Some fees are changing June 30

Some Canadian Angus Association fees will be changing on June 30. These fee changes result from decisions made at the February 2010 Board of Directors meeting.

At the meeting, the Finance Committee reported serious concern that our fee structure has not kept pace with inflation and explained that we have been able to keep registration and membership fees at the 1982 level only because of activity growth and access to grant programs.

The Board of Directors accepted the following changes to the fee schedule, effective June 30:

• Cost of providing mailing labels be $100 plus 3 cents per label

• An electronic download of member addresses be $250 for a one-time use

• Charge to register an imported animal be $50

• Charge of $25 for Geneprob reports, reduced to $15 if it can be provided electronically

• Cost to register a herd name be $25

• Cost to register tattoo letters be $25

All members will receive a revised fee schedule in the mail with their 2009 annual report by the end of the month. You can also download a printable PDF file by clicking here.

Changes to registration, transfer and membership fees will not occur until January 2011.

Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

Alberta Angus Association Awards Banquet

Sunday evening, Doug and I had the privilege of attending the Alberta Angus Association Hall of Fame Gala. This event was scheduled after the annual meeting in December was cancelled because of inclement weather. The following breeders were entered into the Alberta Angus Hall of Fame:

Mike & Ella May Rodgers (Breed Builder category)
Cudlobe Farms (Contemporary Breeder category)
Triple S Red Angus (Contemporary Breeder category)

Alberta Angus' 2010 Honorary President, Dr. Ben MacLeod, was also recognized although he will not officially receive his award until Saturday at the Canadian Angus Association's annual meeting. Dr. MacLeod shared with the crowd some very valuable life lessons.

Doug Fee also presented the plaque for the 2009 Red Show Bull of the Year. Red Ter-Ron Realdeal HFX 01W, owned by Terry Adams and Rob Adams of Forestburg and Keith Adams of Calgary, won the award but are unable to attend the annual meeting and accept it there.

Congratulations to the award winners and the hall of fame inductees. Without the support and vision of these dedicated breeders, the Angus breed would not be in the leading position it is today.

Posted by Michael Latimer
Feedback: michael1@cdnangus.ca

Government of Alberta develops plan to help cow-calf producers cover cost of RFID tags

Starting July 1, eligible Alberta cattle producers will be able to take advantage of the province's 3 year, $15 million program when they purchase Angus tags. The Age Verification Incentive Program will provide a discount of up to $3 per age-verified animal, based on the number of animals a beef producer has, or plans to have, age verified from the previous year's calf crop. For anyone who has already purchased their tags this year, the government will reimburse them directly; a separate Producer Application form is required.

Alberta producers will be required to fill out and sign a program form and mail or fax it along with an Angus tag order form to the Association office. Forms will be available on our website starting June 30.

For further information, contact Cheryl or Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development online or by phoning 310-FARM (3276).

Posted by Cheryl Hazenberg
Feedback: cheryl1@cdnangus.ca

CFIA announces de-listing of bar-coded tags

The CFIA recently announced that they will continue with the plan to de-list bar-coded identification tags. Effective July 1, 2010, all cattle moving from their location or leaving the farm of origin will be required to be tagged with an approved Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag.

To read the entire press release from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency click here.

If you require additional Angus tags to meet these requirements, contact Cheryl at the Canadian Angus Association office, or order your tags online. Remember to order them early as we will be unable to ship tag orders from June 28 to July 1.

Posted by Cheryl Hazenberg
Feedback: cheryl1@cdnangus.ca

Livestock Markets Association of Canada annual convention

Last week I attended the Livestock Markets Association of Canada (LMAC) annual convention in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This year's event in Winnipeg was another good deal. Congratulations to Rodney Burnett, the 2010 champion from Valley Auctions. The event was well attended with over 350 people at the auctioneer competition. Lots of commercial breeders in attendance from across the country.

The Canadian Angus Association has been involved with this group since 1998. We were approached about sponsoring the auctioneer competition. Since many of the auctioneers also conduct purebred sales it seemed like a good idea. All the breed associations came on board and we each sponsor a buckle, with a different breed sponsoring the champion buckle each year. This year the Canadian Angus Association sponsored the buckle for the third runner up. Congratulations to Rob Bergevin of VJV Stavely who received our buckle this year.

This is a great event and I'm already looking forward to next year's convention.

Posted by Brian Good
Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

Last Call for AGM Registrations

When you think of Angus, the eastern coast of Canada is generally not one of the first things to come to mind. If I told you to picture Halifax, Nova Scotia, you would probably picture tall ships, lobster and friendly Maritimers. But in just a few weeks, Canadian Angus members will experience legendary Maritime hospitality with an Angus twist.

June 19 is the Canadian Angus Association's annual meeting. The Maritime Angus Association has lined up events and activities to help you play tourist for an extra two days before the meeting. And if you really want to make a holiday of it, why not head out extra early and take in the Maritime Junior Show and Field Day on June 12?

Time is running out, and so are the available hotel rooms. Flight deals can still be found, so register today.

The annual general meeting is a great opportunity for members to express their opinions and interact with other members. Excercise your right to vote, meet other Angus breeders from across Canada, take in presentations about issues facing our breed and of course experience what Halifax has to offer.

Come "wander the waterfront" in Halifax with the directors and members of the Canadian Angus Association. It's sure to be an amazing experience.


Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

Register your show cattle early

If you plan to show Angus cattle this summer, you can save yourself money and stress by getting them registered well in advance of the deadlines. Most shows, including Canadian Angus Association Gold Shows, require purebred cattle to be registered in order to participate. Last-minute requests cannot always be accommodated, especially if the animal is randomly selected for a parentage spot test or we are missing information. Registering early also means you won't have to pay rush fees.

The changes to the genetic defect policy that took effect in January may also have an impact on the calves you intend to register and show. As of January 1, 2010 calves that have known carriers of a genetic defect in the first two generations (parental and grandparental) of their pedigree, without an intervening free result, need to be tested free of the causative gene to be eligible for registration. It may take 3-4 weeks for test results to be returned before an animal can be registered. Planning ahead can help you avoid disappointment and ensure your cattle can compete this show season.

June 10 is the registration deadline for Showdown, and Gold Shows start in July. Click here for the full Gold Show schedule.

Remember: the younger the calves are when you register, the cheaper it is to register them.

Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

Information Meetings in Manitoba

Last week, I was a guest speaker at some producer information meetings the Manitoba Angus Association hosted about our Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed program. Both went great with 46 people at Brandon and 22 at Ashern. I was joined by Hamiota Feeders who gave a presentation about how to get your calves ready for this fall's auctions.

People in Manitoba are hungry for information about our programs. If you missed my presentation about the Canadian Angus Association and Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed, go to our website to learn more. Our website has lots of great information on it about Angus tags, help with your registration questions, and of course the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed program. You can also call our office at 1-888-571-3580.

Lois McRae, Canadian Angus director for Manitoba, and Arlene Kirckpatrick, Manitoba Angus Association secretary, both deserve a big pat on the back for doing a really good job putting on these meetings.

If you use Angus cattle in your breeding program, whether you raise purebred or commercial cattle, use Angus tags to qualify your cattle for Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed. The participating beef programs need more Angus tagged cattle to meet demand. It's not too late to get your tags. Tag your calves now to get ready for the Canadian Angus sponsored feeder sales this fall.

Til next time,
Brian Good

Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca