canadian Angus Foundation and Association—for their help and encouragement through the years. She is extremely thankful to her family for their support growing up and letting her follow her dreams in hockey, 4-H and letting her move away to pursue both sport and schooling. “If I wasn’t raised on the farm, I couldn’t see myself being so passionate about integrating agriculture into my future career. They always showed us the opportunities that were available and that there is so much in agriculture for youth versus other industries.” She believes many people feel they can only be ‘in or out’ of agriculture, but she doesn’t subscribe to that way of thinking and is working to find the ‘in between’ place for her.

Even though the beef industry is changing, Macy is excited to see where it will be in the coming years. She hopes more producers will commit to CRSB programs like the verified sustainable beef platform to show consumers they are proactive and accountable. It isn’t enough to say they already do the right thing. It must be recorded and displayed to the public through due diligence.

Macy provides some 4-H assistance to a younger junior.

In her view, most people want to be more sustainable by eating locally and reducing their carbon footprint. She points to the success of various food deliveries and meal programs as proof. “I think it’s even something we could use to our advantage,” she said. “We just have to keep communicating and not trying to start a war with people. You’re not going to change the people who are already set in their ways, but

you can reach the wider majority who just want information and want to do what is good for their family.”

Macy envisions herself working at an urban agricultural firm in the future, taking cases that motivate her and pertain to the industry. “I feel that would be my way of giving back. Realistically, I think it’s the place I could be of most value.”

But she doesn’t want to lose her small-town roots. She intends to stay involved with the CJAA, do volunteer work and continue to attend Agribition whenever possible. “It’s better than Christmas for me because I get to see all my family and friends that I see once or twice a year. People in the beef industry are such a unique group of people. When I was traveling, I met the same type of people that would just welcome me in with open arms and we’d have the same discussions, and the same kind of family feel.”

Macy has worked hard, traveled to many places and already seen amazing things in her life, and you could say her travels are coming full circle, not to end where she began but to run horizontally in support of where she started. “I have been given so much, that I need to put in the time to try and make it better for the youth that come after me.”

From our conversation, it is obvious that Macy has the determination, intellect and passion that will drive her to not only reach but go far beyond this worthy goal.