As Rob Rolf pokes hay between the metal rails to his heifers at the Camrose, Alta., exhibition grounds, he takes a good look at the cattle.
The five Hereford heifers he’s brought to the show at the Canadian Bull Congress represent many sleepless nights and early mornings during the past 30 years, and a lifetime of building the 180-cow herd.
The last two years of drought and BSE depressed markets have many people, including Rolf, wondering if there is a future in the troubled cattle industry.
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“Eventually you’ve got to get some profit from the farm,” said Rolf, who added he’s not spending money on new equipment or extras.
“We’re all in survival mode.”
But saving a few hundred dollars by not attending the Canadian Bull Congress didn’t cross his mind.
The Camrose farmer has been bringing livestock to the show for its 17-year history.
As a Hereford breeder, he said it’s still important to display his cattle. As a farmer in the midst of an agricultural crisis, he said coming to the weekend agricultural show also offers a way for him to keep his sanity.
“It’s a way of getting behind each other and the community. We have to each of us support each other.”
He said too often farmers stay home to “fret and worry” about things over which they have no control.
Volunteering in the community, coming to a cattle show and visiting with neighbours are key to keeping perspective, he said.
“As farmers we have to deal with the mental stress of seeing 30 years of your work be compromised by what happened. As farmers we cope with so many things.”
Celina McNeely of Camrose said each day she’s thankful their 65 cows on the farm are more of a hobby than a primary income generator.
“We’re the lucky ones. It’s not having as big of an effect on us,” said McNeely, who brought two bulls to the sale. After the show, semen will be taken from the animals and shipped to buyers in Australia.
Yet the almost year-long depressed markets are beginning to take their toll, she said.
“It definitely brings you down.”
Diane Howarth with Crisis Centre, a rural crisis telephone line based in Red Deer, said during the past seven months she has seen an increase in the number of men who phone for help.
“More calls are from rural areas and more males are calling than females,” said Howarth, whose district covers the rural areas between Edmonton and Calgary and from the Saskatchewan border west to the mountains.
About 60 percent of the calls now come from men who need to talk.
“Just having someone to talk to is important,” said Howarth.
Crisis line workers sometimes act as sounding boards but they also direct callers to other areas where they can find help.
“It’s important to just have someone to talk to and not allow yourself to become too depressed,” said Howarth.
