REGINA – A heifer show to honour a man who revered the cattle business was the theme of the first Mainetainer event at Canadian Western Agribition Nov. 27.
Robert Smith of Wimborne, Alta., who died of cancer in 2006, was an early adopter of Maine Anjou cattle when his father, J.O. Smith, imported some of the first of the breed from France in 1970.
Poplar Haven Farms became founders of the breed in Canada and were No. 4 in the herd registry book.
“We were right in there as one of the top six people that first went to France,” said Robert’s widow, Annette Smith.
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During last year’s Agribition, members of the Saskatchewan and Alberta associations discussed ways to honour his work as well as promote Mainetainers, crossbred cattle that carry Maine Anjou breeding.
“He was just one of those men who would do whatever he could for the breed,” said Margie Campbell, who with her husband, Matt, owns Anchor C Maine Anjou at Olds, Alta.
Annette and her sons, Dusty and Rees, received a call this summer proposing a memorial event for Robert.
“He liked to promote not only the purebred but the crossbred cattle,” Annette said.
“He would do anything to better the breed. He was a builder of the breed,” added Rees.
The Smiths have ranched in the Wimborne area of central Alberta since the 1940s, where they raised Herefords at Poplar Haven Farms.
Robert’s family eventually started another operation and called it Maine Haven Ranching Ltd.
When continental cattle landed in Canada, the Smith family tried semen from Simmental, Limousin and Maine Anjou bulls that were mated with commercial cattle. Within two years they settled on Maine Anjou as the breed that best suited them.
“They were the easiest to get along with,” said Annette.
They were quiet cattle and were good mothers. And it wasn’t long before the Canadians started to convert the big red and white horned cows that weighed as much as 2,000 pounds to a moderate sized animals that tend to be black and polled.
Maine Haven farms now runs a predominantly black commercial herd where Maines continue as the basis of the beef program. The Smiths have developed a three-way crossbred program using Simmental, Angus and Maine for hybrid vigour and “they make the most awesome cows,” Annette said.
The concept of the Mainetainer is something her husband would support.
The show consisted of 16 Maine influenced heifers in three classes that paraded before a panel of 10 judges who scored each animal.
The grand champion Mainetainer went to Kelly and Paula Schmidt of Drake, Sask., who were awarded $5,000.
The heifer sold at auction for $4,250 to Sean Wilson of Strathmore, Alta., and the proceeds were donated to the Saskatchewan Maine Anjou Association.
Cattle had to be entered in the open Maine show to qualify for the special Mainetainer event.
At the open show Nov. 28, the grand champion bull was from M.L. Williams of Cloverdale, B.C. Reserve went to Hall’s Cattle Co. of Craven, Sask. The grand champion female was entered by SW Cattle Co. of Strathmore and reserve went to Bill Wilson of Strathmore.
