Canada scores a dairy win on U.S. soil as farmers grumble about Trump's trade war

On the most elite stage in the world of competitive dairy, a Canadian teenager and her "favourite cow" scored two major wins while on U.S. soil. 

Never heard of competitive dairy? Let me assure you, it's a really big deal. One win — let alone two — at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisc., can be life changing for farmers and their cows.

It can boost the value of an animal by tens of thousands of dollars. Future offspring can become more valuable too. And of course, there's an element of national pride, especially when Canada and the U.S. are locked in a trade war. 

Alyson Doiron, a 16-year-old high school student from Cap-Sante, Que., glows as she poses for photos with her aforementioned favourite cow — Arolene Dempsey Ella, who goes by "Ella" for short, was the five-year-old cow awarded the top prize at the International Junior Holstein Show.

"She's an easy cow to work with. We love her so much," Doiron told CBC News. 

Doiron cheered and cried as she was given the prestigious honour on Ella's behalf, at the Expo on Sunday. Even though this is a global gathering, the actual competitions are between animals from Canadian and American farms, due to health and safety regulations.

"This means a lot to me," she said with a nod to her home province. "It just proves that in Quebec, the [cow] show is really really strong," she said. 

Sore point for some Americans

In the arena where the cows are judged, Canadian, American and Mexican flags hang in the rafters. It is a reminder, as constant as the smell of manure, that cross-border competition and co-operation are valued in this space. 

"I think it's important for us to be here," said Brian Carscadden, the executive senior manager and part owner of Blondin Sires, a Quebec-based dairy company that has milk production and artificial insemination operations.

"If you think of the Westminster Dog Show, it's not unlike that. If you can win that, you've got a dog that's worth some money. It's the same here with your cow."

Carscadden and his team drove more than 1,500 kilometres from St. Placide to Madison, with 25 cows in trailers in tow. He says his business has not been affected by the trade war yet, and that it does not come up often in conversations at the Expo. 

"There's jokes here and there," from his American friends, he said, along with "the odd snide remark … that makes things interesting." 

"I always advise my Canadian colleagues that it's not our country, it's not our politics, don't talk about it."

Americans at the Expo are far more direct.

The trade war is a sore point for some, including voters who are connecting dots between U.S. President Donald Trump's broad economic agenda and increases in the cost of living. 

"There is no lowering of grocery prices, no lowering of gas prices. I mean obviously it's all going higher and it makes me struggle," said Paula Lawver.

She's a single mom from a farming community in Indiana, and is at the Expo with a group of students from her son's high school. She describes herself as a conservative voter with conservative values, but does not consider herself a Republican. 

She calls the dispute with Canada "nonsense," and says it will influence her vote in the midterm elections this November. Lawver says she will not support candidates in favour of tariffs and trade wars. 

Seth Muck, a farmer from New York state, says he too may reconsider how he votes in the midterms. 

He says in the past he's voted "hard, hard Republican, hard conservative." But after feeling the impact of Trump's global trade agenda, he's considering backing candidates with a "bit more moderate-type agenda." 

Muck says his cash crops and farm inputs have been affected the most, noting that the price of fertilizer is double what he paid last year. Though he still holds out hope that economic conditions could improve.

"Perhaps it's going to take a bit … like ripping off a Band-Aid," he said.

Even among those willing to be more patient with Trump and his economic vision, CBC News did not find any Americans at this Expo supportive of the heated rhetoric that has upended the Canada-U.S. relationship. 

"I think it's needless, pointless and childish. Both sides," said Gary Craugh, a retired farmer from Wisconsin. 

WATCH | Ottawa warned not to 'interfere':

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Duration

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Another retired farmer from Wisconsin, John Galgowski, says he's baffled by it all.

"I throw up my hands and go, 'Why are we doing this?'" 

Galgowski does not support the Trump administration, and says the way the country has been run since Trump returned to office has only reaffirmed his position. 

"It's just bad times," he said. 

The way these voters described their experience is very different from how the Trump administration is framing the moment. 

• Trump says 'very bad' Canada is being 'taught a little lesson' as trade action escalates

• U.S. bans on imported Canadian motorcycle, dairy, alcohol products take effect as trade war drags on

About 120 kilometres from the Expo, in Milwaukee, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer hosted a gathering of G20 trade ministers, where he unapologetically advocated for the "America first" trade agenda, arguing that the strategy is working.

"American workers and their families are better off now than they were before President Trump took office," Greer said as he read from prepared remarks. 

Greer's defence of the Trump administration's policies suggests there are no plans to change course anytime soon. 

Which means the trade war with Canada is poised to grind on. 

Ella's big day

Even if the country-to-country tensions won't go away, Canada did score one more win at the World Dairy Expo. 

On Friday, Doiron proudly paraded Ella in front of the judges on the arena floor, competing for one of the week’s largest titles: Supreme Junior Show Champion. 

It’s a moment that almost didn’t happen. Doiron says she helped raise Ella, but when her parents unexpectedly sold the cow, she was devastated. 

“I was so mad at my parents, because she was just the cow I liked,” she said, recalling the way she loved all of Ella's spots as a kid. 

Doiron was determined to be reunited with her favourite cow, and when the opportunity arose, she re-purchased Ella, despite objections from her parents. “I need to bring this cow home,” she told her mom.

The reunion was clearly meant to be. 

In front of a packed arena, Doiron and Ella’s big moment finally arrived — the heifer was named Supreme Junior Show Champion, a victory for all of Canada.