History, Culture and Cowboys

Our day began in the historic Stockyards District of Fort Worth, once called "Cowtown". This was once the great livestock exchange of the region, as animals made their way into the area‎ by rail. The economy and infrastructure has changed, but the industry has adapted.

At Superior Livestock Auction, bimonthly livestock auctions are held ‎in the original Livestock Exchange. With a twist. It's all done remotely via satellite and web, and has been since the 1980s (using television at that point, not web).

The auction has a network of hundreds of field representatives throughout the country, working with farmers and ranchers to improve their herd health and genetics, obtain the necessary certifications and film video footage of the animals for buyers to see via the website. A single lot of cattle will sell in 30-90 seconds. As you can imagine, auction days are action packed and buyers need to be ready with their bids.

After visiting Superior Livestock, we headed into The Stockyards in Fort Worth to watch the cattle drive and explore the area. The cattle drive runs every day at 11:30 and 4:30 out front of the historic stock yards building. After managing to find a bit of shade, we were greeted by 13 longhorn cattle meandering down the street, slowly but surely. When the cattle made it down the street some of us ventured over to watch the historic reenactment of a shootout.

The group then split up and headed to grab food at various spots in the area, ranging from Cooper’s Bar-B-Que to the White Elephant to the highly recommended chicken fried steak, (a battered & deep fried seasoned steak) at Horseshoe Hill.

After lunch (Texas BBQ for some, the local saloon for others) the class headed to Bonds Ranch in Saginaw, an extensive ranching business with locations throughout the southern USA, which moves hundreds of thousands of head per year. With a goal of obtaining the best return on investment, Bond's purchases cattle from smaller operators and feeds them until they are sold to a finishing operation. We enjoyed a frank discussion of the industry with Pete Bonds, who chewed tobacco as he answered questions. Yes, we are really in Texas!

From Bond’s Ranch, we headed to the Mesquite Championship Rodeo. On our way, we stopped for ice cream treats for those who wanted them. First up at the rodeo was the barbecue buffet with delicious ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket and ribs.

The rodeo was about two hours of western fun, with everything from bucking broncs to steer wrestling, roping and even bull riding!

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

MPP Paul Vickers Named Parliamentary Assistant to Minister of Agriculture, Food & Agribusiness

Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound MPP Paul Vickers said that he is pleased to be named the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, the Hon. Trevor Jones. “Agriculture has been the passion of my life,” said Vickers, the newly elected, first-term MPP. “I am very excited for this opportunity to advocate for Ontario’s farmers and agri-businesses.” The mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness includes supporting the growth of Ontario’s agrifood sector, providing business supports to farmers, and ensuring the sustainability of agriculture through research and innovation. As Parliamentary Assistant, Vickers will support the Minister in achieving his mandate.

Prioritizing on-farm safety for the next generation

A fun and interactive program is available to help farm families start those important conversations about safety. The BASF Safety Scouts program provides 2,000 BASF Safety Scout and BASF Safety Captain kits each year at no cost to farm families across Canada. The kits are designed to encourage farm children to take on the role of safety ambassador on their farm. Leta LaRush, Vice President, Business Management at BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada said the program is a key pillar of how BASF supports the communities where their customers live, work, and play. “Our children’s safety must always come first on the farm, and it is particularly important we keep safety top of mind during busy seasons,” LaRush said. “Initiatives like this provide valuable resources that help farm families and communities invest in on-farm safety. By prioritizing these programs, we can work together to shape a safer and brighter tomorrow for Canadian agriculture.” The free activity kits can help farm fam

With 8.7 million birds dead, B.C. farmers assess avian flu toll, and worry about what's next

There is a window of relief for British Columbia farmers from the devastating waves of avian flu, leaving them to assess the toll of outbreaks spanning more than three years that saw millions of birds culled at hundreds of farms. Farmers and scientists also worry what the next migration of wild birds will bring this year. Some farmers have moved their operations outside British Columbia's Fraser Valley or exited the industry altogether since the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu began circulating, said farmer Ray Nickel. Nickel, who operates a farm in Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley, was forced to cull 60,000 chickens in the fall of 2022 due to the disease. He said his flock of about 9,000 turkeys on another farm was also euthanized in 2023. "It's just daunting, and the uncertainty about what's happening around you does weigh on you," Nickel said of the virus. "We've had reoccurring events, particularly in the fall, and the amount of anxiety and stress that goes in for producers w

2025 Planting Plans Reveal a Pivot in Alberta’s Fields: Statscan

Alberta farmers are shaking up their planting strategies — and sending a clear message: adaptability is the new productivity. Wheat is on the rise, canola is pulling back, and lentils and dry peas are starting to elbow their way into more rotations, according to new data from Statistics Canada. The 2025 crop year will be anything but business as usual in Alberta, as producers recalibrate around profitability, drought resilience, and global demand signals. Across the province, wheat is regaining dominance, with farmers expecting to plant 6.6% more wheat than last year, totalling 8.4 million acres. Most of that is driven by a surge in spring wheat, which is up 8.0% to 7 million acres — a response to strong international demand and a return to fundamentals in uncertain times. But perhaps the biggest plot twist? Canola — long the golden child of Prairie agriculture — is taking a hit. Alberta producers plan to seed 4.3% less canola in 2025, bringing acreage down to 6.1 million. That’s a

FCC: With Margins on Thin Ice, Growers Face Tough Seeding Choices This Spring

As the seeding window approaches across Canada, growers are entering the 2025 planting season with more uncertainty than usual — that’s the message in a new analysis from Farm Credit Canada written by senior economists Justin Shepherd and Graeme Crosbie. Ongoing trade disputes, including new tariffs from China, are adding to market volatility and complicating decisions around crop selection, FCC says—particularly at a time when cereal crops are seeing a resurgence in price competitiveness compared to oilseeds. According to the analysis, prices for key crops started the year strong, with canola and wheat futures jumping by 8% and 9%, respectively, in mid-February. But gains were short-lived. The announcement of Chinese tariffs in March triggered a sharp decline in canola prices. Although there’s been a partial recovery in recent weeks, market conditions remain highly unpredictable. Other major crops like soybeans and corn have followed a similar path. Prices climbed through late Jan

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service