REGINA – Tyler Okell missed a hockey tournament to come to Canadian
Western Agribition.
The nine year old from Duchess, Alta., figured it was worth it when his
red Gelbvieh heifer took first in its class at the International 4-H
show and he won $30.
Agribition is a family vacation for the Okells. Besides running a
Gelbvieh operation, Tyler’s mother works at the Brooks Hospital
supervising the food services department and his father, Don, works in
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the oilfield. They book off the time, gather the homework, kids and
animals, and head to the shows.
The events are a social time for many families on the circuit but they
also mean work. After Tyler and his sister, Jennifer, finished their
homework, they found themselves on chore duty, carrying feed, water and
scooping poop at the Jen-Ty Gelbvieh stalls.
“I’m learning how to work,” Tyler admitted.
He started showing cattle last year at local shows and Agribition. His
heifer is working well for him and he plans to show it until it has its
first calf.
He frequently competes against his sister.
“I usually beat her,” he said.
A Grade 4 student at Duchess, he already owns three cows and with the
fresh taste of victory, admits winning at the shows is as good as
winning at hockey.
The family has been showing Gelbviehs for seven years. The children’s
involvement with 4-H taught them the fundamentals of showmanship and
with their dad as Agribition barn boss, they learn some management and
discipline.
Some of their classmates also play hookey to go to the shows but in an
agricultural community, everyone is aware of those activities and
supports the youngsters.
“It is a farm community and the teachers like the kids doing things
like this. They have to write a daily journal so they know what they
have done,” said his mother, Lorna.
