International Cow Appreciation Day celebrates diversity in Saskatchewan

International Cow Appreciation day has people all over the world raising their milk glasses in a salute to the bovine, and that includes the people of Saskatchewan.

To commemorate the cow on this day, battlefordsNow spoke with individuals who work closely with cattle to get their opinions on why the cow is one of the most important animals found on Saskatchewan farms.

Ryder Lee, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattleman’s Association, said Saskatchewan farmers are often encouraged to keep cattle on their property because they are one of the most versatile animals which can provide a number of services.

He said cattle ranches of varying sizes can be found throughout the province, with bigger grassland operations in the southwest and a growing number in the northwest where the land is less flat but gets more rain. He said cattle are the best thing to have on unworkable terrain.

“Cattle will take that land you can’t crop and turn it in to a really high value product of protein, zinc and iron,” Lee said. “That’s the big part of what cattle do — turn that land you can’t use for anything else into food.”

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He said different farms have their own reasons for keeping a variety of cattle types. There are a handful of breeds which are the most popular in the prairie, including herefords, charolais as well as red and black angus. The most popular this year is angus, but different farmers have different preferences, he said.

“Different breeds ebb and flow; they have their different values and different selling points but a lot of what producers look for is cows that will do well,” Lee said. “There’s a lot of thought that goes in to picking which herds will work best.”

Adele Buettner, CEO of Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan, runs the sector coalition which strives to bring the story of the Saskatchewan farmer, his animals and crops to the spotlight of the world market. She said when it comes to cows there is a lot to celebrate.

“Over the years our initiatives have been very active in bringing the importance of Saskatchewan beef to the table. Our interest is to connect people directly because only three per cent of the population have direct ties to the farm,” Buettner explained.

One of the farm and food care initiatives is the annual devotion of an entire day to commending the cow industry which raises people’s awareness of Saskatchewan’s livestock strength.

“Beef is a main export,” Buettner said. “We also have the second largest beef herd in Canada which is 20 per cent of the Canadian beef total. And that is around 2.2 million heads of beef cattle.”

The large number speaks, Buettner said, of the 14,000 skilled Saskatchewan farmers.

“Our cattle ranchers help to supply Canada and the rest of the world with high quality nutritional Canadian beef. Saskatchewan is an active province in the cattle industry, and there’s a lot to celebrate,” she said.

Amanda Migneault is a registered veterinary technologist whose career has allowed her to work closely with all breeds of cattle throughout the western provinces. Throughout her multiple experiences with different types of animals, she has come to recognize the cow as one of her favourites to encounter, treat and heal because of their curious and docile personalities.

“I love working with cattle,” Migneault said. “I’ve mainly worked with dairy cattle and they’re relatively tame compared to their beef counterparts. I find all cows curious in nature, even the bulls.”

Migneault said cows are complacent for the most part.

“I had one cow try to eat my ponytail once,” Migneault said with a smile. “Anything is possible. It’s important to know how to handle them. Always use the correct equipment and know when to back down and respect their space, especially when working with animal who doesn’t know you.”

But despite the inherent risks involved, Migneault said working with cattle relaxes her.

“They’re curious, interested, dynamic and at some times playful,” Migneault said. “And as creepy as this may sound, nothing is better than resting your head on a warm, soft, sweet-smelling rumen and just taking in all that is bovine.”

Colleen A.J. Smith is battlefordsNOW’s education, First Nations and arts and culture reporter. She can be reached at colleen.smith@jpbg.ca or tweet her @ColleenAJSmith. Concerns regarding this story can be addressed to News Director Geoff Smith at 306-446-6397.