When Curtis Vander Heyden of Picture Butte’s Grandview Cattle Feeders Ltd. attended Lethbridge County’s Stock Talks in October, he was prepared to discuss some of the challenges his family’s operation faces but did not expect immediate action.
“I did attend the Lethbridge County Stock Talks and it led to the operations manager Ryan Thomson, reaching out and coming to one of my locations for a ‘one-on-one’ so we could both air our frustrations about the past management of the road infrastructure and elaborate on what we could change and work together on,” Vander Heyden says.
He appreciated the opportunity to meet with a municipal official for a boots on the ground interaction.
“It was the first time in recollected memory that anyone from the County of Lethbridge not only took the time, but actually asked for continued input,” Vander Heyden says.
Indeed, the Stock Talks he attended provided an organized and moderated environment to have meaningful two-way discussions with municipal officials. He hopes that this open dialogue with producers will continue and result in positive change.
Stock Talks are part of a public trust project, funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, initiated by the Intensive Livestock Working Group (ILWG) four years ago. These meetings are the pinnacle phase four of the project, and the first meeting was held in May 2025. The purpose of Stock Talks is to build relations between producers and municipalities.
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