
A small delegation from the Canadian Cattle Association's (CCA) youth programs visited Denver, Colorado last month to see firsthand the importance of the Canada–US trade relationship at work in our highly integrated North American beef supply chain.
The trip from January 14–17, 2025 was planned in coordination with the Consulate General of Canada and included representatives from the Canadian Cattle Youth Council, Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program (CYL) and CCA staff.
This annual trip to Denver is an excellent opportunity for our industry’s future leaders to learn more about the beef trade between Canada and the United States and start forging relationships with their counterparts south of the border. A special thank you goes out to the Consulate General of Canada in Denver for their work building an interesting program for our young leaders and providing funding to help support their travels.
Activities included industry meetings, site visits, and networking opportunities with the goal of building alliances, advancing Canada’s advocacy priorities when it comes to the importance of trade between our two nations, and fostering cooperation between our industries. This year’s trip was coordinated around the National Western Stock Show and the international reception co-hosted by the Consulate General of Canada in Denver and the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

Highlights included:
Meeting with Wyoming Director of Agriculture Doug Miyamoto to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the industry in Wyoming.
Meeting with NCBA President Mark Eisele and his daughters Kendall and Kaycee who gave us a fantastic tour of their ranch. We learned about some of the unique challenges and pressures they are faced with on their ranch and the ways they work to tackle them. They later joined us and the Executive Vice-President of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Jim Magagna, for lunch.
Touring the Five Rivers Kuner Feedlot with capacity for 100,000 head of animals where they feed standard, beef on dairy, and some Wagyu animals. We learned that manure is the second-largest byproduct at their yard and they have two different companies making fertilizer on site.
Touring the JBS Greely processing facility, one of the largest in the US with capacity to process approximately 5,000 head per day. The young leaders then visited the JBS USA headquarters for insight into the management of the American and Canadian operations by connecting with leadership.
Roundtable discussion with Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Corn Council, and Colorado Livestock Association. We had an engaging conversation around trade and the importance of a strong Canada-US relationship, as well as some of the common pressures facing youth in our industry.
The international reception hosted by the Consulate General of Canada in Denver and the Colorado Department of Agriculture was the last item on our formal agenda. Young leaders were able to network with folks from Canada, US and Mexico. They met three young women from Mexico who work on a direct marketing business for their lamb products and discussed strategies and ideas for direct selling meat.
Touring and watching parts of the stock show. Some of our delegates watched as Canadian producers Harvey Ranching won the Hereford Carload Show.
Below, some of the young leaders in attendance outlined their takeaways and highlights from their travels:
“Spending time in the US with fellow CYL and CCYC this past week was a great experience. I would highlight sitting down at the Colorado Roundtable with stakeholders across Colorado agriculture. Hearing the struggles we both face as well as the passion in that room to tackle the issues was a great experience. Listening to my youth counterparts, I know the future of Canadian beef is in good hands. I'd recommend anyone strike up a conversation with any one of them and you'd be similarly impressed.”
“A takeaway of touring the King Ranch in Wyoming and the work they are doing on their operation in line with researchers and other businesses such as wind power is finding where we can negotiate a win-win arrangement for all parties. As well, discussing direct sales of lamb meat with young Mexican stockgrowers thinking outside the box on how a young rancher can bring diversity to an operation with low capital investment, as well as giving them an enterprise to build business acumen and confidence.”
-Marc Vachon, Canadian Cattle Youth Council, Vice President (MB)
“Lessons learned include how different states must interact within their state legislature and producers, with examples coming from the Wyoming Director of Agriculture talking about challenges within estate transfers to keep generational farms moving forward and the balance of federal land and the rules that come with it. I learned a lot about how JBS penetrates the global market, offering different brands and marketing approaches to each specific demographic and socioeconomic model and then in turn acting as a great promoter of beef and protein in these transactions. I found it fascinating learning from other American delegates and industry leads surrounding the current problems in sustainability and profitability on US ranches and how similar their worries were to ours about the industry. The passion in the room was noticeable and inspirational to come home and continue working towards the goals we set aside in our business plan.
To summarize, a few takeaways are:
-Ranching is the backbone to rural America, very similar to here in Canada and the constant pressure of our end consumer is something no one can take lightly. At the end of the day, we work for them, and we must continue to work as an industry to adapt to their needs and also promote what we do.
-The Canada/US relationship seems almost as important as ever as we enter a new era of great financial opportunities and expanding costs to raise animals and operate our businesses. It’s apparent we all want to see each other succeed versus be seen as a global competitor.
-Opportunities to learn from our American counterparts should be something we all dream of having the chance to do, and I feel the promotion of more collaborative work will open many doors for the future of both young and old ranch operations.”
-Josh Sanden, Canadian Cattle Young Leaders, 2024–25 Participant (SK)
“Steven Butcha, the Vice-Consul and Trade Commissioner for the state of Colorado did an excellent job planning and hosting events that allowed us to learn more about the United States and Canada trade relations in the beef sector. Touring prestigious operations such as the King Ranch at Cheyenne, Wyoming, Five Rivers Feeding, and JBS Foods at Greeley, Colorado allowed us to see large-scale production in three different sectors of the supply chain.
“It is important that young Canadian producers continue to build relationships and interact with members from the United States to ensure our counterparts to the south understand the importance of the synergies that the two borders share and have in common.”
-Brayden Schmidt, Canadian Cattle Youth Council, Alberta Delegate
“This trip provides us with an invaluable opportunity to broaden my knowledge of the Colorado and Wyoming beef industries, and to see firsthand how important the cross-border relationship with Canada is to support their feedlot and packing industries. Thank you to the Consulate General of Canada, the Colorado Department of Agriculture and all other major sponsors of the CCYL program for their help making this trip happen.” -Taylor Iwasiuk, Canadian Cattle Young Leaders Program, 2024–25 Participant (AB)
“This trip was a fantastic opportunity to build new international connections and have the privilege of representing the Canadian beef industry. What I valued most was the chance to witness firsthand the successes and challenges faced by producers in Colorado and Wyoming, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the American beef industry from farm to plate. I felt excited and inspired to engage with leaders in agriculture, learning from their expertise and insights.”
-Laura Buss, Canadian Cattle Young Leaders Program, 2024–25 Participant (AB)
Thank you to our sponsors!
We are grateful to our sponsors who make these learning opportunities a reality. Thank you for supporting the development of the next generation in the Canadian beef industry.
Thank you to our Canadian Cattle Young Leaders Platinum Partners, Cargill and McDonald's Canada, Foundation Partners, MNP, New Holland, Elanco, and Gold Partners, Alltech, Farm Credit Canada, and RBC Future Launch.
Thank you to our Canadian Cattle Youth Council Platinum Partner, New Holland, and the following associations for your support of the Youth Council: British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association, Alberta Beef Producers, Saskatchewan Beef Producers, Manitoba Beef Producers, Beef Farmers of Ontario, Quebec Cattle Producers, Nova Scotia Cattle Producers, New Brunswick Cattle Producers, Prince Edward Island Cattle Producers and the Canadian Cattle Association.
Also, a big thank you to the Consulate General of Canada in Denver for your generous funding and support in building this experience for our young leaders.
Applications for the 2024–2025 Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program year are open on our website for ages 18–35 until March 31, 2025. Click here to learn more and apply: Apply to the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders Program today
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