GLADSTONE, Man. – Debunking myths like the use of catheters on horses
in the pregnant mare’s urine business will be the focus of Linda
McCaskill’s presidency.
Elected to the Manitoba Equine Ranching Association board in April for
a one-year term, she is keenly interested in educating the public about
farm commodities and farming practices.
MERA sets up a working booth, complete with horses, stalls and
collection equipment at major events like the Red River Exhibition in
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Winnipeg and the Brandon Winter Fair. It participates in the Manitoba
Farm Animal Council’s Touch The Farm, Through the Farm Gate and Amazing
Grains.
“Our displays enable us to show people exactly how we do it,” said
McCaskill, who cited a detailed code of practice that PMU producers
must follow. It includes feed and water requirements, stall and barn
sizes and regular veterinarian checks.
“It’s good for people to see our part of producing hormone therapy,”
said McCaskill, who regularly answers questions about how the urine is
extracted and how Brandon’s Wyeth-Ayerst plant uses it in estrogen
replacement drugs for menopausal women.
She and her husband Murray have 200 draft and light horses on their
six-quarter Dead Lake Ranch at Gladstone.
The parents of two sons, the McCaskills average about 120 mares on the
line each winter and raise horses for the pleasure horse market. They
took over the business 10 years ago from Murray’s parents, Glenn and
Joyce.
“We wouldn’t be in it if we didn’t enjoy horses,” said McCaskill, a
former rodeo participant originally from Coleman, Alta.
She also volunteers in the local school and with 4-H, and enjoys the
opportunity to meet people, exchange ideas with other farmers and
explain how PMU farming works.
The urine is only collected during the winter. The horses remain in
pastures in the summer, with the pregnant mares moved to barn stalls
from October to March for urine collection. They return in the spring
to the outdoors, where they have their foals.
Urine is collected in bowls or pouches mounted under the horse and
suspended on pulleys from the ceiling to allow the horse to stand or
lie down. Vehicles similar to milk trucks arrive at the farm twice a
week to collect the product stored in stainless steel tanks, and
transport it to Brandon.
Supporting women’s health was a factor encouraging McCaskill to run for
MERA president, said the group’s past-president, Fred Clement of
Rossburn, Man.
“When a woman is involved, people take a little different perspective
toward it,” he said, noting McCaskill can speak “woman to woman” about
the health benefits derived from PMU operations. She also represents
the typical PMU operation, a family-run farm.
Clement approached McCaskill to take on the presidency, citing her
strong organizational skills, sincerity, dedication to the PMU industry
and diplomacy in dealing with members and issues. He felt women were
more critical and sensitive about how the industry operates and often
ask the best questions.
Women also dominate the pleasure horse industry, where many foals
produced by pregnant mares are sold.
He hopes to see more women on MERA’s board in future. Now there are
two, McCaskill and secretary Linda Griffin of Darlingford, Man.
Maintaining strong links with horse associations and the Brandon plant
are other goals McCaskill has set for her term.
MERA is one of four regional associations represented by the North
American Ranching Information Council, a non-profit association of
equine ranchers providing information on research, industry trends and
marketing programs. NAERIC will host a biennial Horse Summit in Brandon
April 12-14, featuring 4-H and trade shows and presentations on horse
training and handling.
MERA seeks to raise the profile of its industry’s contribution to the
province. Its goals include the creation of a horse specialist position
within Manitoba Agriculture. The specialist would oversee all facets
and business opportunities in horse production including pleasure,
4-H, PMU and race horses.
There are 250 PMU producers in Manitoba, with a total of 428 in the
three prairie provinces and North Dakota. The future is stable for PMU
producers, with a six to eight percent increase in sales every year,
said the council.
