OLDS, Alta. – When it comes to showing cattle or facing off at the hockey rink, Brooklyn and Brayden Paget are always competitive.
Working with their parents, Darren and Loretta, the family runs New Country Livestock at Donalda, Alta., producing purebred Charolais, a few Simmentals and commercial cattle.
Showing cattle to promote their breeding program is a big part of family life and a competitive outlet from July until Christmas for Brooklyn, 14, and Brayden, 12.
Both started showing calves when they were five years old.
Read Also
Hogs’ transport stress called costly
Poor trailer design and transportation stress are killing pigs and costing the pork industry millions of dollars in penalties, meat quality downgrades and failed welfare audits, according to research by a federal scientist.
“It was fun because the animals were bigger than us,” said Brayden. “I don’t get nervous. I’ve done it so many times.”
It has been an evenly split competition ever since, but there are times Brayden confesses he would rather not enter the same shows as his sister.
“She usually beats me,” he said.
Showing cattle has its own social network where they run into friends at events from 4-H achievement days to Farmfair at Edmonton or Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.
As far as Brayden is concerned, those who don’t work with cattle are missing out on something special.Brooklyn notices there are plenty of boys, but fewer girls in the shows as they get older.
“Not many of my girlfriends are at these events,” she said.
Brooklyn and Brayden have been on the same hockey team for the last four years with Brooklyn playing defence and Brayden at centre ice.
Now at the Bantam level, Brooklyn is looking to move to a girls’ team.
At the Mountainview County Fair at Olds Aug. 11, the family won grand and reserve champion Charolais females as well as reserve grand champion bull.
The kids took first and second place in the youth showmanship division.
This year the youngsters had the champion female at the provincial 4-H heifer show in Olds.
Earlier this summer Brayden was the junior aggregate winner at the Canadian National Charolais show held in Weyburn, Sask.
They also work as a team and were the western Canadian show team judging champions last year.
“Our kids put 100 percent into it. They love it,” said their mother,
Loretta.
