The apple did not fall far from the tree because that horsemanship got Bud inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1998.

He competed in every event under the sun, except for bareback riding.

Now approaching his 96th birthday, the former Fincastle, Alta., rancher and his family reflect on a rustic life that is just as colourful as his vast rodeo accomplishments of prize money, trophies, saddles, buckles and the bumps and bruises needed to earn them.

WHY IT MATTERS: Celebrating the interesting lives of agricultural producers of old keeps the industry connected on a human level.

VanCleave spent his whole life around animals, growing up in a family of eight that raised pigs, wild turkeys and goats along with the regular farm/ranch fare.

VanCleave was moving dozens of horses by himself as young as 14.

“Dad was the oldest boy, and that’s what they did,” said VanCleave’s daughter, Dalyce Hubek, who with her husband and father, affectionately referred to as Budly, recently gathered around the dinner table to spin yarns of life done the cowboy way.

“Dad would go by himself, run a bunch of horses to Vauxhall, through the coulee overnight.”

Two years later, VanCleave would hit the rodeo circuit.

That youthful vigor included once competing in three rodeos in a single day in Raymond, Fort Macleod and Bassano in southern Alberta.

When all was said and done, VanCleave would earn two Canadian championships, an all-around championship, three calf roping championships, 15 trophy saddles and enough belt buckles to fill numerous drawers, before retiring from competition in 1966.

VanCleave’s impact was felt in North America.

He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1954, the only time rodeo has appeared on the cover of the magazine.

In 1951, his Canadian rodeo prowess was showcased in front of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh and for Princess Margaret in 1958 in Calgary.

If VanCleave ever found himself short of spending money in his younger days, the mischievousness he learned as a rodeo clown and bullfighter would be applied behind the scenes.

“Joe (his brother) used to go to the rodeos and behind the chutes, get a wild horse and say, ‘my brother can ride that,’ and he’d bet and come out with pockets full of money,” said Hubek.

Like a pool hustler wearing spurs, a young VanCleave would also travel with his brother and friend, Robert Paterson, to rural Montana dive bars, where patrons did not know his skill on a horse.

“Dad would act like, ‘I don’t have a clue, I couldn’t ride a stick horse in a rainstorm.’ ”

So the patrons would bet that he couldn’t stay on a horse and then VanCleave and his brother would clean up when he did.

”They were pranksters,” said Hubek with a chuckle.

He once went for a drink in a bar after the Taber Rodeo, but also brought his horse, tying it to his chair. The owner, afraid he was going to lose his liquor licence, pressed charges.

In court, VanCleave offered to reenact the horse scenario before an English judge, and his cowboy charm and the judge’s memories of similar stories back home resulted in the charges being dropped.

VanCleave’s wife, Doris, was made of sturdy stuff back in the day, raising three kids. Dalyce’s birth came at prime rodeo time on July 1. VanCleave won a rodeo in Swift Current, Sask., before having to make his way to Calgary, unable to attend his child’s birth.

Doris proceeded to hitchhike her way to the hospital as she felt contractions before eventually getting picked up by a rural neighbour who was driving by.

However, her tough-as-nails motherhood still could not stop her from being a mortified wife with her husband’s run-in with the law by riding horses into bars.

“My poor mother, she would not come to town to get the mail for a month. She was so mad at Dad, she was afraid to show her face,” said Hubek with a sigh.

That humuorous spirit included a heart of gold.

VanCleave would often have a Shetland pony or other horses hooked up to his trailer for rural and city slicker kids alike to pet.

When he was not competing in a rodeo, he was volunteering, from flagging, judging or running the timed event chutes to providing roping calves and steers.

He was also a partner in a commercial fishing operation. They would haul a half-ton box full of fish and then give it away to those who needed it.

“Anybody that was poor that didn’t have enough to eat, anybody could just come … and take as many fish as they wanted. People appreciated it,” said Hubek.

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Nichole Neubauer of Medicine Hat and John Scott of Longview are among the nine inductees to be recognized for their service and achievements in their given field.

As the province’s highest honour, it is part of the Canadian Honours System and celebrates individuals whose leadership, innovation and dedication have shaped Alberta’s identity and strengthened its future.

Member impact ranges from medicine, science, engineering, law and business to politics, education, community service, agriculture and the arts.

“Since 1979, the Alberta Order of Excellence has recognized individuals who have made transformative contributions to our province. I am very proud to extend this honour to these nine men and women, whose lives have had an immeasurable impact upon Alberta history and opened new opportunities for countless other Albertans,” said Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani in a press release.

Neubauer has helped increase awareness of agriculture in the province for decades in the Medicine Hat region.

She was named recipient of the 2024 honourary applied baccalaureate degree from Medicine Hat College and helped create and co-ordinate the Irvine Agricultural Discovery Centre with Prairie Rose Public Schools.

Neubauer played a key role in the formation of the Agricultural Committee at the Medicine Hat & District Chamber of Commerce (now the Southeast Alberta Chamber) and has collaborated with the college to develop a suite of courses through its extended learning department.

She is also the recipient of the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and the winner of the 2020 Women in Business Inspire Award.

According to the Medicine Hat News, Neubauer Farms was established north of Irvine more than 110 years ago in 1910, and has been owned and operated by a member of the family ever since.

John Scott is a third-generation rancher on a property near the southern Alberta community of Longview which has its own claim to fame. He built three separate western movie sets on his ranch, a 5,000 acre property, featuring such movies as Unforgiven and Legends of the Fall.

His love of ranching and animals led to work in Hollywood starting in the early 1970s, riding animals as a stuntman on various westerns. That profession would last five decades and included involvement in seven Academy-Award-winning movies, according to Global News.

In the 1980s, Scott ran one of the first rodeo steer-riding schools, where future Calgary Stampede bronc, bareback and bull riders learned their craft. For more than four decades, he has provided the Calgary Stampede Parade with many of its horses.

Gary Mar, chair for the Alberta Order of Excellence Council, said deciding who should receive the award is never easy.

“We try the first cut at it, and narrow it down to 50 people, and then narrow it down further from there, ” he said.

“It’s a different test, but that is not to say there aren’t amazing people who do things at the community level. These are the people of the highest contribution to the Province of Alberta, and sometimes the country and even the world. They are not all household names, but when you look at what they have done, it is pretty remarkable.”

The investiture ceremony will be held in Edmonton in October. It will bring the total membership of the Alberta Order of Excellence to 229.

The full list of inductees can be found at alberta.ca/the-alberta-order-of-excellence.

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The first official Canadian rodeo was held in Raymond in 1903. In 1912, the Calgary Stampede was created, and from there, Alberta became a hub for rodeos, elevating it to the global stage.

Rodeo was introduced to North America by Mexican explorers in the late 1680s. It was adopted in the working practices of cowboys and ranchers because the skills of riding, roping and herding were handy for managing livestock.

The sport arrived in what is now the Canadian Prairies in the latter half of the 1880s. Cowboy culture was a considered a great match for the Alberta countryside and ranching.

Chad Byrne spent 17 years as a partner in Outlaw Buckers Rodeo, a company that supplies stock for rodeo events. He says the province plays a huge role in the rodeo scene throughout North America.

“Rural passion for who we are as Albertans and the strong agricultural sector, that fuels the love of rodeo and the western lifestyle,” he says.

Heart of rodeo

It’s nearly impossible to talk about rodeo in Alberta without talking about rodeo stock contractors. They are the backbone of rodeo events, working with organizers to match animals to events and maintaining a thrilling experience for competitors, audiences and stock.

Rodeo stock contractors supply and care for the livestock used in rodeo events: bucking horses, bulls, calves and steers. They specialize in breeding, raising and training elite rodeo animals, often through managed programs like the Calgary Stampede’s “Born to Buck.” This demands expertise in genetics, animal behaviour and health to meet athletic and ethical standards.

Taking stock

Stock contractors are similar to ranches in their priority to animal care but raise their animals for use in rodeo events. They focus on breeding and nurturing the next generations to strengthen their program and develop animals to succeed in the rodeo business.

Byrne says the most important factors in breeding rodeo stock are genetics, athletics and conformation from both sides.

“The old days of a sour saddle horse or a mean herd bull being successful in the business are extremely rare,” he says. “We always tried to give our animals the time to grow up and mature properly before asking them to buck.

“You can’t make them buck; they either want to or don’t. We believed in them being physically mature enough to not hurt themselves before we asked them to try, because they don’t know enough to ease into it. It’s what they’re bred to do.”

James Foley and Kiara Stasiuk of Foley Bucking Bulls of Lloydminster, Alta., raise registered American bucking bull cattle. They agree that genetics only go so far.

“We start bucking these calves (heifers and bulls) as yearlings, with a 10-pound dummy on their back, and we are looking for their intensity, kick, spin and try,” they wrote in an email.

Ethical responsibility

Contractors must adhere to strict regulations to ensure the safety and humane treatment of livestock. Their reputation hinges on balancing the animals’ well-being with the demands of rodeo performance.

“We have a herd health program that follows the guidance of our vet. We have a nutritionist for our feed, which is specifically designed for our rodeo cattle,” wrote Foley and Stasiuk.

For competition preparation, animals are trained to get used to the motions and stimuli of rodeo events. Before riders are introduced, a “dummy” with a remote-controlled release is used to simulate bucking. Animals are observed closely, with adjustments made if they show signs of discomfort or issues with performance.

Partnership

Most pro rodeo contracts in Alberta are initially awarded on a bid. Once a contractor business has established a relationship and proved itself, contracts will often extend without the need to bid again.

Stasiuk and Foley say stock contractors put on most bull riding events in Western Canada and the bull riders choose which bulls go to the finals. Byrne expanded on the relationship between stock contractors and rodeo athletes.

“You spend so much time with the contestants that you become good friends,” he says. “The guys will come to you before the rodeo and ask specific details about the animal they’ve drawn. You want to be as upfront and honest about their tendencies and traits as possible because you want them to showcase your animal, and both have a successful day.

“The more successful the contestants are on your animals, the more they will want to come to the rodeos (where you are) supplying stock.”

One of the names synonymous with rodeo stock in Alberta is Kesler.

The Kesler family’s legacy began with Reg Kesler (1919–2001) and Reg’s son, Greg Kesler, expanded the family business. After Greg’s death in 2016, and after his wife Judy’s death in 2020, the Brewin family bought the rodeo stock and carried on the tradition.

“Greg cared for his livestock like family. He would do anything for those horses and bulls,” said Roy Brewin.

Roy’s daughter, Tami-Jo Brewin added, “when someone else’s family has put in so many generations of hard work, it kind of hits us in the heart. So it was a pretty easy decision.”

Stasiuk and Foley say there is no better community than ranching and rodeo. Byrne’s most memorable experience as a partner of Outlaw Buckers was “having our animals selected to perform on the biggest stages in North America.

“Being with your animals and watching them succeed at elite places like the NFR (National Finals Rodeo), CFR (Canadian Finals Rodeo), Calgary and Ponoka Stampedes and Pendleton Round Up made it all worthwhile. It’s like watching your kids excel, and it makes you very proud. It’s not about you. It’s about their accomplishments.”

The post The heart of the rodeo appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Students from Iowa’s CAC Media Group ventured to Regina for hands-on agricultural journalism experience.

Hannah Grantz, Jake VanderHeiden and Katlin Truelsen, students from high schools across Clinton County in eastern Iowa, interviewed, photographed and videotaped Canadian livestock producers, Spanish bullfighters and Saskatchewan rodeo queens for their social media channels.

They also plan to take stories home and work with other editors and publishers at digital and print publications across the United States.

Truelsen was eager for the chance to explore Canadian agriculture. At 16 years old, she has written articles for Humps N Horns Bull Riding Magazine out of Fort Worth, Texas. At Agribition, she jumped at the chance to interview bullfighters from Spain, who were competing in the Bullfighters Only Canadian Grand Prix on Tuesday.

Growing up on a cattle farm, Truelsen said learning about the rodeo world is new for her.

“It was cool to learn about the rodeo experience, hear what the bull riders have to offer. I mean, most of them are the same age as me, or a little older, so it’s cool to see what they do in their everyday lives compared to what I do.”

In addition to the students, three media group alumni also travelled to Regina for the event: Nate Lange, Beth Lamp and Carsen Mangelsen.

Lange was interested to see how different businesses run their operations. He earned a degree in marketing and sales management after participating in the CAC Media Group program when he was in high school. He’s been drawn to how businesses find efficiencies and create solutions to ongoing problems.

“Everyone does it a little differently, so just seeing how they do it and why they do it is really interesting.”

Lange was one of the first members when Jenna Stevens started the ag media program in 2017. Stevens noticed gaps in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) curriculum when it came to agricultural communications, so when the Agriculture in the Classroom consultant had unexpected free time with a group following an early end to a competition, they started a podcast that got picked up by a local radio station.

From there, they created a television show during COVID-19 because there was studio time up for grabs. Since then, the group continually looks for new opportunities to get student members hands-on experience in the agriculture journalism and communication industry.

The group is working on a rebranding and marketing campaign for Humps N Horns, said Stevens, and will help the magazine launch a new apparel line when the crew goes out to Las Vegas later in the year.

“I’m designing some of the new logos that are going to go on their apparel,” said Stevens. “We’ll be updating their website and doing some more marketing with that.”

Stevens works with 56 teachers in classrooms, teaching agricultural education, whether those are fun lessons for younger students or more complex, hands-on concepts.

Stevens and her students were surprised at the lack of agricultural education and hands-on learning provided in the Saskatchewan curriculum. She works to provide experiences to kids in her area, taking agricultural concepts and putting them into practice. She’s had students build things like rice paddies and hydroponic farms from the ground up.

Before coming to Agribition, the CAC team visited the University of Saskatchewan’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence and the Bovigen cattle reproduction centre in Moose Jaw.

Comparing educational opportunities in Saskatchewan versus those in Iowa, people want to see more when it comes to ag education in kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms, said Stevens.

“There are a lot of rural individuals in this particular province and so it seems like people would like to see their children have those opportunities through the school system.”

The post At Agribition: Iowa school group looks in on Prairie ag appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Their concerns centre around new directives centred around moving and tagging which they say would affect Canada’s 5,000 fairs, rodeos and other events.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has proposed that fairgrounds be responsible as the “intermediate site” to record animal movements to and from the fairgrounds within one week. They also say that if an animal loses its indicator at a fairground, it would be up to the site operator to re-tag the animal.

“We are being generalized as having more resources than we actually do,” said CAFE executive director Christina Franc. “And we are seen as high risk because we’re a co-mingling site.”

Eighty-three per cent of people involved in animal shows and events in Canada are volunteers. Franc said asking them to learn and perform added responsibilities could be a challenge.

“Staff and volunteers are very different things,” Franc said. “Labour is already a huge issue, imagine trying to get volunteers on board to do more stuff out of their own time.”

Franc said that many volunteers may not have necessary experience with livestock.

“They may be a bookkeeper in their day job, and never (have) been near a cow before. And now you’re asking them to put a tag in the animal’s ear? That’s risky for the animal, as well as for the individual.”

She said the problems could extend to the producers as well.

“I do not know a single producer who wants their animal to be tagged with a premise ID number other than their own,” she said.

According to CAFE, 90 per cent of producers said they did not want fairgrounds tagging their livestock.

It also says “two thirds of exhibitors have said they would be willing to be responsible for reporting their animal movements to/from the fairgrounds.”

Based on these figures, CAFE is proposing regulations that Franc says will “ensure efficiency and compliance.”

They include producers/farms of origin being the ones responsible for reporting animal movements and re-tagging animals if indicators are lost or damaged.

“We fully support livestock traceability,” Franc said, “but the animal movement, the burden of it, putting it on the fairs when it just makes more sense to put it on the producers who are already doing it, that’s the part we struggle with.”

The federal government has launched a consultation period, running until June 16. CAFE is encouraging those involved in holding animal events, and other stakeholders, to participate by submitting feedback.

CAFE offers a guide on its website for providing feedback; the federal consultation and impact analysis statement are also online via the Canada Gazette.

— Jonah Grignon reports for Glacier FarmMedia from Ottawa.

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Mental health training courses

Several sessions of the Mental Health First Aid course are being held in the next two months. The course provides training to help people better manage mental health problems in themselves, a family member, a friend or a colleague. This includes how to know signs and symptoms of mental health problems, how to provide initial help, and how to guide someone towards appropriate professional help. The eight-hour course, which is done online, consists of two hours of reading and preparation along with two three-hour sessions with a facilitator and certified instructor. For more info and to register, go to domore.ag/how-to-do-more.

Funding for 4-H clubs

Just over 200 4-H clubs across the country will share $100,000 from Farm Credit Canada. The donation provides up to $500 per club for developing existing programs; covering costs associated with local events; and exchanges, supporting volunteers, or purchasing resource materials. In all, 203 clubs will receive a grant, with 57 4-H clubs, districts, and regions in Alberta receiving $28,500.

Animal care awards

Applications are being sought for the Alberta Farm Animal Care Awards of Distinction. The awards recognize individuals or groups who have made exceptional contributions in the field of livestock welfare. There are three categories — innovation, communications, and leadership. Details and nomination forms (due by Feb. 10) can be found in the Awards section of afaclcc.ca.

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The probe dates back to October that year, when a beef cow of an unknown age, from a cow-calf operation in B.C.’s southern Interior, was culled, shipped east and slaughtered at a federally-inspected plant in southern Alberta, on Oct. 24, 25 and 26 respectively.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which routinely takes and tests tissue samples from Canadian beef packing plants for its bovine TB surveillance program, on Nov. 9 confirmed positive results from the B.C. animal.

Ultimately, only that cow, and three other animals from the same B.C. herd, were found to have TB-related lesions, and all were later confirmed through lab cultures to have had the same strain of bovine TB.

In the meantime, the probe saw 23,000 animals in 42 herds also tested for bovine TB — with almost 1,050 of those animals ordered destroyed, CFIA said.

As for where the strain came from, lab culture tests and whole-genome sequencing found the strain isolated from the four TB-positive animals to be “most genetically related” to strains isolated in the U.S. from fed cattle of “Mexican or unknown” origin.

But the specific TB strain in this case is not linked to any previous TB cases in wildlife, humans or livestock in Canada, CFIA added.

Canada’s previous outbreak of bovine TB in domestic cattle, in 2016, also featured a whole other TB strain that also had no link to any previous cases in Canada, including the 2018 case.

Rodeo cattle

Given both of those outbreaks, CFIA said it’s been evaluating “possible entry pathways of bovine TB from outside the country” to see if other preventive measures could help stop “non-domestic” strains from arriving in Canada.

Based on its evaluation, CFIA said it has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to apply “more stringent” testing on U.S.-origin rodeo cattle before they’re imported into Canada, effective May 1 this year.

There’s also been no evidence so far of the 2018 strain spreading to any animals, including wildlife, outside the index herd where the four cases were found. B.C. provincial officials are still running ongoing surveillance of wildlife in the “vicinity” of the index herd.

The index premises had to undergo cleaning and disinfection before it could be restocked. One pasture was “not permitted” for restocking, CFIA added, as the producers chose to keep that pasture fallow for a two-year period, to be completed next year.

Compensation paid out to cover transportation, disposal and destruction of animals totaled $3.78 million, of which about $3.2 million was paid directly to producers, CFIA said in its report, released Aug. 6.

Up to $1 million more was made available through AgriRecovery to help cover “extraordinary costs” incurred where herds were quarantined or ordered destroyed. A portion of eligible costs was covered related to feeding, veterinary expenses, extraordinary handling and cleaning and disinfection on sites where bovine TB was confirmed.

“Given the outcome of the case response, British Columbia continues to be recognized as being free from bovine TB,” as do all other provinces, CFIA said in its report.

“The strength of Canada’s bovine TB program supported uninterrupted international market access for Canadian cattle and meat products during the course of the response and this mitigated any impacts on the overall Canadian cattle sector.”

Data entry

As for lessons learned from the B.C. outbreak, CFIA noted “information management and technology challenges” remain for disease responses. That said, data management was improved using new RFID ear tag readers and centralized data, which “reduced the need for manual data entry and the related costs and potential for errors.”

The beef industry is interested in “further discussions in regard to producer compensation,” CFIA said, including costs not currently covered under federal compensation plans for such outbreaks.

The industry would also like to discuss “potential alternatives to herd destruction for herds with unique genetics,” the agency added.

Producers and industry groups also noted the importance of “effective communications with producers,” CFIA said.

The agency, in its report, acknowledged the “vital role” the province and industry played on that front, including “extremely valuable” ongoing representation from the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association.

It will also help, CFIA said, to have a revised bovine TB hazard-specific plan finalized before the next such outbreak, “to ensure clear direction for incident commanders and field staff.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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“As a community celebration, the cancellation of our annual event comes with our community and public health and safety front of mind,” Stampede president Dana Peers said on a conference call Thursday with reporters.

The provincial health department on Thursday confirmed the gathering restrictions it has in place due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic will also apply to the province’s various summer festivals, agricultural fairs, rodeos, sporting championships and industry conferences.

The Calgary Folk Music Festival, which had also been scheduled for July this year, announced its cancellation Thursday just shortly before the Stampede’s conference call.

The province’s current orders prohibit gatherings of 15 or more people, require two-metre social distancing at gatherings of fewer than 15 and “will continue to apply until evidence demonstrates that the spread is controlled.”

By clarifying those restrictions now, the province said, event organizers “will be able to provide advance notice of 60 days or more that may help them limit unrecoverable expenditures, and cancel contracts in a timely manner.”

The Stampede had been scheduled for July 3-12 this year. The annual event, which dates back to 1912, is billed as a celebration of “the people, the animals, the land, the traditions and the values that make up the unique spirit of the West.”

A showcase and networking event for the province’s farming and livestock sectors, the Stampede’s attractions typically include “world-class” agricultural competitions and displays and the world’s largest outdoor rodeo, which combined involve over 7,500 animals, including cattle, horses, swine, donkeys and sheep.

The event, and others held in any other given year at its host site Stampede Park, are estimated to contribute about $700 million annually to the Canadian economy, including about $540 million to Alberta’s economy alone, Peers said.

Asked whether the Stampede — which previously has survived calamities such as the city’s June 2013 flood — has any insurance coverage that might help it recover some of the costs of such a cancellation, he replied it does not.

The not-for-profit Stampede organization’s focus will now shift to fall, winter and spring events at Stampede Park, and to planning for the 2021 Stampede, scheduled for July 9-18 that year, he said.

“To stand here and say there’ll be no Stampede for the first time in 97 years, that’s very, very, very tough,” Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said on Thursday’s call, adding the city government stands “in full support” of the Stampede’s decision.

“For the last five weeks it has felt to many of us like more and more and more things are getting taken away — and you know what, it is OK to feel sad and angry and frustrated about some of these things,” he said.

He described the situation as “a test of our collective resolve,” and said that eventually, “the rodeo will come back, the rides will come back, the music will come back and what will never, ever go away is our community spirit.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Typically the event kicks off with a sense of nervous anticipation, accompanied by pulse-quickening hard rock like AC/DC, and an excited announcer asking spectators, ‘Are you ready for some bull riding?’

The chute opens and everyone holds their breath for eight seconds, wondering if the rider can hang on.

Dennis Halstead is not there for those eight seconds.

He’s there for what happens next.

With his makeup and trademark yellow shoes, the retired Calgary firefighter is easily singled out as a rodeo clown, one of those responsible for protecting a dismounted or downed rider.

“It’s my job to make sure that a cowboy’s safe in the arena,” he said. “With my barrel, it’s to make sure that barrel’s in a position so if the cowboy or bullfighter’s in trouble, they can get behind the barrel and I take the hit.”

And Halstead has certainly taken hits. Over the 20 years of his second career, he’s had a multitude of near misses, including one memorable instance where a bull’s horn came within a hair’s breadth of his face.

Even within the safety of his padded barrel, being hit is like, “being thrown in a dryer, turn the dryer on and then throw it down a flight of stairs,” he said.

Halstead himself has a long list of battle wounds, including numerous broken bones.

“That’s the nature of my business,” he said. “They estimate it’s like being hit by a small truck doing 25 to 30 miles an hour.”

Clown versus bullfighter

There are two key players when it comes to keeping bull riders safe after they’re off the animal’s back.

There’s the beloved rodeo clown and the bullfighter, who sports a cowboy hat and cleats, rather than makeup. A bullfighter will actively draw the bull away after the rider is thrown or dismounts, relying on the rodeo clown, or barrelman, to distract the bull if necessary.

Lyle Sankey, founder of the Sankey Rodeo School based in Missouri, trains both.

“The term ‘rodeo clown’ used to encompass a lot of things,” he said. “It’s kind of morphed now and divided into (these) two groups.

“When you use the term bullfighter, that’s the guy who does the cowboy protection — draws the bull away from a fallen rider and also freestyle bullfighting,” he said, referencing the one-on-one matchup between fighter and bull that has become a form of crowd entertainment and a sport in its own right.

Bullfighting is by far the more popular of the two options at his school, he said. It’s becoming a stand-alone sport, one looking to be on par with bull riding in terms of spectator appeal — and risk.

In freestyle bullfighting competitions, there is no rider to protect and competitors are graded on their daring, willingness to risk themselves, and ability to stay as close to the bull as possible during a 60-second encounter. It has turned bullfighting into a quick-fire, almost dance-like series of dodges, daredevil stunts (including selfies as the bull barrels in from behind), and aerial flips.

The job of barrelman shares that strange contrast of switching between his sometimes life-and-death role and lighthearted clowning.

“Here this weekend I get to blow myself up in an outhouse,” Halstead said while appearing at Ag Ex here this fall.

“I get to ride a motorbike through a wall of fire. Of course that’s all the fun stuff, and then, of course, the serious job is the bull riding.”

Preparing for the job

Sankey’s courses are all three-day clinics, regardless of whether the student is drawn to bullfighting or life as a rodeo clown. For many, that turns into a string of camps that makes up their only formal education. A bullfighter or clown might take a course, return home, get more field experience, and then return to Sankey’s school for another round.

“We deal with the fundamentals, give them the right foundation, the right start, and then students who have more experience or are more advanced, we work with them on what they’re able to work on at that point in time,” Sankey said.

Most of the training programs weren’t in place back when Halstead got his unplanned start in the business at the Calgary Police Rodeo. The annual fundraiser sees police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and corrections officers ‘give it a go’ in rodeo events. And that’s pretty much how Halstead got started.

“They had a big-name rodeo clown scheduled and he backed out a week before,” he recalled.

Having grown up around rodeo, Halstead volunteered to fill in.

It was the start of a career that would eventually see him named among the top five rodeo clowns, become a four-time Canadian Professional Rodeo Association entertainer of the year and make multiple appearances at the Canadian Finals Rodeo, RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo, and other high-profile events. The 57-year-old spends as much as 10 months of every year on the road, performing as many as 140 times annually.

And he has no plans on putting away those bright-yellow shoes any time soon.

“I’m living the dream,” he said with a grin.

A version of this story previously appeared on the Manitoba Co-operator.

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“It’s five full days packed full of programming,” said Suzanne Bielert, agriculture event manager with Northlands. “We look at what’s happening in the industry, what’s new and exciting, and then we work with industry partners. We really make sure what we’re putting on really resonates with the industry.”

Below are a few highlights of the events scheduled for this year’s Farmfair.

Mini Pony Classic

The Rank Mini Pony Canadian Classic is a new-to-Farmfair bucking horse-style event for kids and youth ages nine to 14. It features champions of rank pony competitions (held throughout the summer) competing for the Canadian championship.

“It’s the same kind of horse bucking event you would see over at the Canadian Finals Rodeo — it’s kind of an exciting event,” said Bielert. “Last year we brought the Rodeo Future Champions event, which was a timed event for the youth. This brings in another side of youth rodeo.”

The event takes place at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 in Hall D of the Edmonton Expo Centre.

BeefTech

Although not officially a part of Farmfair, BeefTech — a look at emerging technologies and innovative management practices — is being held this year in conjunction with the event.

“It’s a stand-alone beef conference but we’re putting it on at the same time as Farmfair International because we really think there’s value in having both events together,” said Bielert.

The conference features hands-on workshops and labs, technology demonstrations, and technical learning sessions. Keynote speakers include Robert Saik from Agri-Trend with ‘The Agriculture Manifesto’ and Andrew Campbell from Fresh Air Media with ‘Stand Up for Your Industry!’

It takes place Nov. 8 and 9 in various venues throughout the Edmonton Expo Centre.

Purebred shows

A Farmfair hallmark, the Purebred Beef Shows are considered one of Canada’s ideal destinations to do business in the beef cattle industry, featuring top-quality genetics from purebred and commercial breeders.

“We’re really excited about our numbers for all our purebred cattle shows,” said Bielert.

The shows take place Nov. 8-11 in Hall B.

Bull Pen Show

The Bull Pen Show allows all Farmfair exhibitors to show off pens of bulls born in 2017 or 2016. New this year is the addition of the Commercial Cattlemen’s Day Lunch as well as guest speakers as champions are crowned. A lunch ticket will give attendees a chance to win one of five $1,000 credits towards a bull purchase from any of the Bull Show exhibitors.

This event takes place Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. in Hall B.

Junior Futurity

This event gives cattle enthusiasts aged five to 21 the chance to showcase their herds. It features showmanship competitions, a peewee division, an open division, bred and owned division, and a commercial division. It takes place at various times in Hall B from Nov. 9-11.

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