WESTERN PRODUCER — Cyle Stewart was awarded the Reg Schellenberg Memorial Award on Aug. 18 at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference.
Stewart ranches near Morse, Sask., and was a member of the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program in 2025. Alongside his wife, Erika, Stewart runs a commercial cow-calf and yearling operation that focuses on regenerative practices such as soil health, grazing management and low stress cattle handling.
Stewart was nominated for the award by his peers in the CYL program.
“I can’t explain enough how much this means to me,” Stewart said after accepting the award.
“Reg was a hero to me, and I appreciate it very much.”
Participants in the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program nominated one of their peers for the award using criteria built with the Schellenberg family, including being a positive, humble leader with the ability to bring people together to achieve a common goal and an overall exceptional ambassador of the Canadian beef industry.
The award was presented after the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders graduation. There were three nominees for the award, and interviews were conducted with each nominee.
“There’s something that you could really be proud of when you sit down and you listen to them, and you think, ‘man, those are things that I really wish that I would have thought of at that age,’ ” said Garner Deobald, who was one of the people presenting the award.
“So I have a great deal of respect for them, and the effort that they put into it is very much appreciated.”
In December 2022, Reg Schellenberg, president of the Canadian Cattle Association, died suddenly. At the time, the Schellenberg family requested that donations be made through the Canadian Cattle Foundation to support the Canadian CYL Program in lieu of flowers.
Stewart is a family friend of the Schellenberg’s and met Reg Schellenberg when he and his wife moved to Saskatchewan in 2017, only 60 kilometres from where the Schellenberg’s ranched.
For Stewart, the award carries added significance, given his longstanding friendship with the Schellenberg family and the mentorship he received from Reg over the years.
“I was always drawn to Reg, for what he stood for, how he handled himself, the father he was, the husband he was and his dedication to the next generation,” he said.
“Reg was my biggest inspiration for getting on boards and being involved in cowboy politics, and he was always my first call whenever I had a question or needed guidance.”
About the author
Field editor
Melissa Jeffers-Bezan grew up on a mixed operation near Inglis, Man., and spent her teen years as a grain elevator tour guide. She moved west, to Regina, Sask. to get her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree from the University of Regina and during that time interned at the Western Producer. After graduating in 2022, she returned to Glacier FarmMedia as Field Editor for the Canadian Cattlemen Magazine. She was the recipient of the Canadian Farm Writer Federation's New Writer of the Year award in 2023. Her work focuses on all things cattle related.
Read more from Melissa Jeffers-Bezan
Related Coverage
Miller and Grier families win 2026 stewardship award
Ag in Motion experts discuss forage options following flooding
