Farmer Focus: Canada knows how to celebrate its farmers
© Jeff Holmes They call it the greatest outdoor show on earth, and I couldn’t agree more.
It’s always been on my bucket list to visit the Calgary Stampede, so for our 10th wedding anniversary, the whole family took an amazing trip to Canada.
Over 10 days, almost 1.5m people attend the stampede, which showcases the very best that Canadian agriculture has to offer.
See also: How a Canadian dairy tackles heat and irrigation limits
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I couldn’t believe the depth of support for the industry, something we’d never see in the UK. Even the lobby in our hotel was decked out in straw bales,
The rodeo riding, barrel racing and calf roping were all fantastic, but the chuck wagon racing in the evening was incredible to see.
The power and acceleration from those teams of thoroughbreds thundering around the track can’t be put down in words.
We couldn’t believe it when by pure chance we sat down in the huge grandstand next to another dairy farming family from Scotland.
We then took a road trip over the Rockies to Vancouver Island, a fair drive – especially as I was getting into trouble for looking over the fences at farms we passed coming down through the Okanagan Valley.
It struck me how close the dairy farms all seemed to each other, with cows inside and acres of maize growing.
We stopped at one for an ice cream, where the farm shop and café were attached to the cowshed and you could see the robots working through the windows.
It certainly got me thinking about whether we’re missing an opportunity in the UK to engage with our customers.
I’d also, maybe controversially, say that Alberta beef is some of the best I’ve tasted.
Every restaurant we went into had beef on the menu from the 18,000-strong producer group – a real testament to what can happen when farmers work together.
Back home, the weather continues to go from the ridiculous to the sublime. Constant rain gave way to 30C heat for a few days, which allowed us to get some hay baled and has ripened winter crops in a hurry.
Roll on harvest! We managed to snatch second cut in a really short weather window before we left. Apart from a rain shower on fields at one end of the farm, it all came in in great order and clamps are now full.