Participant Spotlight

Andrea van Iterson was raised in Westwold, BC on a small backgrounding feedlot. While always maintaining some connection to the farm, she was off farm for eight years. In 2012, Andrea and her husband made the decision to move their young family to Westwold to continue farming with her parents and brother. Their operation backgrounds 2,500-3,000 head annually.

Aside from her job in the feedlot, Andrea works as the Executive Director for the B.C. Association of Cattle Feeders (BCACF). BCACF allows Andrea the opportunity to participate with the National Cattle Feeders’ Association; something she enjoys very much. 4-H was an integral part of Andrea’s childhood and she continues to work with the program as one of the leaders with her boys’ club. Expanding her presence with multiple industry groups has become increasingly important to Andrea. She recently became a board member with AgSafe BC and participates in the Public Affairs and Education Committee with the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association.

Applying for the CYL program had been something Andrea has wanted to do for a number of years. She finally took the chance and is extremely excited to be one of this year’s finalists. Hearing so many positive experiences coming out of the program was one of the factors that pushed Andrea to apply. Gaining new contacts with the industry members and partners, working on speaking and engagement strategies as well as becoming more confident at advocating for our industry are some goals that she hopes to fulfill during her time with CYL. Andrea is confident the experiences and knowledge obtained during her mentorship will not only benefit her career, but also positively impact her personal life.

Aydon is a fourth-generation rancher of Lazy HE Ranch LTD in the Czar, Alberta area. Currently the ranch runs an 1,800 head cow-calf operation and retains ownership of their calves for backgrounding. They also have a 3,000 head capacity feedlot with the remaining balance consisting of purchased cattle for backgrounding and future grass stock. Aydon was apart of the local 4-H club for nine years where he showed cattle and took part in all of the judging programs 4H offered. After high school, he attended Lakeland College in Vermilion where he received a diploma in Agri-business. Following college, Aydon returned home to continue working on the family ranch. On the side, Aydon, along with his wife Jess and their son Vern, raise and train cow bred quarter horses for use on the ranch.

Charlene was raised on a small commercial cow-calf farm in Thorold, Ontario. She developed a passion for agriculture, specifically livestock, at a young age while helping on the family farm. This passion led her to pursue a Diploma in Agriculture from Ridgetown College.

Charlene currently works for Brewster Consulting Services, an agriculture consulting and research company specializing in grape and tender fruit production. Charlene continues to be involved in her family’s cattle operation and in recent years has started to develop her own herd, which she intends to grow over the next few years.

Growing up, Charlene was an active 4-H member in Niagara and since graduating has become a co-leader of the Dairy and Judging clubs. Charlene is a director with the Beef Farmers of Niagara, where she has held secretary and treasurer positions.

Charlene is thrilled to be selected for the CYL program. She is excited to connect with the other CYLs and is looking forward to the incredible learning and networking opportunities the program offers.

Claye Harsany is a fourth-generation cattlemen from High River, Alberta. Claye developed an interest in production agriculture, specifically in the cattle industry, from a young age. In 2015, Claye enrolled in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at Thompson Rivers University. In 2017, he transferred to the University of Alberta to pursue his passion for animal agriculture and completed his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a major in Animal Science, in which he recently graduated in the Spring of 2020.

During his time at Thompson Rivers University, Claye was fortunate to collaborate on research with UAV equipment which focused on enhancing technological advancements in the beef industry. Claye’s research with UAV technology was presented at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in 2017, where he was awarded first prize in the student competition. Claye worked with Feedlot Health Management Services in the summers of 2017 and 2018. In 2017, Claye joined the Feeds and Feeding module where he interacted closely with nutritionists and producers with feed analysis, and also collaborated on a GHG emissions project. In 2018, Claye joined the Research module in which he conducted data analysis for ongoing trials, operated a feed truck as part of a nutrition trial, conducted animal health protocols and assisted with data collection.

Prior to completing his bachelor’s degree, Claye began working with GK Jim Farms in the summer of 2019 as their Cattle Procurement, Marketing and Logistics Specialist. Under this position, he is specifically responsible for producing, procuring, managing, and marketing cattle across Canada and the United States.

Claye is extremely excited to be a member of the CYL class of 2020 and he is looking forward to supporting new and innovative ideas that will contribute positively toward the future of the Canadian Beef Industry.

Biography:

Dave was raised on a feedlot and cow-calf operation in Southern Alberta, near Coaldale. The third-generation feedlot feeds 5,000 head of cattle, primarily as a finishing lot, along with a 200 head cow herd. Growing up he was very involved with 4-H, showing steers and heifer projects at local shows. His love for cattle and their genetics led him to start Tempest Red Angus, a purebred Angus herd founded on heifers purchased for 4-H. It has grown to 25 registered cows and selling yearling bulls bred for high quality carcass traits and efficiency. He has a diploma in animal science from the Lethbridge College and has since started a career as a livestock order buyer at Summit Livestock covering auction sales and ranch direct calf marketing across Western Canada. He enjoys the daily challenges and rewards of helping producers effectively market their hard-earned product. Dave is very excited to use the CYL program for networking with fellow agriculture enthusiasts and especially as a great opportunity to learn more about the final stages of the beef production cycle and red meat marketing.

Grace currently lives in Keady, Ontario where she farms with her family. They run a backgrounding and commercial cow-calf operation comprised of Red Angus/Red Simmental cross cows, with an expansion into purebred Simmentals in the past few years. Along side their cow herd, her family owns and operates a multi generation livestock auction business. Growing up very passionate about the agriculture industry, Grace has always been a member of her local 4-H beef club, and more recently sitting as a board member for her county beef farmers association as well as Vice President for the Ontario Young Canadian Simmental Association. Grace graduated high school with a Red Seal in Agriculture and continued her education at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus graduating with an Associate Diploma in Agriculture focusing her studies on agribusiness and livestock production. In 2018, Grace attended World Wide College of Auctioneering in Mason City, Iowa, and now practices alongside her dad at farm sales and community fundraisers. Currently Grace works for Purina in Beef Product Marketing, as well in Sales Development with Sharpe Farm Supplies, an Ontario Purina Dealer.

Grace is very honoured to be a finalist in the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program. She is excited to expand her network with her fellow CYL finalists and other industry leaders, as well as develop her skills to continue to build her career in the beef industry.

Biography:

Greg Stavert is a fifth-generation farmer from Freetown, Prince Edward Island. He farms with his father and uncle at Stavert Farms Limited, where they produce seed potatoes for local and domestic markets. They feed 175 natural angus cattle and have a flock of free run laying hens.

Greg is passionate about agriculture and is an active member of various committees in the industry. He is a board member of the Prince Edward Island Cattle Producers. As well, he sits on the board for the Summerside Farmers Market, where he is a vendor selling free run eggs, meat chickens and turkeys. Greg is also the chair of the Prince Edward Island Agriculture Sector Council.

Greg is most excited for the networking and learning opportunities that will come from the CYL Program. He is looking forward to learning more about the cow-calf side of the beef industry, including pasture management to help build soil organic matter.

Iva was raised on a mixed farming operation near Hay Lakes, Alberta and is the fourth-generation member to work on the farm.

Growing up, Iva was active in 4-H in both the beef and horse clubs, as well as helping out on the family farm. Iva also enjoys horseback riding and spent some time riding and showing horses. Iva always knew her future would be in agriculture, and when her dad started to think about retiring from cattle, she decided to step up and take on a more active role. It was always important to Iva that her family grow up learning the same values as she did on the farm.

As Iva began to take a look at growing her commercial cattle herd, she found an interest in extended grazing concepts and is willing to experiment with different ideas to find what will work best for their operation.

Iva hopes to gain more knowledge in grazing management and building the soil, as well as a stronger understanding of the impact of agriculture on the environment in order to better promote the industry to consumers.

Iva is feeling incredibly lucky to be chosen as a finalist. She sees the CYL program as a great opportunity to network with other young producers across the country and to build relationships within the industry. She hopes the program will help to open doors for her cattle operation as well for her to play a role in promoting the beef industry.

Iva is incredibly thankful to the sponsors, organizers and mentors who have put in the effort to run this successful program and is grateful it is able to continue through the challenges that COVID-19 has presented.

Katie-Jo Stehr was raised on a mixed cow-calf, ranch horse, and grain operation near Swan River, MB. She was heavily involved in the 4-H program, and it helped develop her interest and shape her future in the beef industry. In 2016, she received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with Great Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan, majoring in Animal Science and minoring in Agribusiness. While at the U of S, she was involved with campus clubs including the Stockman’s Club, Beef Team, and 4-H Alumni, and served many executive positions with these organizations. After completing her Bachelors, Katie completed a Master of Science Degree in Animal Science under the guidance of Drs. John McKinnon (U of S, Saskatoon) and Tim McAllister (AAFC, Lethbridge). The trials she completed examined the impact of chemically treating barley straw to improve forage quality, and the impact of feeding the treated product in wheat-based finishing rations. Prior to completing her M.Sc. program in August 2019, she began working as a ruminant nutritionist with Gowans Feed Consulting out of Lethbridge, AB. In her role as a consultant she provides advice on a wide range of topics including ration and supplement formulation, animal health and nutrition, best management practices, and nutritional and economic evaluation of ingredients. While most of her clients are feedlots, she also advises commercial and purebred cow-calf operations, sheep, goat, and bison customers. Katie enjoys getting to know producers and helping them to be more profitable and productive in their business. She is proud to have a career in beef production where she can help drive the sustainability of the industry. Outside of her career, Katie owns a small commercial cow-calf herd alongside her parents, and she plans to grow her herd when possible. She makes as many trips back to Manitoba to help out with farm work as possible and enjoys riding pasture and checking cattle whenever she can. She also serves as a 4-H leader in the Lethbridge district and thoroughly enjoys seeing the enthusiasm, passion and drive of her 4-H members.

Kaylee grew up just outside of Vegreville, Alberta where her passion for the cattle industry developed at an early age and began with many elementary school mornings bottle feeding twins before running to the bus and going to school often smelling of milk replacer! Her family has a commercial cow-calf operation and in 2010 they founded Foresee Cattle Co. and began breeding and raising purebred Simmentals. After high school, Kaylee attended the University of Alberta where she graduated in 2018 with an Agriculture degree, majoring in Animal Science. Kaylee’s employment experience began with summer student positions with Alberta Innovates and Monsanto as a Field Research Technician, a Statistics Project Assistant with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and further developed into roles at Trouw Nutrition, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and a Dairy Assistant at the University of Alberta’s Dairy Research and Technology Centre. Kaylee is actively involved with the family farm and just recently purchased her own bred heifers in which she hopes will be the foundation of a much larger herd one day. Outside of work or the farm, you can often find Kaylee at the University milking cows bright and early on the weekends and volunteering her time weekly at the Stollery Children’s Hospital and the Little Bits Therapeutic Riding Association.

Kaylee’s drive to expand her knowledge and meet others who are also passionate about the beef industry has led her to the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders Program, which she is thrilled and proud to be a part of. Kaylee looks forward to the networking opportunities the program will provide her with and is eager for the opportunity to share her learnings from the CYL program with other young “agvocates” in the beef industry.

Biography:

Passionate about food and agriculture, Laura currently works as the Beef and Livestock Industry Specialist for the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture. In this role, she works in partnership with the cattle sector as a liaison between government and industry and supports beef ranchers around the province.

Her love of animals and agriculture started at a young age while growing up on a mixed farm on Vancouver Island and going through the 4-H program. She achieved in horse and beef projects, was a 4-H BC Ambassador representing the Vancouver Island Region, and attended workshops regionally, provincially and nationally. A highlight from her time in 4-H was attending the International 4-H Judging Seminar at the Canadian Western Agribition and winning the beef heifer class. This allowed her to join a panel of judges to judge the Heartland First Lady Classic all-breeds heifer show.

She pursued a career in agriculture and graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Animal Sciences major. Laura holds a dual master’s degree in Management of Animal Resources and Sustainable Development in Agriculture from universities in Italy and France, including a research internship in the Netherlands. Laura enjoys traveling and learning about food systems and different cultures. She recently married a cattle rancher’s son and in her free time she helps with the cattle and honeybees on the farm. She volunteers with Junior Chamber International (JCI) serving on local, regional and national boards as well as running community projects. In 2019, she was recognized as one of Vernon Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Top 20 under 40’.

She is extremely excited to be selected as a finalist in the CYL program and looks forward to gaining knowledge and experience of beef production and the supply chain, as well as creating connections with fellow participants and leaders in Canada’s beef industry.

Laura Plett and her husband Ryan own and operate a cow-calf operation in Stead, Manitoba, alongside her family’s fourth generation grain farm. She started this cow herd in 2014 with the purchase of 30 bred heifers while based near Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Laura has since returned to her homeland (with the cows), gotten married, had a baby and retired from her previous career as a professional Hunting & Fishing Guide and Manager in the outfitting industry. She now works full time on their farm, raising commercial Black Angus cattle with a Hereford influence. They grow and put up their own feed, and are working to extend their grazing season and background a larger portion of their calves each year. They have also recently added a band of range sheep to diversify and better utilize the land and resources they already have to work with. A large part of the operation is within the Belair Provincial Forest. This land is a mix of forested areas and tame pasture, which was cleared by Laura’s family’s logging ventures in the early/mid 1900’s. Laura and Ryan’s operation, named “Sawmill Creek Livestock” after these historic endeavours, has seen aggressive growth over the past couple years, with plans for continued expansion. Laura’s goals for the CYL program are based around the business management side of things, and she looks forward to mentoring with an experienced producer. She believes the timing is ideal to implement new strategies, practices and ideas that will lead to the success and sustainability of this young, progressive cow-calf operation.

Mackenzie Argent is a 23-year-old advocate of all things agriculture. Raised on her family owned and operated commercial cow-calf ranch and backgrounding operation just west of Cremona, Alberta, Mackenzie has a deep-rooted passion for the beef cattle industry. Mackenzie attended Olds College from 2015-2017 and received her diploma in Agriculture Management, with a major in Marketing and Communications, where she also was co-valedictorian of her class. Additionally, Mackenzie holds an off-farm career with Elanco Canada, where she is the Monogastric Account Representative for Western Canada. In her spare time, Mackenzie can be found working with her horses, hiking, or spending time with her friends and family. She is excited to see what new opportunities the CYL program will bring, and plans to use her new skills to effectively connect with consumers about the beef cattle industry, in order to build public trust and education surrounding beef production.

Raised on a sixth-generation farm in Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Matt along with his wife are in the business of harvesting sunlight. He manages a farm business with 257 head of cattle that helps grow cash/cover crops and nurturing 5,000 acres of land.

With a commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan, Matt manages his farm like a business. Return on Investment, depreciation and cash flow are a few things monitored to ensure financial health.

Matt believes that managing human resources and relationships with the community are most important– coaching Rosthern minor hockey and volunteering for the Rosthern Ag Society.

The vision for the farm is to nurture life. All while being a platform to bring people and the ecosystem together, focusing on nutrient dense food, water security and reducing the agriculture environmental impact. This should allow the farm and the planet to last another six generations.

Sarah Jensen was raised on a commercial cow-calf and grain operation with Red and Black Angus, Charolais and Speckle Park cattle near Arborg, MB. At a young age, she enjoyed helping her family with cattle vaccinations, identification, feeding and leading cattle drives. In high school, Sarah was the Youth Board Representative for the Arborg Agricultural Society where she taught youth in her community the importance of agriculture and helped to plan the annual Arborg Fair and Rodeo.

After Sarah graduated from high school in 2017, she moved to Winnipeg, MB to pursue postsecondary education. Sarah studied Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba. During this time, she was an active member of the U of M Pre-Vet Club and the New Student Peer Mentorship program, where she mentored first year students. In 2019, Sarah received a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Award and spent the summer assisting in beef cattle research at the U of M, which explored the use of strategic supplementation to improve beef cattle performance and expand the utilization of pasture based production systems.

Sarah maintained a part time work-position throughout her undergraduate education as an Animal Health and Welfare STEP Student through the Chief Veterinary Office of Manitoba. In this position, Sarah was fortunate to working alongside veterinary epidemiologists and she learned about the importance of One Health when raising food animals. Sarah was recently accepted into the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, SK and plans to become a beef cattle veterinarian and pursue epidemiological research. Sarah is looking forward to building connections in the CYL program and expanding her knowledge of the Canadian cattle sector.

Scott Gerbrandt was raised on a farm near Swift Current, SK. He obtained an Agriculture and Bioresource Engineering degree (with Great Distinction) from the U of S in 2010 and has been working in R&D in the ag machine design industry since. In 2015, Scott and his wife, Robyn, moved back to Swift Current to become more involved on Scott’s grandparents’ farm which was a small beef and hay operation.

Scott has enjoyed learning about the cow-calf sector and has worked on increasing their herd over the past few years. He focuses on keeping up with best practices from research results, record keeping, and trying to improve grazing techniques to increase production on the land they manage. He is proud of some of the changes implemented on their operation including eliminating confined feeding in the cowherd through the use of corn grazing, bale grazing, and calving on pasture, while simultaneously increasing their herd size. He is also proud to have the opportunity to share daily chores on their VBP+ operation with four active generations.

Scott is very excited for the networking opportunities through the CYL program. He is also looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the business management side of the beef industry, including the economics and marketing associated with grazing full season cover crops.