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Lloyd Ex excited to hold Cattleman’s Call, Agri-Visions

Jan 14, 2022 | 3:07 PM

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. – A new tradition and a longstanding livestock event will take place at the Border City this winter.

Lloydminster Agricultural Exhibition Association is hosting the inaugural Cattleman’s Call on Jan. 14 and 15, and Agri-Visions Feb. 9 and 10.

All Saskatchewan Health guidelines will be followed for both events. People must show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test result to attend.

Cattleman’s Call, a new event that’s free to attend, kicks off today. It provides a good opportunity for producers to network with purebred breeders. A number of experts in the industry will also be on-hand to offer information on the latest developments in the field.

Lloyd Ex Agriculture Manager Shelly Ann Dodgson said the Cattleman’s Call will help fill a gap in the industry.

“It was kind of the brainchild of our committee chairs Sydney Lake and Grayden Kay,” she said. “They felt that we needed something in the midwest area to be able to support our purebred breeders in marketing, promoting and networking with the cattlemen in the area.”

Because it’s a new event, Dodgson said it wouldn’t have been able to happen without the help of its two major sponsors Scotiabank and the Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. that stepped up to show their support.

Producer Jonathan Lock, who sits on the Cattleman’s Call organizing committee, and his wife Kaleen will show their purebred Angus and Hereford bulls Jan. 15.

“We’re excited to be here and to have the show going on,” he said. “My hat goes off to Lloyd Ex to have the event, and be able to do it safely.”

Lock, of Macklin, said his family have been in the purebred business for Herefords since 1985 and for Angus since 2006.

The event is a good way for producers to get to know what purebred breeders are available in the area.

“It’s easy to make a phone call or to find something online, but that face-to-face meeting, being able to shake somebody’s hand, to me that’s what this business is built on,” Lock said. “I truly believe this is the best part of this business, the people you meet from all over Saskatchewan and Western Canada.”

Agri-Visions

Last year Agri-Visions was held online due to the COVID-19 situation, but this year Lloyd Ex is glad to be able to offer it in person again, with restrictions.

People can take in a number of trade shows and conferences during their visit, purchasing passes or session tickets.

For the Feb. 9 show, guest speaker Barry Yaremcio, an independent beef nutrition and management consultant, will discuss the topic of feeding cattle in a feed shortage, an important topic for farmers following the 2021 drought on the Prairies.

Also on Feb. 9, keynote speaker Timothy Caulfield is slated to present during the banquet event at the WLS LLP Stockade Convention Centre.

The successful author is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, and a professor in the faculty of law and the School of Public Health as well as a research director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta.

“He will be speaking on misinformation in this day and age with the pandemic and [concerns] that are going on – understanding what’s real news, and what’s fake news,” Dodgson said.

Also during Agri-Visions, a new Lloyd Ex Hall of Fame member will be inducted, another highlight of the two-day event.

Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow