Thursday, June 7th marked the kick-off for the 2018 Canadian Angus National Convention. Canadian Angus CEO Rob Smith lead his team to British Columbia to a warm welcome from the BC Angus Association. The anticipated coastal rain did not put a damper on the 4-day event that is only hosted in BC once every eight years.
Thursday morning,
while not an open event to the public, proves to be one of the most productive
and intensive days of the convention. The day known as “CanProv” is where all regional
associations come together with the Canadian Angus staff and address common concerns
and topics of interest. Hours are spent with the provinces asking questions and
comparing ideas and platforms to benefit each provincial group. There was also
a tour of a local BC salmon farm, where
attendees enjoyed being out on the ocean and received an educational tour about
BC’s salmon industry. The day then ended with a visit to Shelter Point
Distillery for the President’s Reception, where the Angus community officially
acknowledges the President’s year of service.
Friday is the
official beginning of the convention where the public is invited to participate
in information and education sessions. This year, the theme for convention was
“The Future: Red, Black and Green”, focussing on sustainable and
environmentally conscious cattle ranching. The morning and afternoon sessions
alternated in order for delegates to attend both sessions during the day. One
session was lead by BC Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program
coordinator, Annette Moore and focused on the program outline and the benefits
of the VBP+ program. This session would have been a great first step for people
wanting to become aware of VBP+ or who want to become VBP+ verified. This
session proved to be beneficial not only for attendants, but also for the
program as the day’s sessions ended with a few new program registrants!
Parallel to the
VBP+ session ran a “Sustainable Agriculture Panel” which was chaired by the
Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef’s Community Engagement Manager, Andrea
White. The
CRSB’s objective is to promote sustainability across the Canadian beef industry
through three pillars of focus: environmental, social and economic
performance. Andrea was joined by Jeff Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, Senior
Manager, North America Engagement, Strategy and Innovation Global Sustainability,
McDonald’s Corporation; Hubert Lau, Co-President of BIXS Inc. and ViewTrak
Technologies Inc.; Gurneesh Bhandal, Sustainability Manager of Cargill Protein;
and Stephen Hughes, Canadian Angus producer, Chinook Ranch; to discuss the
Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration (CBSA) Pilot. The goal with this
pilot is to help make Canada the first country to deliver beef from certified
sustainable sources, establishing Canadian beef as synonymous with
sustainability in the global market. While it was incredibly interesting to
hear from corporate partners why sustainable beef production is so important,
it was all tied together by a Canadian Angus producer who also sat on the
discussion panel to talk about the benefits from a grassroots level.
The
afternoon’s conversation also featured guest keynote speaker Bruce Vincent.
Bruce is from the logging industry out of Libby, Montana and spoke to Angus
ranchers about the importance of social licence. He gave a very motivating
speech on the importance of advocating for ourselves as stewards of the land
and activists for the environment and animal welfare. He touched on struggles
that he experienced during the “Timber Wars” in the US and things that he would
encourage people to think about moving forward. Bruce Vincent proved to be a
highlight of the convention for many people, as they sent him on his way with a
standing ovation.
The
afternoon included a tour of Manatee Holdings at Geoduck Clam Fishery, Deep Bay
Marine Field Station and a quick stop at the Wayward Distillery House. Another
favourite event that we like to call the “Hoedown on the Pacific” concluded the
evening with a “surf and turf” BBQ and dance at Heart of the Valley Farms.
Saturday
was the Canadian Angus Association’s annual general meeting, which is
facilitated by the President and CEO. In addition to a typical AGM, the day included
a “Question and Answer Forum” discussion with the president and CEO; a
presentation about the CAA’s newly launched strategic plan; a commemorative
presentation celebrating 50 years of Red Angus registrations in the Canadian
Angus herdbook which featured a walk down memory lane with long-time breeder
and CAA President Brett Wildman who talked about the Canadian history of Red
Angus and why it is so important to his own family history; as well as the
speech component of the Robert C. McHaffie Junior Ambassador competition.
Once
all of the “business” was concluded, the day ended with a banquet dinner and a
number of awards presentations. The BC Angus Association began the awards
ceremony with a presentation to retired BCAA Secretary and Treasurer Jill
Savage with a service award for over a decade of commitment to Angus in BC, as
well as the Honourary President award with her husband Lance. Canadian Junior
Angus gave their “Junior Ambassador” award to Kamloops, BC’s Matthew
McGillivray, as well as the Outstanding Young Angus Breeder of the Year award
to Karl and Kristine Sauter from Wawota, SK. The Canadian Angus Association
also presented Doug Haughton from Kamloops, BC area with his 50 year long-term
recognition award for 50 continuous years of membership! Following the awards, the
7th annual “Building the Legacy” fundraiser auction was held, with
all proceeds going towards the Canadian Angus Foundation. https://canangusfoundation.ca/
Sunday
June 10th wrapped up the National Convention with a morning full of
sessions including an EPD discussion as led by Kajal Devani, Canadian Angus
Member Service Team Leader, and a DNA workshop, as presented by Yee Ying Lock,
from Delta Genetics. The afternoon included a sightseeing tour to Little
Qualicum Falls, Cathedral Grove (an old growth forest), Morningstar Farm (home
of Mooberry Wines and Little Qualicum Cheeseworks), and the Ship and Shore
restaurant in Bower, BC, for a delicious supper event.
The
BC Angus Association would like to give a sincere thank you to each and every
person who attended convention, worked behind the scenes to plan and host
events, and to every sponsor who believed in this event enough to give support.
We
look forward to welcoming the national Angus community back to BC in the
future!
By Carley Henniger
