Greetings from Starbright Shorthorns, Eric, Rena, Trent & Raelynn Nelson. We operate a small hobby farm in northeastern Alberta, north of Bonnyville, Alberta. We have a herd of approximately 30 Shorthorn cows, most purebred with a few commercial Shorthorn crosses.
Our cattle business began in 1995 on our 10 acre home with a week old calf that we bottle fed. Of course then the calf needed a companion, and we just had to keep the first nice heifer calf, and so on and on…… In 1998 we purchased 2 quarters of land, to accommodate our expanding herd. That same year we purchased our first purebred Shorthorn heifer from Jim & Creta Haydock at Matlock Stock Farms, as the breed had always been of great interest to us.
We were unsure if we wanted to pursue the purebred business at that time, and it wasn’t until 2001 that we began looking for more Shorthorn females. We were offered pick of the bred heifers from Mason’s at Dusty Valley Farms, and brought home 2 bred heifers. We had a lot of fun choosing, and were very excited for those first purebred Shorthorn calves to hit the ground in the spring. We decided that spring of 2002 to begin using a Shorthorn bull, and purchased a yearling from KenBar Stock Farms, McGamaliel 11L. His calves were most impressive, and we kept every heifer he sired with no regrets.
Since that time, we have used only Shorthorn herd sires, and have purchased at least 1 cow/year from various breeders to build what we feel is a good foundation herd. We have had much fun traveling to shows/sales and many farms to view a variety of Shorthorn bloodlines. I am amazed at the response of breeders who have offered us support, encouragement, and answered the many, many questions we asked. We would never have gotten into this without all of this support, and we are very grateful to each individual who has helped us gather info on the Shorthorn breed.
We would also like to thank the excellent producers from whom we have purchased Shorthorn livestock: Matlock Stock Farms, KenBar Stock Farms, Dusty Valley Farms, Buffalo Lake Shorthorns, Horseshoe Creek Farm, Diamond Shorthorns, and Lang’s at Silver Willow Shorthorns.
We enjoy our Shorthorn cattle, and find they are exceptionally easy to work with compared to other breeds we have had. With ours being a family business, that is very important. Many of our cows are family pets, and our children, ages 5 & 7 spend as much time in the barnyard as we do. Calving time is something we all look forward to.
We are proud to be a part of the Shorthorn Association, and look forward to many years of breeding these excellent cattle. Please do not hesitate to contact us, or come to view our cattle. We would like to offer the same hospitality as so many have offered to us.
Eric and Rena Nelson and Family
Box 7846
Bonnyville, Alberta, Canada
T9N 2J2
Telephone:(780) 826-4135