2012 GOAL Conference

Winning at the Game was the theme behind the 2012 GOAL Conference which was held in Regina, SK from Feb. 18-20.

The conference started with ice breakers to get to know everyone. Saskatchewan Roughriders Stu Foord and Neal Hughes were our guest speakers for the afternoon. They spoke about Winning at the Game. It was an emotional afternoon for Stu who just signed with the BC Lions the day before.

I gave my presentation on my trip to Argentina, which went over really well. Rob Smith gave his report on the state of the breed and what happened in 2011. From what I saw the horizon looks bright. To quote Rob, “We are Angus, hear us roar.”

The next morning we listened to presentations from Michael Latimer, Kajal Devani and Kim McLean.

We left for Optimum Genetics after lunch to view their semen collection site. They were very welcoming and answered a lot of questions on bull development, nutrition and health. We also talked about the process of preparing a bull to export semen to the states. Rod Wendorf showed us how to ultrasound and measure for marbling and rib eye size.

We returned to Regina to attend the Applause Dinner Theatre. This was for many of us the highlight of the trip. The actors and actresses often moved into our section and serenaded our GOAL Conference members much to the enjoyment of their peers.

We returned to the hotel to compete in the “Minute to Win It” competition. I was proud to make it to the top three of the competition only to lose to the girls in the Kleenex box competition. Becky Domolewski competed in the final against Megan Aheran from Texas. The competition came to a dramatic end as Becky won.

The final morning of GOAL was very emotional as retiring board members made their final addresses. Old and new friends said their goodbyes.

Posted by Austen Anderson, Junior Ambassador Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

Alberta Beef Industry Conference

The Alberta Beef Industry Conference was held February 15 -17 in Red Deer. With more than 1000 people in attendance, there was a broad exchange of ideas and networking. Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association, Alberta Beef Producers, Alberta Auction Markets Association, Alberta Livestock Dealers and Order Buyers Association and Western Stock Growers’ Association were all in attendance. The Canadian Angus Association shared a booth with other breed associations. Brian Good represented our association and did a great deal of communicating with delegates about our Angus tags and the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed program. There were 10 noteworthy speakers that lined-up an extensive review on the global economy, customer satisfaction, COOL, food scarcity and security, exportable markets, and forecast predictions for the upcoming years.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Evan Berger was amongst the gentlemen who spoke. Lead, Grow, Prosper…Think Outside the Bunk was a huge success, and we look forward to building the relationships that were made at this conference.

(left) Ad that was publicized to attendees.

Posted by Brian GoodFeedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca