Canada Agri Study Tour / Day 1
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The Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) were delighted to send twenty-five of their members on an agri-study tour to Canada explore Canadian agriculture, gain global insight and bring new ideas home to Northern Ireland. The tour aimed to broaden members’ agricultural understanding, develop their leadership skills, encourage further innovation within Northern Ireland’s agri-sector, strengthen cultural exchange and global connections and share learning across YFCU and the wider farming communities.
The two-week trip took place from Friday 26th June 2026 to Thursday 9th July 2026. Having completed the first full day of visits on Monday 29th June 2026, members gained an insight into two different beef farming systems and the scale and diversity of agriculture in the province.
The first visit of the trip was to Cattlelands Feed Yard, a family-run beef finishing operation, where members were welcomed by Farm Manager Mike. Kaitlyn Wilson (Ballywalter YFC) documented the visit, giving an insight into the large-scale finishing enterprise which processes over 40,000 cattle each year, alongside a further 450 suckler cows.
The Cattlelands operation extends across 160 acres, with cattle kept outdoors in pens of 200 throughout the year. The farm employs around 25 staff, with a further 10 employees brought in during the winter months.
One of the most striking aspects of the visit was learning how the farm operates in Alberta’s extreme winter climate, where temperatures can fall as low as -40°C. Water pipes are buried more than seven feet underground to prevent freezing, while electric heaters are fitted to water drinkers across the farm, which come from a 19-million-gallon water reservoir.
Cattle are purchased between six and twelve months of age for $2,500–$3,000, spending an average of 240 days on the farm. The target is to achieve daily liveweight gains of approximately 3.5–4lb. Cattle receive a hormone implant on arrival, followed by a second implant around 70 days later to support growth rates. The scale and efficiency of the handling system was another highlight, with the facility capable of processing up to 600 cattle per hour. More than 60% of the cattle finished at Cattlelands are Aberdeen Angus, with the breed selected for its easy-fleshing ability. Cattlelands also operates its own feed mill to produce feed for the animals, using approximately 300,000 tonnes of feedstuffs annually. Around 3,000 acres of irrigated ground are used to produce silage each year, while 10,000 round bales of straw are required to bed the cattle during the winter.
Following the visit to Cattlelands, the group travelled to the pedigree Hereford farm of Patrick and Karen Huestis where James McConnell (Collone YFC) documented his experience. Pedigree Hereford breeding has been a long-standing part of the Huestis family, with Patrick explaining how his parents bred a yearling heifer which went on to achieve major success, winning Hereford yearling championships in both Canada and the USA during the mid-1970s.
Patrick also shared his previous experience in agriculture, having farmed just outside Vancouver where he reared more than one million turkeys per year alongside his Hereford enterprise. However, after spending much of their lives near the busy city of Vancouver, Patrick and Karen decided they were looking for a quieter and more peaceful way of life. The couple subsequently made the approximately 11-hour journey to Airdrie, Alberta, where they purchased the farm they now call home. The farm extends to 160 acres, divided into eight paddocks, and is home to around 35 Hereford cows along with their youngstock. Calving begins in mid-February, with cows generally calving outdoors unless temperatures fall below -9°C, at which point there is a risk of the calves’ ears freezing. Members were allowed to view the farm’s breeding bulls, which command impressive prices through a combination of word-of-mouth sales, Facebook Marketplace and pedigree sales. Patrick discussed the differences between his previous and current farms, explaining how the previous holding was considerably more productive due to differences in climate and soil type.
The two visits provided YFCU members with a valuable opportunity to compare very different approaches to beef production, from a large-scale commercial finishing operation handling tens of thousands of cattle annually to a smaller pedigree Hereford enterprise focused on breeding quality livestock.
Victoria Minford (Vice President) explained that as the members were making their way back to their hotel, they stopped by a pasture where their tour guide Claire Finn showed her Hereford and Aberdeen Angus herd. Claire, along with her Father Graeme, practises farming methods which include adding alfalfa, sainfoin and vetch seeds into minerals, so when eaten by the cows and excreted, it can grow new grass and be added to the soil structure.
The visits formed part of day one of the Agri Study Trip to Alberta, allowing members to learn directly from farmers and industry representatives while gaining a broader understanding of Canadian agriculture and how farming systems adapt to different climates, land types and markets.
