Roberta Templeton by Bonnie Warnyca
November, 2009
Roberta Templeton's first memory of being amongst her family's horned Hereford cattle isn't even her own memory. "My family likes to tell the story of me when I was about two years of age and an angry momma cow tossed me in the air," says Roberta, as she verbally shrugs off the possible danger associated with the situation. "It really was no big deal. I guess I tried to push her away from the mineral tub or something. I've been told I landed in a soft place and I don't have any emotional scars from the event. We raise Herefords - they have a pretty easy disposition and we want them to be protective of their calves."
Roberta, along with her parents Byron and Carolyn, and younger sisters Jocelyn and Roselyn, run 175 horned Hereford cows under the farm name of XTC Herefords Ltd. located southeast of Coaldale, Alberta. It's a mixed farm with Byron and his brother splitting the farming and cattle duties. "As long as I remember, we've shown and sold cattle as a family unit," says Roberta taking a break from her studies at the University of Saskatchewan where she is in her 2nd year of Veterinary Medicine. "We focus on marketing hardy, economical bulls which sell as long yearlings to private community pastures and ranchers in southeast Alberta and Saskatchewan. We background roughly 800 calves every year as well."
Already sounding much like a seasoned veterinarian, Templeton believes that the family has been able to operate with little outside labor partly because of their stringent health program. "Feeding our own calves or sourcing calves from some of our bull customers," she says, "means that we know they have a solid vaccination program and that saves both time and money."
Templeton was one busy gal growing up. She belonged to the Readymade 4-H Beef Club; Coaldale Equestrian Club and the South Country Judging Club. Her diverse interests brought with them many travel opportunities. She was the Canadian Junior Hereford Association President at the time of the World Hereford Congress and traveled to Denmark to represent the Canadian juniors. She won a spot on the Alberta 4-H Hippology team based on her horse knowledge with included everything from anatomy, feed, color, tack, types of riding, conformation and judging. That win took her to Denver, Colorado. She's been to Indiana for the World Association of Agricultural Councils Conference, Ottawa for the National Citizenship Seminar and Agribition for 4-H Judging. In October, Templeton was awarded a Canadian Western Agribition scholarship to help her with her post-secondary education.
While 4-H and the Alberta Junior Hereford Association took much of Templeton's formative years, she has always had her eyes set on becoming a veterinarian in a mixed practice in either rural Alberta or Saskatchewan. "All my summer jobs have given me the opportunity to experience different parts of the industry," she says. "As I see it, it's the least consequence way of learning. I've been involved in research and worked in multiple vet clinics. I want to see as much as I can before I get out in practice for myself. One summer, I age verified (mouthed) cattle heading south."
Templeton has already visualized the possibilities for her future practice once she receives her D.V.M. degree. "I would prefer to work in a large animal practice but to do that I'd need to be on feedlot alley, or in an area with a large number of horses or dairy cattle," she tells us. "But at the same time, I like the variety of challenges offered with a mixed practice. I see myself as a jack of all and a master of none. I'm not sure if there's actually a shortage of veterinarians or a shortage of veterinarians willing to commit to a large animal practice. Sure, it's a physically challenging career even in a mixed practice. But with the advancement in technology, better drugs to restrain animals, better handling equipment and ultra sound; it all helps to extend the life of a veterinarian in a rural practice."
Templeton says rather than try to open a one person practice, she'd rather work in a clinic with more than one veterinarian. "I think it would be better to have a colleague to call when you're up to your elbows in a difficult situation at 3 in the morning," she says. "In a rural practice you never know what you're up against until you get to the farm." |
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