(Red Deer March 22, 2022)- March 17 & 18th was electric with excitement and passion for agriculture, at the Outstanding Young Farmers of Alberta/ NWT Event in Red Deer. Nearly 70 people including alumni, nominees, sponsors, and a few special guests attended the two-day event featuring nominee presentation, guest speakers, entertainment and quality time together.
The region is thrilled to announce Ben Campbell of Tullichewan Ranch, as the 2022 winner. Tullichewan Ranch is located near Black Diamond, Alberta.
The ranch offers consumers a direct to market grass fed beef option called Grazed Right. The passion for environmental sustainability is integral in their operation. Ben further details that “the cattle are a tool used to manage the ranch ecosystem and support the foundation of our grazing business model. The cattle serve the needs of the grass and soil, not the other way around”.
Ben and his wife Steph, along with their three boys are working hard to reconnect people to their food, opening their ranch to the public for tours of the ranch, explaining how the animals are raised, handled and how they live.
The Alberta/NWT Region of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers Program were pleased and proud to have three diverse and impressive operations at the 2022 Regional Event. The Nominees recognized were:
- Zoë, Farley and Mathew Gould, owners of Gould’s Ranch: Consort, Alberta.
- Russ Van Boom, co-owner of Northbank Potato Farms: Sturgeon County, Alberta.
- Ben Campbell, owner of Tullichewan Ranch: Black Diamond, Alberta.
The region was honoured to have Minister of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Nate Horner in attendance Thursday evening. Also in attendance was Amy Cronin, vice chair of the National OYF board. Amy’s comment on the event was “Alberta’s Outstanding Young Farmer event had a buzz around it from beginning to end as they met in-person for the first time in a couple of years. Their nominees were incredible young farmers with stories of passion, perseverance, and dedication to their farms, their communities, and agriculture. Ben brings a zeal for agriculture that comes from a desire to make the world better in his own small way. From engineer to farmer, Ben exudes a passion for family, farming, and continuous improvement. The Alberta/NWT Outstanding Young Farmers executive did a wonderful job in bringing together an incredible group of people who live and breathe the values of the OYF program – excellence, passion, and perseverance”.
Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers’ program is an annual competition to recognize farmers that exemplify excellence in their profession and promote the tremendous contribution of agriculture. Open to participants 18 to 39 years of age, making the majority of income from on-farm sources, participants are selected from seven regions across Canada, with two national winners chosen each year. The program is sponsored nationally by CIBC, CN, John Deere, Bayer, Sollio Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and supported nationally by BDO.
Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2022 will be chosen at the National event in Saskatoon, SK from November 23-27, 2022.
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For more information or a photo of Ben Campbell, contact:
Carla Kaeding, Program Manager,
Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers
306.896.7833 ·kaedingc@hotmail.com · www.oyfcanada.com