A woman who is the first female to head up the Stampede Dairy Committee and part of three generations to serve on the committee is this week’s Inspiring Albertan. Meet Debbie Lee.
Lee’s family operates a farm near Calaway Park and her family has had someone on the diary committee
since Calgary’s Agricultural Exhibition began 130 years ago.
The exhibition is now part of the Calgary Stampede.
Her family’s involvement in the dairy committee began back in 1954 with her father, Eric Longeway.
Today, the Longeway Farm has a small herd of beef cattle but for years it was one of the many dairy farms in the area that supplied milk to Calgarians.
Even though her family is no longer dairy farmers, Lee still feels like part of that family.
“I grew up being part of the dairy family and doing dairy things at the Stampede and dairy farmers that I represent and work with on my committee, “ says Lee. “The volunteers are wonderful people and they inspire me every day to represent them.”
Lee gives cow milking demonstrations every day during the Calgary Stampede to ensure city kids know where their milk comes from.
“That's very important to me that people understand and I think people nowadays want to know that their food is safe, where it comes from and I know that our dairy farmers work hard every day to make sure that happens,” says Lee.
Just as Lee’s father shared his passion for dairy farming with his daughter; Lee is passing that tradition onto her granddaughter, Danielle Lee, who is now the third generation of the family to serve on the dairy committee.
“The amount of time that she selflessly gives to support agriculture education and just knowing that the public knows where their food comes from and can appreciate farmers is really an inspiring part of who she is,” says Danielle Lee.
For all she does to education city people about the importance of agriculture, Debbie Lee is our Inspiring Albertan this week.
(With files from Darrel Janz)
