If
I were to say it has been an exciting start to the 2014 Canadian Junior Angus
Association (CJAA) year, that would be an understatement. It was my privilege to
attend the Guiding Outstanding Angus Leaders (GOAL) conference February 15-17
in Calgary, Alberta. CJAA members attended from coast to coast, with an
outstanding turnout of 52 members, 26 being first-time attendees. Being my
first GOAL conference, all of my expectations were exceeded and it was the best
experience to say the least!
I
flew into Calgary from Toronto Friday evening. Events were underway by Saturday
afternoon starting with icebreakers and social activities. Shortly after, our
first speaker of the event, Alvin Law spoke of “Alvin’s Law of Life.” Combining
his life story, being born without arms, with personal insight, his motivation to
change his attitude proved that happiness can enhance personal satisfaction. I
remember a quote Alvin spoke about quite vividly. He said, “All professional
development starts with personal assessment and taken together, everyone
wins!” It’s safe to say that he was
definitely a highlight of the weekend!
Later
that evening, we engaged in an etiquette dinner presentation by Taylor Hughes, in
which we were taught how to “properly” eat a five course dinner. Our skills were
definitely put to the test with an outstanding steak dinner to follow.
The Foundation
Legacy Scholarship Panel Discussion was a high point to end off this great
evening. Patrick Holland, Breanna Anderson, Katie Dietrich, Travis Hunter and
Katie Olynyk were the five finalists who participated in the discussion. CEO
Rob Smith as well as Canadian Angus directors asked intuitive questions
about the ever-changing beef industry. All participants were very sharp
with their answers and I think it is safe to say the beef industry and Angus
breed have never looked brighter.
It
was an early start to Sunday morning. The first guest speaker of the day, Art
Froelich, the President of Agriview, delivered a presentation about agriculture in
a global perspective. It was exciting to hear that Canada will be
one of the five countries needed to feed the world. Following Froelich, Dr. Tom Pittman spoke
about “Calving from A-Z,” which everyone found very informative and
interesting.
Later
in the afternoon, a special presentation from former Summer Marketing Interns,
Matt Bates, Karla Ness and Katie Dietrich brought back the inner child in many
of us! Dressing up from a cow to the farmer, everyone participated in the
presentation that was used to engage public school children in the beef
industry.
Following
our guest speakers, we boarded a bus to see the big reveal of Angus Central. I,
as well as the other Juniors were very impressed. The office tour was not
solely the reason for the visit; there were also special presentations to be
made. The New Zealand World Angus Forum youth team grand and reserve champion teams and the champion individual received awards.
We
were then let loose to tour Irvine’s Tack & Western Wear and buy all those “needed”
jeans and cowboy boots for the upcoming show season.
The
night ended with lots of laughs at the Jubilation’s Dinner Theatre. With an
excellent dinner intertwined with scenes from the television show Friends, we
all had a night to remember.
The
last and final day of GOAL started with a presentation from CJAA President
Michael Hargrave during which he spoke of the numerous opportunities that the
CJAA has to offer youth. Following, Fred Taylor, grading contractor for
Cargill, talked about when we produce a product, we need to understand the
needs and wants of our consumer. The third talk of the day came from Kim
McConnell, former founder and CEO of AdFarm. McConnell illustrated the consumption differences between the western world
and some of the poorest nations, comparing our habits and what this means in
the role of agriculture today. The final presentation came from one of our own
members, Austen Anderson, who shared information about the Cattleman’s Young
Leaders (CYL) program.
Closing
remarks came from two of the retiring CJAA directors, Katie Wright and Austen
Anderson. We thank both of these members for their dedication to the program
and for inspiring others to be involved.
Posted by Sophie Wotten
Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca
