And this is only the beginning…

I don’t think I’ll ever forget what a great time us three interns had meeting and working with the office staff at the Canadian Angus Association headquarters while we were in Calgary for training week. After an uneventful flight home, I got right down to work with promotion here in Ontario. My internship duties actually started prior to training week as I attended Youth Forum the day before my flight, a very large junior show in Orangeville, Ontario. While there I had a chance to talk to several eager and enthusiastic junior showmen, and it was great to see such a large number of Angus entries in the show.


One of the first things I did upon arriving home from Calgary was make contact with several schools around the province to see if I could come do a workshop for grade 3 to 5 students about the beef industry and 4-H. This is actually quite a difficult task because of the strict rules that the Ontario school boards have regarding guest speakers in schools. Luckily I have had a few teachers jump right on board, so I will be visiting their classrooms in the next few weeks.


Another project that I have been working on is a promotional video for the Canadian Junior Angus GOAL (Guiding Outstanding Angus Leaders) Conference. I was lucky enough to attend the GOAL conference this year, and I found out what a great event it was. Collectively the Junior board and the CAA decided that we needed a video to highlight this outstanding annual conference to Juniors, as it truly is an event that you have to experience to believe. Once you’ve attended one GOAL conference, you’ll just have to go every year. This video is now finalized and it will be released at our CAA National Convention. 


Speaking of Convention, one of my main focuses over the past couple weeks has been preparation and marketing for the 2013 CAA National Convention in Guelph.  Ontario breeders are very lucky to have this amazing national event being held right here within the province. There’s no doubt that it promises to be an outstanding event for all Angus breeders across the country. One of our big marketing pushes has been for our Rancher Endorsed Day, which is on Friday, June 7. This day is open to all commercial and purebred breeders, plus representatives from other sectors of the industry. There will be several industry leaders speaking throughout this day, highlighting the value of the Angus Tag to producers. There’s just no reason not to be using Angus Tags, and I’m sure this will be clear by the end of Rancher Endorsed Day.

Farm Visit

I have spent multiple days putting flyers up in several feed stores and co-ops throughout the province to make sure everyone knows about Rancher Endorsed Day. Additionally, I made contact with several country radio stations to see if they will cover our event on their station. I have also put the event on social media and other online venues to be sure that we reach as many people as possible. One of my favourite days so far was when I was dropping flyers off in the western Ontario area, and I stopped at an Angus producer’s farm along the way. I had a chance to tour their herd, and had excellent Angus hospitality while I was there. Apparently they used to have a herd of more than 100 registered Angus cows. Although they don’t have nearly that many now, it was great to visit with them and hear their thoughts and opinions about the Junior Angus Association. They also showed me some excellent pieces of Angus history, including some old Angus World publications that were published long ago.

Central Ontario Grasstime Sale

I also attended the Central Ontario Grasstime Sale this past Saturday to invite everyone to Convention and Rancher Endorsed Day. I took several flyers with me and handed them out to breeders throughout the day. I will also be going to the OVAC Classic Sale on June 1 to promote Rancher Endorsed Day once again. The deadline to register for Rancher Endorsed Day is June 3, so it’s not too late to get in on this event-filled day.



Another cornerstone event happening at this years’ Convention is the second annual CAF Building the Legacy Sale. I’m sure you hear it a lot, but this sale absolutely represents industry-leading genetics that our CAA breeders have been kind enough to donate. Proceeds from this sale go towards the Canadian Angus Foundation to help fund youth programs. Last year's sale helped fund the Canadian Angus Association's youth teams that are representing Canada at the World Angus Forum Youth Programme in New Zealand. Obviously I’m very passionate about this CAF fundraiser as I am one of the very fortunate juniors that will be “flying the flag” on behalf of all Canadian Angus breeders at what is equivalent to the international Angus Olympics! Last year's sale was a smashing success, and hopefully all breeders get a chance to view the catalogue for this year’s outstanding offering. Don’t worry if you can’t attend the sale, as it will also be broadcast live at www.liveauctions.tv.


It’s certainly been a busy summer so far, but I know that this is only the beginning. I personally can’t wait for Convention where I will get a chance to meet so many of our Canadian Angus breeders. Not only will we have the Canadian Angus Association and Canadian Angus Foundation annual general meetings, we also have Rancher Endorsed Day, farm visits and demonstrations, the Niagara Falls tour, the Junior Ambassador competition, the CAF Building the Legacy II Sale and more. I’m also vastly looking forward to the Calgary Stampede, Summer Synergy, and Showdown in July. Dr. Seuss has a book entitled “Oh the Places You’ll Go”, and it seems very relevant to this summer, as this internship has taken me and will take me many places that I wouldn’t have had the chance to go without. I think Karla, Katie, and I can all agree that this internship is the best summer job you could ask for. It’s actually hard to believe all of the amazing opportunities that are available to Canadian Angus Juniors. Watch for Karla, Katie and me at events near you throughout the remainder of the summer.



Posted by Matthew Bates
Feedback: mbates@cdnangus.ca