REGINA — It can be difficult to encourage young people to continue farming, but one family has banded together as teenagers to form their own cattle company.
Ryley, Nicole and Curtis Bielecki of Paradise Hill, Sask., formed RCN Livestock in 2012 while they were in high school with the goal of competing against the adults in the Limousin business. They have found considerable support and competition from other breeders.
“They don’t go easy on us,” Nicole said after the Limousin sale at Canadian Western Agribition, which was held Nov. 23-28 in Regina.
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Their heifer calf fetched $5,750.
The siblings decided they wanted to be purebred breeders while they were still in 4-H.
Each had a grand champion during their 4-H careers, and Ryley showed the first Limousin heifer at their regional show to win grand champion.
“We always did very well,” said Nicole, who is enrolled in the University of Saskatchewan’s kinesiology program.
Ryley is in Grade 12 and has been accepted at Lakeland College at Vermilion, Alta., while Curtis works off the farm.
The folks at Greenwood Limousin at Lloydminster mentored them and got them started with 15 females. They added more and keep their own heifers to build their program, which now includes 35 cows. They split the workload and travel time around busy personal lives.
Each has a favourite job. Ryley prefers calving while Nicole likes travelling and showing.
“Me and my brother do the AI work and we choose who is getting bred and to what,” said Ryley.
They travel extensively to show and promote their cattle.
This year they attended the junior Limousin conference at Stratford, Ont., where they had grand champion female at Olds Fall Fair, Lloydminster Stockade Roundup, Edmonton Farmfair International and finally Agribition. In addition, Nicole sits on the Canadian Junior Limousin Association board of directors.
Contact barbara.duckworth@producer.com
