Category Archives: Ag + Rodeo

The sheep are here! The sheep are here!!

Those of you who know me know that one of my other massively geeky hobbies – apart from knitting, photography and collecting illness-prone Asian cats – is spinning fibre.

It’s not outside the realm of possibility that I had a hidden agenda in coming to work in the newsroom. Yes….it gets me close to the sheep, which means fibre, which means trying to score wool by the pound.

I didn’t totally neglect my photo mission (see? Look! A gallery!) but I’m sure hoping to stay in touch with some of …ewe. (rimshot).

So in this gallery, the groomers are trimming and clipping their sheep, children are having close encounters of the sheep kind, and the barn boss and veterinarian are checking sheep out to ensure they are healthy for sale.

As spectator sports go it’s hard to beat the team penning competition. I mean, look at them!! Those cows are surprisingly wiley and sly and will shoot away like a greased weasel if you’re not paying attention.

“Don’t let the snowy roads keep you away,” said Marty Seymour, CEO and GM of Canadian Western Agribition.

“Take care out there, and our exhibitors, vendors and the friendly folks who have come from all over North American to show, compete and sell their livestock will take care of you when you get here.”

The main entrance to the Agribition Grounds off Lewvan Drive has been cleared. Parking areas near the building are snow-packed but also clear.

Today, tomorrow and Saturday offer some of Agribition’s most popular crowd pleasing event including team penning, the Wild Wool Ride – where youngsters clamber onto a sheep and ride it as long as they can – the Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn shows, and so much more.

“This Agribition has more exhibitors and more action than we’ve ever had before,” said Seymour.

“It might be slow going getting here for a next couple of days but you’ll be rewarded with lots of action, activities and get to see why Canada is a world-leader in agriculture.”

Here’s some of the sights worth seeing…and the best sight of all would be seeing YOU here!

And they made it look easy. They could have been pulling a palette of Tupperware from how effortlessly it seemed.

I had no ideas cows could get a mani/pedi. Just like at a high-end spa, the cow gets to recline and relax while someone makes their feet pretty. The someone in this case is Ray Kneeland of Warman, SK. Until yesterday, I had no idea this was a ‘thing’. Makes sense of course…you want your cow to look at his/her best in the show ring and pretty feet are all part of looking good.