The Baldy Fundraiser

Past president Kirk Wildman’s family had a challenging year after their oldest son Thomas was diagnosed with leukemia. To show support, the staff created the Baldy Fundraiser where all the money raised will be split between The Kids with Cancer Society (http://www.kidswithcancer.ca) and the Canadian Angus Foundation (http://www.canangusfoundation.ca). The Kids with Cancer Society supports families as their children fight cancer. The Canadian Angus Foundation supports youth development, historical preservation and education and research.

The premise of the fundraiser was that members would donate towards one of the three “candidates”, Kirk Wildman, Michael Latimer and Rob Smith. The person with the most money donated towards him would have his head shaved at the AGM. Up until the final moment, Kirk Wildman was in the lead. Thomas was very excited to have the opportunity to share the bald feeling with his dad.

The Wildman family donated a Buffalo Sabres hockey jersey autographed by Ryan Miller for auction. Sandy Margetts was immensely generous; not only was she the highest bidder for the jersey but she then presented the jersey back to Thomas with instructions for him to “stay well and grow into it fully”. There was not a dry eye in the banquet hall at that moment.

At the final moment just before Kirk’s head was shaved, the members in attendance donated an extra $5,000 to have all three candidates shave their heads. Kirk, Michael and Rob patiently endured a stream of people who came up to help make each of them bald. We’d like to thank them for volunteering for this fundraiser.

We’d also like to thank Doug Wilson from PSL Sabirnet Systems for donating his time to create the promotional graphics on our website. Our most heartfelt thanks to the members, the Juniors and the industry partners who donated funds towards this cause. We commend the Juniors who supported the fundraiser, in particular Erika Eastman who donated a heifer at their sale and Austen Anderson who donated one of his paintings for auction. The heart and strength of the Angus community is truly evident in the over $25,000 that was raised.

Donations can still be made on the Foundation website (http://www.canangusfoundation.ca), or by contacting Michael Latimer at 1-888-571-3580 until June 30.

To see photos, please visit http://www.cdnangus.ca/members/agm.htm#BaldyFundraiser

Posted by the Canadian Angus Association staff
Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

Beef Improvement Federation Conference 2011

The Canadian Angus Association was well represented at BIF this year with Directors Gary Latimer and Cecilie Fleming and myself from the office in attendance. Overall, the symposium was very successful; it gave us a chance to connect with board and staff from other associations, to visit with old friends and make new friends with representatives from all sectors of the industry. The research that was reported on was generally focused on developing tools to help purebred and commercial producers be more efficient. In the past, research has generally focused on tools to increase profit. The industry now recognizes that this normally results in profit for the feedlot. The aim is to transport profits back to the breeders and producers by decreasing the operation costs.

For a full report on the proceedings please contact Kajal at kajal1@cdnangus.ca or access the BIF website at http://www.beefimprovement.org/proceedings.html

We would like to thank our hosts in Bozeman, and congratulate them and the BIF Board for putting on such a successful event.

Posted by Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca

Canadian Angus Beef in the Netherlands

On a recent trip through the Netherlands and Belgium, I had the opportunity to meet with the owners of the Mondani Restaurant in Lochem, Netherlands. The Mondani Restaurant is a Canadian themed restaurant approximately 1 hour east of Amsterdam. The restaurant encompasses all things Canadian. From the West Coast Native American art and the murals of the Rocky Mountains to the menu which features Canadian beef, bison and salmon as well as Moosehead beer.

Currently they are purchasing Heritage Angus Beef and they are thrilled with the product. They told me a wonderful story about a Canadian that was dining at the restaurant just the week prior to my visit. This gentleman was talking with the owners after the meal and said that the steak he had was better than what he ever had at home.

With the import regulations imposed by the European Union, it is hard to get Canadian beef into the Netherlands. The EU is a huge potential market that Canadian producers and export companies are not taking advantage of. Recognizing that Heritage Angus Beef and a few of our other Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Participants are currently shipping into the EU, I don’t want to take away from what they are doing by any means. However, I truly believe there is a much larger market there that would welcome Canadian Angus Beef with open arms.

Consider as a producer taking the time to do some research into specialty programs which may or may not serve the EU market. Raising cattle includes marketing them; you cannot be successful in the cattle business unless you sell your animals. One rule of marketing is to differentiate your product from the others available. What better way to do that then to meet certain niche market criteria such as the markets that our Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed participants meet. While there will always be a outlet for traditionally raised beef in Canada, niche markets are not going away either. Diversify, Diversify and Diversify. Now is the perfect time to find out what programs are available through the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Program and to find out which criteria you meet now and which ones you may meet in the future. Some of our participants also need traditionally raised beef but now is the time to find out not the day before you plan to sell your calves in the fall.

Posted by Cheryl Hazenberg
Feedback: chazenberg@cdnangus.ca

Opportunities for Juniors

June brings deadlines for opportunities available to our Canadian Junior Angus Association members. If you are a Junior, know a Junior, or are a parent of a Junior, please take note of the following:

Wednesday, June 1: International Livestock Congress Student Program application deadline
The Canadian Cattlemen's Association and the International Stockman's Educational Foundation are running a program that hosts Canadian and international students at the 2011 International Livestock Congress in Calgary. The student program runs Sunday, August 7 through Wednesday, August 11. Full details and application information can be found at www.ilccalgary.com/html/student.html

Wednesday, June 1: Showdown early registration deadline
Showdown 2011 takes place July 21-23 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. With competitions in cattle events, photography, cooking, literature and more, there is truly something for everyone. Showdown is a tremendous opportunity to meet other CJAA members from across the country, engage in friendly competitions, and form new friendships. Register by June 1 and pay $60 per participant. On June 2, the fee increases to $100. Download the application form or visit the the CJAA website for more details.

Wednesday, June 15: CJAA Scholarship application deadline
Every year the CJAA awards three $1,000 scholarships to members. The funds are applied to post-secondary or graduate education. Download the application form. The winners of the scholarships will be announced at Showdown.

Monday, June 20: Showdown late registration deadline
This is your last chance to register for Showdown 2011.


Spread the word to the Juniors you know as these opportunities are too good to miss.

Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

Reducing Paper Waste

The call to go GREEN was answered by 110 members this past month. Members who received their performance reports online and in paper as well were invited to go paperless. We were thrilled to receive over 100 requests to cut out the printed copy of reports.

All the members that volunteered to go GREEN were entered in a draw for an Angus prize. The lucky draw winners are: Hugh and Marylee Wilkie, Bob and Lorene Cunningham, and Mert Taylor. Congratulations to you!

Cheers to all our members who submit their data and receive their reports electronically, we at the office really appreciate your efforts. Electronic transactions are faster for us to processes, they are environmentally friendly, and they save your Association a lot of paper and postage. If you still receive your performance reports by paper and would like to go GREEN – it is not too late, just let us know!

Posted by Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca

May 8 & May 10 deadlines

There are three significant deadlines for Canadian Angus Association members in the next few days:

Sunday, May 8 is the last day that rooms are being held at the Elkhorn Resort & Spa for the Canadian Angus Association annual general meeting. The room rate is $130 per night and the group code is CDNANG. To reserve a room, call 1-866-355-4676. There is still time to register to attend the meeting, tours and banquet, but we recommend you register as soon as possible as space is limited.

The deadline for performance data to be included in the Fall 2011 National Cattle Evaluation is May 10. If you need worksheets or have questions about the deadline or the Canadian Angus Performance Program, please contact Kajal at 1-888-571-3580.

May 10 is also the deadline for Canadian Junior Angus Association members to apply for the Red Angus Association of America and American Angus Association exchange programs. The application forms are available on the Canadian Junior Angus Association website.Keep up with all of our deadlines and upcoming events by subscribing to our electronic newsletter and visiting our Events Calendar.


Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

Canadian Angus Breeder Handbook

Are you up to date with the artificial insemination regulations? Do you know what the requirements are to register an embryo transplant calf? Do you know which genetic defects the Canadian Angus has addressed in the genetic defect policy? Would you like to learn more about the Canadian Angus Performance Program and how to analyze EPD reports? Do you want tips on marketing your purebred Angus animals, and would you like to learn how the Canadian Angus Association can assist your commercial customers with the marketing of their animals if they are 50% Angus and have purchased Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed tags?

The staff of the Canadian Angus Association released the revised Breeder Handbook in January. It is available on our website. We encourage you to use this resource, and to provide us with feedback. It is a valuable tool for all members.

Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

Information Seminars in Ontario and Quebec

I had the most rewarding opportunity to spend some time in Ontario and Quebec last week, participating in some information seminars. I began at the Carson’s Sale Arena in Listowel where I had the opportunity to speak to some people before the sale. We discussed how EPDs are calculated and how they should be used in the industry for genetic improvement towards more successful operations. I’d like to thank Dunford Royal Cattle Company for allowing me this time to connect with the breeders in that area before their sale. The sale itself was a wonderful experience for me. I got to see the end result of all the work that we do in the office including: registering these animals, recording their performance information, providing pedigree extracts for the sales catalogues. I spent a day with John and Pat Duivenvoorden touring breeders around the Innisfil area the previous day and would like to thank them for their hospitality.

I travelled to Guelph next and visited with BIO. We discussed ways in which we could work together so that breeders in Ontario and Quebec that use both the evaluation program from BIO and participate on the Canadian Angus Performance Program don’t have to submit their performance data twice over. I invite members in the east to contact me if there is ever an issue with getting performance data back and forth between the two programs.

The afternoon was spent with Dr Steve Miller who graciously toured us through the Elora research facility. Dr Miller is conducting research on feed efficiency, methane production, and tenderness. Because these traits are so difficult and expensive to measure, his aim is to identify genes or markers that account for variation in these traits so that animals with superior genetics for these traits can be easily identified. It was encouraging to see research designed with the producer in mind.

The next information seminars were in Smiths Falls Ontario and Sherbrooke Quebec where I was joined by Paul Mastine from Triara Genetics who spoke about implementing new technology for a more profitable operation, and by Phil Trowbridge from Trowbridge Farms New York who spoke about marketing our product. Both seminars explored the concept of branding and marketing a product that has a story and your name behind it. We also discussed EPDs at length, putting to rest some old misconceptions about EPDs. I believe that at the end of the seminars the 100 or so breeders and commercial producers that attended had a better understanding of how EPDs are calculated and how they should be used towards specific goals of genetic improvement. Breeders commented at how they would be more comfortable marketing their genetics now that they understood how the EPDs describe their genetics.

I concluded my trip with a visit to our Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed participant Angus Zone in Saint Agapit, Quebec. Guy D’Anjou buys Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed tagged animals for his feed lots which supply his bustling meat shop and restaurant. His enthusiasm for the Angus breed and his pride in the product that he sells was infectious.

I would like to thank the people who hosted me as I travelled through Ontario and Quebec, and those who helped me organize these information seminars. I really appreciate the time that breeders spent traveling to spend the evening discussing these topics with myself, Paul Mastine and Phil Trowbridge. The positive comments that I received about the effort makes me hope that more breeders will take the time to take the EPD 101 workshop which I do online once a month. The next workshop is scheduled for April 15^th, 9:00 am MDT and can be accessed by emailing me.

Posted by Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca