The Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) Development Program has announced the six Alberta recipients selected to participate in the pilot phase of the mentorship initiative.
The CYL program is a national youth initiative announced by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) in July. It provides industry-specific training and mentorship opportunities to producers between 18 and 35. CYL participants will have the opportunity to explore a potential career choice or involvement with a provincial/national producer organization, while gaining the expertise and business acumen necessary to sustain the cattle industry into the future.
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As the inaugural members of the CYL Program, participants in the Alberta pilot will provide valuable feedback to ensure a successful national rollout of the program in early 2011.
The six selected CYL mentorship recipients are:
Professional Mentorship category
Cody Schooten: a feedlot operator from Diamond City, Alta. Schooten has selected an area of interest in beef marketing.
Rosie Templeton: a student at the University of Alberta and a purebred cow-calf operator with her family in Coaldale. Templeton’s area of interest is in agriculture communications.
Samantha Sperber: a student at the University of Alberta and a cow-calf operator with her family near Rimbey. Sperber’s area of interest is in seed-stock production.
Industry Leader Mentorship:
Keith Ypma: a feedlot operator from Taber, Alta. Ypma’s selected area of interest is in domestic agriculture and foreign trade.
Nanita Blomquist: a commercial cow-calf producer in Big Valley and the Alberta field manager for the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA). Her area of interest is in beef marketing
Ricki Fleming: a senior herd manager for the CFIA Animal Disease Research Institute in southern Alberta and also actively ranches a purebred operation with her family in Granum. Ricki has selected animal health as her area of interest.
Funding for the CYL Program is made available through our Foundation Partners. The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) has provided $198,900 over three years.
Cargill is the latest foundation partner providing $70,000 over the next three years.
