Updated, Dec. 7 — Western Saskatchewan rancher Reg Schellenberg, who had led the national organization representing Canada’s beef cattle producers since March this year, died suddenly Friday at age 63.
The Canadian Cattle Association reported Schellenberg’s death in a release Saturday, adding that the association’s current vice-president, rancher Nathan Phinney of Sackville, N.B., will now become CCA president.
“With heavy hearts, CCA’s board and staff will continue to push forward on the priorities that were important to Reg, as well as cattle producers across Canada,” the association said Saturday.
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“Reg’s legacy and impact on the Canadian cattle industry will be felt for years to come. His gentle demeanour and strong character are qualities that many of us in the industry looked up to,” Phinney said in the same release.
“He will be fondly remembered for being a tireless advocate for cattle producers, taking a particular interest in advancing the priorities related to animal health and care, as well as protecting and preserving our industry for the next generation.”
Schellenberg had worked at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Swift Current Research and Development Centre in southwestern Saskatchewan before going to work with Perrin Ranching, near Beechy, about 110 km northeast of Swift Current, in 1978.
Schellenberg married Ted and Olive Perrin’s daughter Shannon in 1980 and by 1983 the Schellenbergs were active shareholders in the ranch. The Schellenbergs’ son Coy and his wife Laura-Lie more recently became their partners in the 14,000-acre ranch, now known as Perrin Ranching 1990 Ltd.
The elder Schellenberg served with the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association as a director and zone chair and later as a member of its executive, and was first elected to the CCA board as a Saskatchewan representative in 2010. He served stints as chair of CCA’s animal care committee, then as co-chair of its animal health and care committee (2016-20) and, later, of its foreign trade committee (2020-22), and as the association’s representative to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency.
Schellenberg also served as CCA vice-president from 2020 up until March 25, when he was elected by acclamation to replace Bob Lowe as president.
In an interview with Canadian Cattlemen earlier this year, Schellenberg said animal health and care had always been an important focus for him throughout his involvement in CCA, and that the creation of a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank in Canada was a priority for him as president.
Highlighting the beef industry’s positive environmental impact and building public trust were also important roles for the organization, he said at the time, “to make it very clear that cattle and rangeland are part of the solution, not the problem.
“That’s the key message we have to really focus on and emphasize and gain as much support and traction as we can because we know the livestock sector tends to get blamed for some of these things. Our alternative is bringing awareness that rangeland management and grazing of livestock is actually a benefit rather than a liability.”
Melanie Wowk, chair of Alberta Beef Producers, on Saturday expressed “overwhelming sadness” over Schellenberg’s sudden passing, hailing him as “a true cowboy, rancher and gentleman.”
The Livestock Marketing Association of Canada, in a statement on Facebook Friday evening, described Schellenberg as a “great friend of LMAC and a tireless leader of the Canadian cattle industry.”
Alberta’s Agriculture Minister Nate Horner, on Twitter Saturday, praised Schellenberg as “a tremendous advocate for Canadian ranchers, producers and rural communities.”
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, in a separate tweet Saturday, also said she was saddened to hear of Schellenberg’s sudden passing. “Reg was a strong advocate for the cattle sector and we will truly miss him.”
Details weren’t yet available on what led to Schellenberg’s sudden death, although LMAC said in its Facebook statement Friday night that he had died of “an apparent heart attack.”
A service is scheduled for Dec. 16 in Swift Current and is expected to be livestreamed. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Cattle Foundation in support of the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program.
— Article updated Dec. 7 to include memorial information. Updated Aug. 28, 2024. Corrects spelling of Laura-Lie Schellenburg’s name.
