The Citizen Agriculture, 2003-03-19, Page 40THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2003. PAGE A-15.
Generations of Todds raise champions
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
For generations, the Todd family
of St. Helens has been raising
championship animals, showing
them at local, provincial, national
and international events and bringing
home trophies.
It all began more than 70 years ago
when Hugh Todd’s grandfather
Frank first took his Aberdeen Angus
cattle on the show circuit. He
captured numerous trophies and
plaques throughout the 1920s and
30s. The family still has the baby
beef contest medallion he received in
1929. In 1939 he even showed in
Chicago.
Things changed for the Todds after
the war.
Hugh’s father, Thomas, traded a
few heifers to Don Head for some
Southdown sheep and that is how the
current legacy began.
In the early years, another family
big in sheep had shown the Todds’
animals and won, said Hugh’s wife,
JoAnn.
“Thomas decided (the family)
could do the same,” she said.
During Hugh’s youth, he showed
both cattle and sheep through 4-H
events.
“Before he was old enough to
show at the Royal, Hugh would
prepare and show other people’s
animals for fairs,” said JoAnn. This
included showing market sheep in
Walkerton.
“Dad bought a ram in Chicago in
1967 that I started showing,” said
Hugh.
By 1970, Hugh had earned the
champion ram awards at both the
CNE and Royal.
Reflecting back on their years in
the sheep business, Hugh and Keith
both tell of the great changes in the
look of the Southdowns in 30 years.
“A yearling in 1969 was the same
size as a lamb is today,” said Hugh.
Keith explains that the move to
create an animal that is more feed
efficient and economically viable
has altered the look.
“We can sell at 100 days now,
where it took a whole year before (to
get them market ready),” said Keith.
From photos displayed, the
Southdowns of yesteryear were
much shorter in stature and stockier.
However, Keith said they are still the
easiest to keep.
The Todds also note that sheep
were once shown with their full coat
of wool while the current trend is for
them to be clean-shaven so that the
carcass can be more easily judged.
In the 1970s, the family also
moved into raising Hampshires
because they show well and grow
quickly, they said.
Son Keith, now operating his own
sheep farm, said the Hampshire have
a larger frame all round and the
weight per day of age is greater.
However, the ewes are more high
maintenance because of the large
frame.
Their involvement with the
purebred sheep continued to grow
and by 1996, the last of the cattle
were sold. At that time, the bam was
renovated to accommodate sheep.
They now have 100 commercial
ewes and a quick turn over of lambs.
When Keith set up his own
operation, he added a couple of new
breeds to the flock, including Polled
Dorsets and Suffolks. With these
additions the Todds now breed the
four basic British meat breeds.
“They are the foundation breeds,”
said JoAnn.
“Dorsets have out-of-season
breeding capabilities,” said Keith,
“so we can meet different needs of
the market.”
The Dorsets are also used for
crossbreeding.
Keith said he has shown a few of
the Dorsets and market lambs and
the Suffolks are used by 4-H
children for showing.
The needs of the eventual
customers have also changed over
the years, said JoAnn, with some
are intended for market.
For the Todds, the goal is to sell as
much seed stock as possible and
produce market lambs from the rams
they eventually sell.
In selling to others, JoAnn said
they are looking for “consistent
success”, seeing others do well with
the seed stock.
“It helps others improve whether it
is for purebreds or crossbreeds. We
help create the characteristics they
need.”
quality,” said JoAnn, “and that is
what we try to maintain.”
That success is also evident when
others advertise use of the Todds’
stock.
“You know then that you have
made it,” said JoAnne
For the first time, Keith and Hugh
headed west to the Calgary
Stampede in 1998, doing very well,
building up their name and making
more contacts. They returned to
Calgary in 2001 where another sale
to Mexico was arranged.
The consistent winning at the
Royal and other shows has resulted
in sales across Canada, throughout
the United States and into Central
and South America. /
Continued on A-16
A shelf full
Through four generations of showing cattle and now sheep,
the Todd family of St. Helens has garnered numerous
awards and trophies from small local fairs to the Royal
Winter Agricultural Fair in Toronto. (Janice Becker photo)
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