Local cattle breeders are gearing up to host others in their field, in both senses of the word.
It just so happens that this year, the Quebec Angus Association and the Quebec Simmental Association are both hosting their annual field day in the Pontiac, at farms just kilometres from each other, and so both farms decided to turn it into a joint event.
On Aug. 9, Bristol View Farm and Armohr Farm in Bristol will be swinging open their gates to welcome Angus and Simmental breeders from across the province to tour their operations and visit their herds.
Those farms’ cattle will be joined by livestock from other Pontiac breeders, to offer visitors a full display of what this corner of the province is producing.
But it’s not just other cattle farmers who are welcome to take part in this farm tour — it’s open to anybody interested in a behind-the-scenes look at all that goes into this type of production.
“It was just a coincidence that their field days were happening on the same day, so then we decided to join together and make it one big day of Pontiac breeders and just celebrate people in agriculture,” said Reese Rusenstrom, who works for Armohr Farm and also has her own small herd of purebred Simmental cattle.
Rusenstrom, along with Will Armitage at Armohr Farm and Jenn Russell-Judd at Bristol View Farm, have been hard at work to organize not only a coordinated tour of the two farms that includes a school bus ride between the two locations, but also a prime rib supper, a cash bar, and live music from Levi Hart to round off the day at Starborn Farm, which Russell-Judd co-owns with her husband Robin Judd.
“The event is open to everybody. If you’re just curious about agriculture, or even if you’re just looking for a night out with a bunch of livestock enthusiasts, I think it will be a really good night,” Rusenstrom said.
Pat Sullivan, president of the Quebec Simmental Association, said the association tries to move its annual field day to a different corner of the province each year, to give all producers a chance to attend.
He noted the furthest west he believes the event has been hosted, at least in his memory, was Lachute, two years ago, and that it’s rare two separate breed associations have overlapping field days like this.
“It’s a good chance to mingle. Any time you have a couple of events it certainly makes it more appealing for people if they’re coming a distance, they can see two operations and a chance to see more people,” Sullivan said.
Armohr Farm, in north Bristol, has about 400 heads of Angus cattle.
Bristol View Farm consists of three generations of beef farmers – Bill Russell, Jenn Russell-Judd, and her son Ben Judd.
Together they have a herd of 220 Simmental and Simmental influence cows.
“When we had a request to host the Quebec field day last winter we were excited to see what we could put together. The Pontiac doesn’t always have a lot of provincial events so we needed to say yes,” Russell-Judd said.
“Working together [with Will] to show off the Pontiac breeders and celebrate the beef industry is something we wanted to do together.”
For Rusenstrom, who is early yet in her career as a cattle farmer, the event is just as much about highlighting all that farmers do to feed their communities as it is about showcasing the cattle.
“I think it’s important to celebrate the industry because in the world that we live in, some people in the city and town, I don’t think they fully know how these farmers work 365 days a year to put food on the table, and it’s not just the cows, it’s about growing the crops, and the hay [ . . . ] it’s just a day to showcase everything you’ve worked hard towards.”
Tickets to the event, including the dinner, are $35. Those interested in attending should RSVP by emailing Rusenstrom at asq-qsa@outlook.com by Aug. 4.
