First-ever Youth Beef Expo draws strong turnout in Meadow Lake

“In the Meadow Lake area, it’s kind of getting more popular as we just put on this show. It wasn’t as popular before, but it’s more so in southern Saskatchewan than it is popular, not up north,” she explained.

Planning the event took weeks of preparation, fundraising and support from local sponsors. Shkopich said organizers weren’t sure how many participants would register for the inaugural event, but the response exceeded their expectations.

“We were expecting not as many people, and we almost actually ran out of room. There were a lot of people that actually came.”

The strong turnout reinforced what organizers had hoped, that there is growing interest in cattle showing among youth in the region and a desire for more opportunities closer to home.

(Image Credit: Youth Beef Expo/ Facebook)

For Shkopich, the expo was also personal. As someone who has grown to love showing cattle through 4-H, she said she wishes an event like this had existed when she was younger.

“I wasn’t that big into cattle when I was younger, but now that it’s become my whole life with 4-H, I wish I would have been more into it as I was younger,” she said.

While this year’s expo was limited to 4-H members, Shkopich said organizers are already looking ahead. She hopes future events will be open to all youth interested in learning about cattle, regardless of whether they belong to a 4-H club.

With a successful first event now behind them, organizers are optimistic the Youth Beef Expo will continue to grow and become another opportunity for young people in northwest Saskatchewan to develop agricultural skills and a lifelong passion for the industry.

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Alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com

by Alyssa Rudolph

First-ever Youth Beef Expo draws strong turnout in Meadow Lake

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