Press Release
With a full bus load and many cars following along, the only word to describe the Rainy River Hereford Association’s fall cattle tour is “successful.”
More than 60 people participated in the day-long affair and saw a range of beef operations throughout Rainy River District.
On the bus, Kim Jo Bliss, recent Queen’s Jubilee Medal winner, acted as tour guide, giving participants lots of background information and tidbits about the farming community.
Even participants who have lived in the district their entire life commented on her wealth of knowledge and all the new things they learned.
With 10 different stops, participants got to see a wide range of cattle farms. As well, they also could see some of the results of the recent tiling activities that took place in the district and learned about some of the expanded crops now produced here.
Bliss said the highlight of the trip for her was meeting all the young people who are involved farming here.
“Eighty percent of the farms we stopped at had young farmers under the age of 40 actively involved in these operations–some of them with university and college degrees in agriculture,” she noted.
“This bodes well for the future of agriculture in the Rainy River District.”
Tom Oates, a visitor from England, was surprised about the variety of terrain within the district.
“I was amazed to see the flat, Red River Valley-style land in the west, the rolling land in the east, and the stony land in the north,” he remarked.
“The bus toured on all the back roads, so we were able to physically see the changes and the different kinds of farming that comes with it,” Oates added.
“Very interesting!”
Some of the families who participated included the Krahns, Brielmanns, McNabbs, Zimmermans, Flatts, Blisses, Bujolds, Sletmoens, Calders, and Cornells.
The tour ended at Cornell Farms in La Vallee with a steak barbecue and musical entertainment by “Entirely Mac,” all compliments of the Rainy River District Hereford Association.
Organizer Laura Zimmerman was very pleased with how the day turned out, with some participants coming from as far as Thunder Bay and the U.S.
She hopes to do in again in another year or two.
