About Tim O'Byrne and Calico Beef Consulting

Tim O'Byrne has gathered most of his beef cattle and horse experience while holding management positions on Canada's largest commercial cow-calf and feedlot operations.

• 1986 - Division Foreman 11,000 head Douglas Lake Cattle Company, British Columbia
• 1989 - Cattle Manager 5000 head Gang Ranch, British Columbia
• 1992 - Homelot foreman 85,000 head Cor Van Raay Feedlot, Picture Butte, Alberta

Tim launched Calico Beef Consulting near Calgary, Alberta in 1994. Initially he developed high school and college level extension courses dealing in livestock handling and compliance with agricultural law. Investigating the issues surrounding commercial livestock transportation appeared to be a natural next step. Tim assisted the Alberta Farm Animal Care Association, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and Alberta Pork to design Canada's first deliverable training courses for livestock truckers. Cattle and Hog Transport Courses have been endorsed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Cargill Foods.

CV of Tim O'Byrne

Tim O'Byrne began working on commercial cattle ranches and feedlots in 1977.

In 1980 he relocated to British Columbia where he spent 7 years on the cowboy crews of large ranching companies in the Nicola Valley. In 1987 Tim was promoted to foreman on one of Douglas Lake Ranch's divisions. Handling and moving large numbers of cattle and horses on these massive ranches required Tim to obtain his Class 1 A license.

In 1989 he accepted the cowboss position at the Gang Ranch west of William's Lake, British Columbia.

In 1992 Tim relocated to southern Alberta and hired on as homelot foreman at Cor Van Raay Farms.

After 2 years he decided to set up his own consulting company in Alberta dealing specifically with training programs for feedlot personnel. Later, he worked with the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) and Alberta Farm Animal Care Association (AFAC) to develop and deliver their successful Cattle Handling & Hauling Training course. The course was endorsed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Cargill Foods during its 7-year run, and was delivered to over 650 participants across Canada.

In 2003 Tim relocated his consulting business to Las Vegas, NV.

To remain current with his professional driving license Tim took the opportunity to obtain HAZMAT and triple endorsements for his Class 1A.

Tim O'Byrne's Role As A Consultant And Communicator

In order to be an effective consultant and communicator, Tim has worked hard over the years to establish long-term relationships with key industry people responsible for improving and safeguarding livestock production. Specific areas of concern, such as Animal Rights/Animal Welfare, transportation and feedlot cattle handling, have received much of his efforts. Tim was responsible for establishing a communication link between cattle transporters and the beef production industry, and was instrumental in the Alberta Motor Transport Association becoming more involved with livestock transportation. These valuable links have allowed the industry to listen and learn from transporters. As a result many of their concerns have been addressed. Other concerns, such as loading density standards and washout options, remain a challenge.

O’Byrne has written three books on the working ranch cowboy and has been published over 30 times in Western Horseman Magazine and over 50 times in Canadian Cattleman Magazine. He currently serves as Editor / COO of Working Ranch Magazine, an industry publication with a circulation of 55,000 ranchers across America.

In addition Tim has written many technical manuals and video scripts that deal with humane transportation and handling of livestock. The latest, Improve Your Penchecking Skills, with a focus on early detection of BRD, is available through your local Intervet Schering-Plough Canada animal health rep.

Tim O'Byrne's Cowboy CV

• Alta Genetics
• Cross Bar Ranch
• Cor Van Raay Farms

• Nicola Ranch
• Quilchena Ranch
• Douglas Lake Ranch
• Gang Ranch

• T Lazy S Ranch
• JD Ranch
• Gamble Ranch

Tim O'Byrne's Trucking CV

• Class 1 A since 1987.
• HAZMAT and triples endorsement.
• Rated on tandem pots, highboys and lowbeds, tandem feedtrucks, silage trucks, stock trucks.
• Experience hauling cattle, horses, feed, heavy equipment.

Tim O'Byrne's Writing CV

• Editor of Working Ranch Magazine www.workingranchmag.com
• Over 30 published articles in Western Horseman magazine.
• Over 60 published articles in Canadian Cattlemen magazine.
• Author of Cowboys And Dog Tales, published 1997, Caitlin Press.
• Author of Cowboys & Buckaroos - Trade Secrets of a North American Icon, published 2005, Western Horseman Books.
• Author, with Guy de Galard, Holly Endersby and Kathy McCraine, of Legendary Ranches - The Horses, History and Traditions of North America's Great Contemporary Ranches, published 2008, Western Horseman Books.

Tim O'Byrne's Consulting CV

• Accredited National Pork Board TQA instructor.
• Cattle trucking, hog trucking courses in Canada & US.
• Feedlot penchecker, cattle handler course for Hitch feeders, Oklahoma.
• Packing plant training for Taylor Packing, PA.
• Heading up Quality Livestock Transport (QLT) program for AFAC 2005.

• 2003 AFAC Report on Livestock Transportation in Alberta.
• US Border Closure Contingency Plan.
• Hog Transport Emergency Plan.
• Deadstock Removal Policy.
• Lease Agreement For Livestock Producers.

• Designed feedyards for Cor Van Raay, Rick Paskal.
• Developed Alberta Agriculture cattle handling video.
• Worked on Canadian Cattlemen's Association loading density project.
• Developer and editor of The Loading Chute (Canadian Cattlemen's Association), North America's first cattle transporter newsletter.
• Expert Witness in 6 livestock-related trials.
• Guest Speaker at over 25 various industry conventions across North America.
• Guest on numerous agriculture-related radio and TV programs.
• Recipient of 2002 AFAC Award for Communication & Innovation.