The Canadian Cattle Association's (CCA) Canadian Cattle Young Leaders (CYL) program is extremely popular.
The CCA program was developed in 2010 as a succession tool for the industry; since then, the program has had over 200 graduates.
The CYL program is geared towards people 18 to 35 from across Canada involved in various aspects of the beef supply chain.
Cailey Church, the CCA's Youth Leadership Co-ordinator says the program pairs the participant with a mentor in their specific area of interest for nine months.
"As a way to transfer knowledge to our next generation within the beef industry. So, each year we pair 16 program participants with a mentor, and they're also given a $3000 travel budget for additional networking and learning opportunities that support the interest of their mentorship."
Topics of interest can range from sustainable grazing practices to business management, policy development, marketing, advocacy, and more.
Church says 24 individuals from across Canada with an interest in some aspect of the beef industry have been selected as semi-finalists for the 2025 CCA's Canadian Young Leaders program.
The 2025 semi-finalists are from
British Columbia: Matt Henderson (Prince George)
Alberta: Arturo Macias Franco (Edmonton); Cache Schiller (Flatbush); Cayley Brown (Rocky View County); Charlotte Wasylik (Derwent); Clayton Andrew (Youngstown); Denay Bjornson (Wanham); Ellie Stauffer (Pincher Creek); Eric Tarrant (High River); Justin Rosadiuk (Evansburg); Jarret Nelson (Hemaruka); Lauren Moody (Walsh); Ryan Singerland (Lethbridge); Tyler Bentley (Erskine); Marissa Lamay (High River); and Gautier Henaff (Turin)
Saskatchewan: Bailie Barnett (Moose Jaw); Brodyn LeBatte (Gladmar); and Cyle Stewart (Morse)
Manitoba: Doris Doelger (Beausejour)
Ontario: Abbey Taylor (Belmont)
Quebec: Ellen Rice-Hogan (Venosta)
Prince Edward Island: Jillian Ferguson (Spring Valley)
Nova Scotia: Caylene Manning (Falmouth)
The 24 semi-finalists will be invited to attend the annual CYL Selections Competition in September, where they will participate in judged roundtable discussions on timely beef industry-related topics to compete for a spot in the upcoming program year.
Individuals interested in learning more about the program and how to apply can find all the information here.