Dakota Townsend has been showing livestock since she was a toddler.
The latest triumph for the 16-year-old was winning the grand champion Hereford steer banner at the Calgary Stampede.
To commemorate the world Hereford conference being held in Alberta, the breed association put up $10,000 and the provincial organization kicked in another $2,000. Later, her steer was named reserve grand champion overall to win another $4,000.
Herefords have a history with her family.
Her great-grandfather Jack Butler of Youngstown, Alta., bought his first Herefords in 1950 from Bert Shepherd. He believed in the breed and in 1992 bought the Calgary Bull Sale champion for $15,000, considered a lot of money to pay for a bull going into a commercial herd.
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“When we heard the world Here-ford conference was coming to town, we thought we should do something to represent the family,” said Dakota, who is going into Grade 11 in the fall.
She is the daughter of Deone and Val Townsend of Sylvan Lake, Alta., who raise registered Angus, llamas and donkeys.
The family sold elite llamas during the 1990s but decided to change their focus and achieve the same success with beef cattle.
“We’ve been hitting hard on the cattle,” she said.
The family has about 160 mother cows on the ranch, called Lone Star Angus.
The straight-bred Hereford was imported from the United States as a young calf, and the two have been winning shows throughout the winter and spring. She estimated it had earned her more than $20,000.
“Every bit of money she has won, she buys more females,” said her mother.
However, Dakota thinks a better investment with the money from this steer would be a new farm truck for her father to replace one lost in an accident in the spring.
