Cole Barten grew up on a cow-calf operation outside of Lillooet, B.C., where they raised and butchered Black and Red Angus cattle on the VBP+ certified Bar Ten Ranch. Cole moved to southern Alberta and currently lives and works on the Salt Ranch, south of Cardston, with his family. He is passionate about the cattle industry, specifically areas surrounding environment and research.

Cole thinks it’s important for the younger generation to have a seat at the table for these conversations, and looks forward to providing different perspectives and ideas, while also learning from previous generations.

Jim Bowhay, along with his wife, Nola, and their family, operates a mixed farm operation near Sundre. The mixed operation includes cow-calf, butcher turkeys, and laying hens. Jim often refers to it as a mixed-up operation. Jim has been involved in both the cattle industry and government while being on the provincial board of the Alberta Feeder Association for 12 years, on the LIS board for six years, and also worked in the field as a Brand Inspector for several years. Jim has a real passion for our youth in the industry, which is demonstrated by close to 50 years of 4-H involvement.

Jim serves on ABP’s Tier Advisory Team.

Layne Burton is a fourth generation producer who grew up on a cow/calf operation west of Claresholm. In 2022, Layne completed her Bachelor of Business Administration at Mount Royal University and has been working in the Agri-Finance industry since. Layne and her family are currently working on succession planning to ensure the longevity of their operation.

Layne is focused on how economic factors will affect the sustainability of the cattle industry and how we can ensure the financial viability for the next generation. Throughout Layne’s years of 4-H, she learned the value of mentorship, leadership and effective communication. She believes it is important for the next generation to step up and have a seat at the table, while learning from the previous generation of producers.

Graeme Finn and his wife, Heather, run a cow-calf and grass finishing operation near Madden. They run a year-round grazing program based on regenerative agriculture. Graeme is founder and president of Union Forage, a cover crop and perennial forage seed company that also mentors and trains its customers in regenerative grazing management.

In addition to his roles in primary production, Graeme has experience as Past Vice President on the Agricultural Research Extension Council of Alberta (ARECA) board and Past Chair of CRSB Research Committee Chairman. He also participated as a mentor in both the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders Program and the BCRC researcher mentorship program.

Graeme sits on the Research Advisory Committee of the Alberta Beef Producers, and serves on the Beef Cattle Research Council’s Producer Council.

Sheila Hillmer and her family have a farming and ranching operation near Del Bonita, and her two sons are beginning the process of succession in the family business. Sheila works with corporate feedyards and is based in southern Alberta. She also spends a significant amount of time developing and executing Learning and Development, both internally and externally to customers.

Sheila is ABP’s elected representative to the Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency.

Lee Irvine and his family have recently set up a grass backgrounding operation in the Cochrane area. Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to market cattle through TEAM and Calgary Stockyards, to sit in the boardroom of multinational pharmaceutical companies and to run the auction market and feedlot software for ViewTrak Technologies. He has been an auditor for the Verified Beef Production Plus program and sat on the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Framework Committee.

Lee serves on ABP’s Board of Directors, Tier Advisory Team, and is an Alberta representative on the Beef Cattle Research Council’s Producer Council.

Dorothy grew up on a farming operation outside of Sundre, and has been part of the ag industry her whole life. Along with her family, Dorothy farms silage and cereal crops in Alberta and rotational cereal crops in Saskatchewan. They also run a 10,000-head feedlot, which Dorothy manages. 

Dorothy believes in encouraging youth there’s a bright future in agriculture, and teaches Green Certificate, provides tours and information sessions for local 4-H, and has worked with Olds College to help provide hands-on training for Vet Tech students. She also sits as a delegate for UFA.