CYL attends NCBA with Mentor

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) is pleased to highlight our Canadian Cattle Young Leaders (CYL) program participants in action at beef industry events, both nationally and internationally! In addition to being paired with a hand-picked industry leader for a nine-month mentorship and numerous other networking and travel opportunities through the program, participants are granted a $2,000 budget to use towards travel and learning opportunities of their choice that will further their mentorship goals.

Report submitted by 2022-2023 Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program participants, Madi Lewis.

(L-R) Mentor Jack Chaffe and Mentee Madi Lewis at the NCBA Convention. Photo courtesy of Madi Lewis Twitter.

This year the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Convention was held in New Orleans, Louisiana Feb 1-3, 2023. I was fortunate enough to utilize my mentorship funds to attend the conference with my mentor, Jack Chaffe. A highlight of my trip was being able to attend the trilateral meeting, which included delegates from Canada, USA and Mexico. The hot topic of foot and mouth disease (FMD) was discussed in this meeting and the countries' approach to mitigation through vaccine banks was discussed.

I was also able to attend Cattlemen’s College prior to the official start of NCBA, which show cased industry leaders from each respective field. It was an amazing experience being able to hear from these industry leaders on their current innovative research and involvement in the beef industry.

Being a young and passionate member of the beef industry, I have been able to connect and network with like-minded individuals through the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program. Making these connections has been a life changing experience and I have made life long connections. I cannot recommend this program enough to fellow young beef industry members looking to broaden their network and learn applicable and practical knowledge outside of the classroom.

-Madi Lewis, CYL 2022-2023

To learn more about this mentorship pairing, click here to visit our Participant Spotlight feature on our website.

Canadian Cattle Young Leaders applications for the upcoming 2023-2024 program year are open! Ages 18-35 passionate about the Canadian beef industry can apply at www.canadiancattleyoungleaders.ca until March 31, 2023 at 11:59pm MT.

Funding for the Canadian CYL Program is made available through its Foundation Partners Cargill, MNP, McDonald’s Canada and New Holland, and Gold Sponsors Farm Credit Canada, Alltech, RBC Future Launch and Elanco.