EDMONTON – Leslie Richardson is scared to total the cost of her family’s trip to Farmfair International in Edmonton this year.
It cost $1,000 for the ferry ride from the Queen Charlotte Islands, fuel for the two-day trip to Edmonton, hotel rooms for two weeks, food and the $400 a day cost of hiring a veterinarian to look after their veterinarian clinic while they’re away.
“I’m serious, I just don’t want to know,” said Leslie, whose family runs Richardson Ranch in Tlell, B.C., the only cattle operation on the scenic islands off the northern British Columbia coast.
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The cost of showing their Polled Hereford cattle at Farmfair is the reality of raising cattle in a remote area of B.C., said her husband, Don.
“Nobody’s going to come to my house and look at my cattle. Nobody knows what I’ve got at home unless I show it to them,” he said before the Hereford show at Farmfair, which ran from Nov. 2-7.
“To sell purebred heifers you have to sell to other breeders and show them what we have.”
The Richardsons calve 35 cows on 300 acres of tidal meadows between the Pacific Ocean and an island river, from which every day they can see whales, sea lions and old shipwrecks. They operate a veterinary practice, feed store, boarding kennel, custom meat business and tourist centre.
“We do all this so we can support the cows,” Leslie said.
The internet has become an important tool for cattle sales. Each month Don updates the website with pictures and information about their cattle.
It is an opportunity for buyers to get a sneak preview before the cattle arrive at sales and shows on the mainland.
Travelling across the sometimes rough water seems to be harder on people than the cattle, Leslie said.
The cattle must be at the ferry two hours in advance and loaded in the bottom of the hold for the eight-hour ride, if the weather co-operates. This year the ferry was delayed because of three metre waves.
“The ocean was pretty rough.”
Last year, after the Queen of the North ferry sank, the cattle trailer had to be lashed to a barge for the trip to the mainland while Leslie and Don travelled by airplane. One of the bulls on the barge ended up as the high seller at the bull sale in Williams Lake, B.C.
Don said the trick to travelling with animals on water is to withhold water before travel to prevent nervous diarrhea. After the ferry ride, the cattle are driven to a friend’s place at Fort Fraser, B.C., for a bed and bale. The next day is a 12-hour trip to Edmonton if the roads are good.
“But the roads weren’t good,” Leslie said.
Added Don: “We’ve had some nasty trips through the mountains.”
Because of the expense, the Richardsons try to attend Farmfair every two years. Last year they were named Ambassador of the Year and won entry money for this year’s show.
“It really is a hell of a trip and a hell of an expense and you can’t do it all the time,” Leslie said.
The show is also a holiday. They visit with friends they’ve met in the barns during their seven other trips to Farmfair, take in the Canadian Finals Rodeo and shop at Costco.
