When the Weinbender family of Canora headed to Regina for Agribition in November, they had no idea they were even in the running to receive the Saskatchewan Charolais Breeder of the Year Award.
But on November 24 during the Agribition Charolais Show, they won the prestigious award, said Carey Weinbender.
The family operation, Sliding Hills Charolais, includes Carey, his wife LeeAnn, their son Dale and daughters Sarah and Laura.
Nominations for the award are accepted from the membership across the province by the Charolais Breeder of the Year committee of the Saskatchewan Charolais Association (SCA). Those names are submitted to the nine-member Saskatchewan Charolais Board of Directors, which votes to declare the winner.
Weinbender said it’s a completely confidential process, which is why the family had no warning that they had been declared the winner until the official announcement was made.
He said the board looks at a variety of criteria to declare the winner, and obviously liked the Weinbender family’s history of involvement and accomplishments in the industry.
They run a mixed grain and cattle operation, said Weinbender. The cattle herd is 80 per cent registered purebred Charolais and 20 per cent commercial cattle. In the commercial herd, they produce crossbred offspring which are half Charolais and half Simmental. They host a bull sale on their farm every April, with their 12th annual sale coming up in 2018.
The family has been using artificial insemination and embryo transplant technology for a number of years, said Weinbender.
“It gives us access to a wider variety of genetics, which allows us to increase the quality and consistency of the herd.”
With the support of his wife and family, Carey was on the board of directors from 2008 to 2017. He was on the executive for the last five years, and spent the last year as president.
Weinbender helped orchestrate the award for the Charolais Commercial Producer of the Year, which is open to commercial producers who use Charolais bulls. The award was presented for the first time in 2016 at Canada Western Agribition (CWA), chosen from names submitted by 16 auction barns throughout Saskatchewan.
While on the SCA he has spent many years working with 4-H clubs across the province, including presenting prizes to winners at achievement days and regional winners at CWA.
The Weinbender children have been extensively involved in 4-H and the Canadian Charolais Youth Association (CCYA), where members are 21 and under.
Sarah is past president of the national executive, and Laura is past secretary of the provincial executive. Dale is presently the president of the Saskatchewan board of the CCYA.
Weinbender said he and his family have enjoyed being involved in the Charolais business and it has been a good experience for all of them.
Looking ahead, they will have the privilege of presenting the next Saskatchewan Charolais Breeder of the Year award to the unsuspecting winners at Agribition in 2018.
