Sunday was the final day of the 2024 Calgary Stampede, and Calgary become a much quieter city as everyone returned home. It was a busy 10 days for our Canadian Cattle Young Leaders and Canadian Cattle Youth Council delegates.
On Monday, July 8th, current CYLs Ashley Nicholls and Zoe Gould attended the Alberta Beef Industry Stampede Summit where they crossed paths with CYL graduates Ben Campbell and Russell Gallelli, and Youth Council delegate, Kaylee Chizawsky. The afternoon was full of networking and great conversations with other ranchers, beef industry professionals, Members of Parliament, and political leaders.
On Wednesday, July 10th, CCA’s Public and Stakeholder Engagement team hosted The Ranching Experience – a full day event where social media influencers engaged with ranchers and the agriculture industry to gain a better understanding of the effort and care that goes into raising Canadian beef cattle. CYLS Ashley Nicholls and Cassie Marchand joined the tour to answer questions and share their agriculture experiences. Guests were sporting some new western attire thanks to the kickoff location and partner in the experience - Lammle’s Western Wear. After that, it was time to leave the city and venture into Alberta's ranching landscape. Trail’s End Beef welcomed the guests for a delicious hamburger lunch (of course, using Trail’s End’s own grass-fed beef!) prepared by CHOP Steakhouse’s Executive Chef, Stephen Clark. After lunch, influencers rotated through stations to learn about cattle, horses, the direct-to-consumer side of Trail’s End Beef’s business, and of course, tried their hand at roping. They viewed the Guardians of the Grassland documentary before heading to one of Trail’s End Beef’s summer pasture, and the original homestead of the ranch, where they got to see firsthand native grasslands. There, Ducks Unlimited Canada and Nature Conservancy of Canada shared how they work with Canadian ranchers to preserve important habitat like grasslands and wetlands, driving home an important message – farm the best, protect the rest – meaning farm the best land and what is already being farmed, and protect the valuable native grasslands that are still intact. The Ranching Experience wrapped up back in Calgary where guests enjoyed dishes featuring Canadian beef at CHOP Steakhouse. It was a great day full of compelling questions and learning experiences from influencers and ranchers alike.
In the evening of Wednesday, July 10th, Cassie and Ashley joined other CYLs, Brayden Schmidt and Adeleen Bolduc, at the International Agriculture & Agri-Food Reception in the new BMO Centre on the Calgary Stampede grounds. McDonald’s Canada is a Platinum Partner of the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program and CYLs had the opportunity to network with McDonald’s Canada CEO, Michèle Boudria and Ashwin Ramesh, Senior Manager, Sustainability and Social Impact, who they met at Spring Forum a few months ago. The Calgary Stampede is always a fantastic event for connecting with others in the agriculture industry and this year was no exception!
Alberta Beef Industry Stampede Summit
Left to Right: Ashley Nicholls, Kaylee Chizawsky, Zoe Gould, Russell Gallelli, Ben Campbell
At Trails End Beef’s original homestead land during The Ranching Experience
Left to Right: Cassie Marchand (CYL), Ashley Nicholls (CYL), Cailey Church (CCA Staff)
At Trails End Beef’s original homestead land during The Ranching Experience
International Agriculture & Agri-Food Reception
Left to Right: Cailey Church (CCA Staff), Brayden Schmidt (CYL), Ashley Nicholls (CYL), Cassie Marchand (CYL), Michèle Boudria (McDonald’s Canada CEO), Adeleen Bolduc (CYL), Sarah MacDonald (CCA Staff), Ashwin Ramesh (McDonald’s Canada Staff)
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