PARADISE HILL, Sask. — After forging through nearly a decade of difficult years in the cattle industry, one Saskatchewan farm family is being recognized for its commitment to the trade.
George and Bernice Larre won the Cattleman of the Year Award at the Lloydminster Stockade Roundup, a feat George said is an honour.
“My immediate reaction was they have probably run out of names,” he laughed.
“But they said it wasn’t just one person who wanted our name tossed in the mix, that everyone wanted us to receive it.”
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George and Bernice grew up on farms south of Paradise Hill, Sask., a village of about 500 people.
Their tidy yard holds an old red barn and a 1934 farmhouse, where they finished raising the last of their three children.
George’s passion has always been cattle and for more than 20 years, he raised purebred Horned Herefords.
However, when the industry started to decline, he switched to raising commercial cattle.
“We went through some pretty bad years. We had a terrible drought in 2002, then the next year is when BSE hit and the price went in the tank,” said George.
At the end of the two and a half year stretch after the BSE crisis, George said the breed had changed and they got behind the eight ball.
Then, in October 2009, George and his son, Kelly, were in a bad collision near Maidstone, Sask.
For a year after the crash, George wasn’t able to do much but he said they were both lucky to be alive.
Despite years of setbacks, George and his family have pulled through and he and his son run a cow-calf operation with more than 800 head of cattle, something they said he accomplished with the support of family.
“On the farm, it seems that you get closer when times are tough because you need each other’s support,” said George, adding that’s the part of the farm lifestyle he loves.
Bernice agreed, saying she loves everything about living and raising a family on the farm. She tends to the home, yard and garden.
The couple now lives on Bernice’s parents’ homestead because it was always her dream to move back to the farm where she grew up.
George said Bernice has always worked together with him on everything throughout the years.
“The old saying goes, a family that works together stays together,” said George.
Now, one of George’s favourite jobs is being a grandfather to his seven grandkids.
“You make more of an effort to spend time with your grandkids than you did your own because there was nothing so important with your kids that you couldn’t do tomorrow,” said George.
“But with your grandkids, you realize the clock is ticking and you better darn well make time because you aren’t going to get a second chance.”
George has been involved in numerous community organizations such as minor hockey and minor ball and he was the reeve for the Rural Municipality of Frenchman Butte for four years.
He is most proud of his involvement in 4-H, which contributed to his cattleman award. He has served as a 4-H judge for 45 consecutive years.
His love for cattle and working with youth kept him going even when his children had long since graduated from the program.
“It’s pretty rewarding when you have adults coming up to you who still know you because you judged them and thank you for sending them in the right direction,” said George.
With the industry getting stronger and cattle prices rising, George said there seems to be a lot of optimism around.
Although he said the industry still has a long ways to go, he is encouraged by some of the young cattle producers
“They have all these fresh ideas and if they put that to good use, they have tremendous potential,” said George.
“The industry is in good hands.”
