Royal MB Winter Fair | 2026

THE BRANDON SUN • WINTER FAIR • 2026

2026 • WINTER FAIR • THE BRANDON SUN

Fair beefing up youth industry experience

“She’s been extremely instrumental with growing that component, and pushing the entries, and working with our committee,” Laing Breemersch said. Kirk Stierwalt of Stierwalt Cattle & Clinics in Oklahoma will be at the cattle show this year to pass his knowledge onto our young farmers. A total of 22 kids are signed up to learn from Stierwalt how to wash, groom, clip and show their animals based on his 30 years of experience. ”He really breaks it down into basics, shows them how to do things with their animals to improve their presentation,” Hinsburg said. The program filled up and is currently queued with a wait- ing list, Hinsburg said. Kids will also learn about the cattle showing and selling trade by competing in a randomized grooming event. The game will pair four kids together, who will choose an animal to work with, be given a chute, and then be given 15 minutes to beautify the animal for show, such as by applying their own products like glue, hair conditioner and sprays. The goal of the competition is to teach the kids how to improve their animal’s appearance with a variety of industry tactics, and then bring the cow before judges to be compared with the other groups, Hinsburg said. A showmanship competition will also return to the youth beef cattle show, ranking young farmers on how well they present their cow to the judges. The skills required for sell- ing cattle will be tested in the kids, including how well they

are able to lead their cow, stop it, and place its feet in the right positions. Hinsburg said that the thrust of the event is support- ing and nurturing interest in farming. The kids involved get to try their hand and experience what it’s like to be a cattle producer. “They visit with their friends, and they get to showcase their animals to people that don’t always get to see them, and they get to take and reaffirm friendships and just have a great time.”

By Connor McDowell

Kirk Stierwalt demonstrates hair clipping and animal care as part of a free clinic event. Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun

A youth handles a black Angus hieffer at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun

T he youth beef cattle show will bring back a bidding event this year allowing kids to sell their steers to a live audience. The returning sale is an opportunity for youth to learn about the business side of farming, and at the same time for businesses and families to buy local beef, junior beef cattle show co-chair Kerri Hinsburg said. The sale will consist of young farmers between the ages of nine and 21 who will be learning how to bring cattle to market and show them to a crowd. “It’s an excellent spot for these kids to get a first show under their belt and get their animals exposed to high traffic, lots of noise, lots of visual stimulation,” Hinsburg said. “If an animal spooks and gets away from them, it can’t go any- where because it’s in the building.” Young farmers also get a chance to put away money for their schooling or long-term business plans, she said. The steer sale was part of annual programming but was lost due to pandemic shutdowns. To bring it back, Hinsburg — a volunteer — laboured roughly a year engaging with local farmers, as well as with potential bidders in Westman who would be interested in buying at the show. Hinsburg said she wanted to grow the youth beef cattle show because the event is not just for kids and interested buyers; the event brings the general public into the world of agriculture. “In today’s age, with people being so disengaged from farming, it’s outstanding to be able to bring farming to them and make them realize just how vital and important it is for our country and our community and food security,” Hins- burg said. “So this is a great way to bring agriculture back up into the forefront.”

The sale is returning amid a host of other youth beef educational activities at the fair that are designed to teach the next generation of farmers the ropes of the beef industry. The beef cattle show this year will also include a cattle clip- ping and grooming clinic, as well as a randomized four-per- son team grooming event. There is an expected 100 cattle set for the programming, as well as roughly 80 young farmers, Hinsburg said. Megan Baron, a parent and volunteer at the show, said the youth beef cattle show is important to train the next gener- ation of farmers. She noted some winter fair kids went on to the Calgary Stampede last year, and others that are now busy beef producers. “I think the biggest thing is to see these kids succeed,” Baron said. “Actually, we’ve had two members that grew up showing at the winter fair, bringing calves to the winter fair, and then they went on to start their own cattle operations that are very successful.” Baron added the winter fair’s show gives children this opportunity to get the experience that builds momentum for their careers. She said networking and relationships across the prairies are a big part of the event as well. “I think you also see youth that network: the people that they meet, the friends that they meet, aren’t just from their local area, but they’re across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, southeast Saskatchewan, and those become some of their friends for life.” Baron showed at the winter fair five years as a girl when she was growing up, and now helps her daughter, who has shown for four years. Manager of operations Kristen Laing Breemersch com- mented that it’s great to see the youth beef cattle show grow- ing. She said Hinsburg has done a lot of the work getting the steer sale event back this year.

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