What keeps you coming back to Roundup?
For Dean Fredericksen, Roundup has been a part of his calendar since around 2005. As a ballot cattle supplier for the event, Dean and his family often have a fair amount of work undertaken in order to make the trek, however for the Frederickson Family, the purpose means more than that.
Hailing from near Orange in New South Wales, Dean and his family operate Dalwhinnie Angus. Having been producing Angus cattle for 20 years, 17 as seedstock producers, Dean and his family have been involved in the Angus Youth Program for much of that time.
At the recent 2024 NH Foods Angus Youth National Roundup, Dean supplied eight ballot animals for children participating in the event.
“We brought eight heifers and a calf along. Eight children have come with us, one we didn’t know before we arrived here, some we only knew a little bit.
“I think our kids have had a good time, they presented our animals very well and I’m very proud of them.”
Dean’s children, Kristen, Holly and Taine, themselves went through the Angus Youth program and participated in Roundup a number of times, however, have since aged out of the event. For Dean, it’s the lessons that the young people learn through attending the event that has kept him contributing to Roundup in such a way past his days of attending as the parent of participating children.
“We have children who have gone through the Angus Youth program,” he said.
“They’re now off doing their own thing and one of my daughters, Kristen is here helping today, but our role is really to give children who don’t have access to stud cattle or cattle that they can show a chance to bring cattle to a show and experience what it’s about, to learn about agriculture, learn about how to handle an animal and even learn about how to work with other people.”
“It was a really valuable experience for our own children,” he continued.
“One of them is involved in agriculture, one’s a lawyer and the other is an engineer, but they’ve all been through this program and probably one of the big things it’s taught is that those children know how to relate to other people.”
“They know what agriculture means, why it’s important to our economy, why it’s important to our communities and the people that are involved in it.”
“So, I think if we can continue to support children to learn that and have a bit of fun while we do it, then that’s a really good thing.”
– Cheyne Twist, Senior Marketing and Communications Officer
– IMAGE: Showcase by Branded Ag
