Justin Carvey of Alexander shows off his national championship banner after taking 
Senior Champion Bull Calf this year at Ag Ex.

Ag Ex drew three national breed shows this year

Angus, Simmental and Shorthorn breeders all converged on the Keystone Centre

The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba more than doubled down on purebred cattle for Ag Ex. The fall fair included three national breed shows this year. Ag Ex typically draws one national breed organization, the most recent being the Canadian Charolais Association last year. This year, Angus, Simmental and Shorthorn all hosted their national shows at

Russell Thompson of Poplar Park Farm poses next to his national awards. The Hamiota producer took home Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor from the province’s first National Shorthorn Show at Ag Ex 2018.

Three national cattle shows land in Brandon

It was a good year to be an Angus, Simmental or Shorthorn breeder in Manitoba, at least in terms of travel time to the national show

The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba more than doubled down on purebred cattle for Ag Ex. The fall fair included three national breed shows this year. Ag Ex typically draws one national breed organization, the most recent being the Canadian Charolais Association last year. This year, Angus, Simmental and Shorthorn all hosted their national shows at


A cattle theft near Rossburn is seen as part of a growing trend.

Two cattle left for dead by rustlers

A cattle producer who lost 21 cows and 30 calves to thieves earlier this month is offering a $10,000 reward to help track down the perpetrators

A Rossburn-area farmer who had 21 cows and 30 calves stolen earlier this month from pasture near Olha says even worse was finding two others dead. Kalvin Kreshewski came upon the grisly scene July 4, finding two cows dead from dehydration after rustlers left a gate tied and the two animals locked in a corral

Swan River resident Austen Anderson (centre) is this year’s Canadian Angus Association Outstanding Young Angus Breeder.

Past greats, future leaders honoured at CAA awards

Manitoba Angus breeders old and new were recognized during the Canadian Angus Association national convention in Brandon in June

Lyall Edgerton of Souris could be on a beach enjoying his retirement, but he’s not quite ready to give up on the Angus-breeding business, despite a half-century in the industry. One of Manitoba’s long-standing seedstock producers, Edgerton was presented with a 50-year Canadian Angus Association Heritage Award June 10 in Brandon. Kuno Freitag of Alameda,


A herd of Black Angus Cattle

New mentorship program looks to connect Angus breeders

New Angus breeders will be given the opportunity to pick more experienced brains on industry concerns, business development and day-to-day decisions through a mentorship program

What kind of advice can an Angus breeder in the Maritimes give to a breeder in Manitoba? If their management practices are similar enough, they might be about to find out. Participating long-term breeders will be paired off with industry newcomers this summer after the Canadian Angus Association launched its national mentorship program June 10.

The herd grazes one of 100 paddocks at Nerbas Bros. Angus, part of the operation’s strip grazing system.

Nerbas Bros. Angus recognized for environmental efforts

Grazing systems and forage are key for the winners of this year’s 
Manitoba Beef Producers Environmental Stewardship Award

The Nerbas family of Shellmouth, Man., isn’t interested in a whole lot of inputs for their forage-only Angus herd. Arron and Shane Nerbas, along with their wives, Amber and Sacha, their children, and their parents Gene and Cynthia, run a 525-head commercial herd and 75 head of registered breeding stock under a mix of summer


YCC board members (l to r): Kolton Kauser, Alberta delegate, Julian Collette, Maritimes delegate, Ryan Scorgie, member at large, Jason Reid, vice-president and Ontario delegate, Laura Bodell, member at large, Erika Strande, B.C. delegate, Brett McRae, president and Manitoba delegate, Shane Klepak, Saskatchewan delegate, Emily Ritchie, member at large.

Young cattle producers wanted

Young producers are critical in the province’s goal of upping cattle numbers 
and the Young Cattlemen’s Council hopes to help meet that goal

The key to rebuilding Manitoba’s cattle herd is going to be rebuilding its cohort of young beef producers. Brett McRae, whose family’s Mar Mac Farms near Brandon features a 200-head purebred Angus and Simmental herd, also heads up the Young Cattlemen’s Council, a subsidiary of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. He hopes that organization can help

Baxter Blair, age 13, of McLean, Sask., gets busy grooming as he prepares for his turn in the ring at the 2015 Manitoba Ag Ex.

Putting the past year’s work on display

Brandon played host to Manitoba’s largest all-breed cattle show, 
showcasing more than 500 head of cattle

Cattle breeders’ hard work and dedication were put on display at Ag Ex, Manitoba’s largest all-breed cattle show. Formerly known as the Manitoba Livestock Expo, Ag Ex was held in Brandon at the Westoba Agriculture Centre of Excellence on Oct. 29 to 31. This annual event provides Manitoba cattle producers the venue to highlight and


Genetics make the difference

Edie Creek Angus is a farm business built around a minimum-maintenance Angus cow herd thriving in a forage-based environment

If you want your cow herd to thrive on Prairie forages, don’t start with genetics from animals accustomed to having grain buckets chained to their chins. That’s the hard lesson Jonathan Bouw learned a few years back after their farm stopped buying feeders and began keeping only their own calves to finish. Bouw, his brother

Battle of the beta-agonists

One of North America’s largest beef buyers is telling feeders that it wants a little more fat and a little less lean, and is delivering a not-so-subtle hint on their choice of growth promotants to achieve it. “Maximizing performance and efficiencies pre-harvest at the expense of beef taste and tenderness concerns us — it’s not