EPD 101 Workshop in Manitoba

I travelled out to Brandon, Manitoba last Wednesday riveted by the beautiful fall colors and gorgeous scenery. I was welcomed by 11 Angus breeders and 2 commercial producers who took the time out of their very busy harvesting to attend a workshop on EPDs.

We discussed what EPDs are, how they are calculated and how they should best be used. This is the first of a series of workshops on EPDs that will be offered by the Association. The next workshop will describe the paperwork involved in participating on the Canadian Angus Performance Program. We will go through the paperwork that members receive and how to complete the worksheets. And, we will discuss the reports provided back to member explaining how to read and use these.

I’d like to thank Arlene Kirkpatrick for organizing the evening, and all the members who took the time to be there last Wednesday. It was a pleasure for me to meet so many enthusiastic breeders in person, and for me to be able to discuss genetic evaluations with them. In addition, it was greatly beneficial for us to have had the commercial customers’ perspective as well.

Everybody came away from the workshop having learnt something new and I encourage all breeders to take the time to come to the workshops as they are available in your area, or contact me to do it online.

EPDs are great selection tools that describe the additive genetics within our animals helping Angus breeders reach their breeding goals in a shorter time frame. I welcome you to contact me with any questions or comments that you might have.

Posted by Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca

Field Staff Training

On Tuesday, the Canadian Angus Association's part-time and seasonal field staff gathered in cold, wet and foggy Calgary for some training and to gear up for the fall sale run. Although some sales have already taken place, the run starts in earnest on October 4 and the field staff will be on the road for long stretches at a time.

Canadian Angus Association office staff took the opportunity to refresh our field staff on policies and procedures that they often receive questions about. We covered the Canadian Angus Association's commercial programs; the benefits of the Angus tag program along with which animals qualify for tags and ways to order; requirements to register cattle in the Canadian Angus Association herdbook; how to use EPDs; the Canadian Angus Association's genetic defect policy; and the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed program.

We encourage all of our members, both purebred and commercial, to attend at least one sale this fall. Look for the following representatives in your area:

Western Canada:
Brian Good 403-391-4037
Ken Cox 780-672-6860

British Columbia:
Jack Brown 604-888-0862

Manitoba
Blair McRae 204-728-3058

Ontario
John Duivenvoorden 705-431-0319

Quebec/Maritimes
Wayne Gallup 819-826-3026

These guys will be putting in lots of hours promoting the Angus breed and our programs over the fall sale season. Be sure to say hello when you see them.


Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

Inaugural Feedlot Challenge

Michael Latimer and I represented the Canadian Angus Association at the Feedlot Challenge 2010 sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health. It was held at Easter Day Feedlot north of Coaldale, Alberta. This is a beautiful location with absolutely stunning scenery.

Ten teams of four competed in skill tests that involved vaccinating and implanting cattle in chutes. The teams also had to handle cattle from horseback and write a test. Three Pfizer veterinarians acted as judges. Prizes were awarded during the evening following a barbecue.

This was the first time this event was held and it was enjoyable. It looks like it took a lot of work to organize but it was worth it. This was a very good deal that promises to be bigger and better next year.


Posted by Brian Good
Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

Showing Angus at this Fall's Gold Shows?

The Canadian Angus Association 2010 Gold Show season started in July and continues through the end of November. The Gold Show program was developed in 1989 by the Canadian Angus Association to provide an incentive for breeders to move between regions to show cattle. Each year we present four awards: Black Show Bull of the Year; Red Show Bull of the Year; Black Show Female of the Year; Red Show Female of the Year.

If you plan to show animals that you have not yet registered, please contact the Registry department and start the registration process as soon as possible. We cannot make exceptions to our registration policies for Gold Show animals, so please ensure that you leave plenty of time for possible parentage spot tests, genetic defect testing requirements, and to provide missing information. All animals entered in Canadian Angus Association sponsored Gold Shows must be registered before the show.

You may want to mark your registration RUSH on the outside of your envelope or the cover page of your fax to ensure your animals will be registered in time for the show. Don't wait for the last minute to register your animals and risk not being able to participate!

In accordance with the Canadian Angus Association's Environmental Policy, the use of paint and colouring on animals in Association-sponsored shows is prohibited. The Board of Directors is responsible for checking all animals entering the show ring and refusing entry to any with paint or artificial colouring.

Please visit the Gold Show page on our website for more information.

Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

Fall Feeder Sales Start Next Week

It's hard to believe that September is already here. At the office in Calgary, the staff are still wondering when summer will arrive on our doorstep while Eastern Canada is once again in the grips of a heat wave and Maritimers are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Earl. But a sure sign that summer is over is the arrival of the fall Angus sales, which start on Friday, September 10 at Winnipeg Livestock Sales and continue through Thursday, December 9 at Sekura Auctions Ltd. in Drayton Valley. We even have a few spring sales in March and April. All the sale dates are listed on our events calendar on our website.


The Canadian Angus Association has worked hard to develop relationships with auction markets and offer Angus sales across the country. In just 10 years, we have gone from 5 sales to 157! Check the list of sale dates and you are sure to find one near you.


These sales are an excellent market for your Angus-tagged cattle. We are the only beef breed with a tag that guarantees breed genetics. Only Angus tags qualify your commercial cattle for Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed beef programs. Licensed participants will be present at this fall's Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed sales seeking Angus-tagged cattle for their beef programs.


The Canadian Angus Association will also have field representatives at nearly all sales. When you attend a sale, be sure to say hello.

Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

New Canadian Angus Performance Program Deadline: October 10, 2010

The deadline to submit all performance data for the Spring 2011 National Cattle Evaluation has been changed to October 10, 2010. In order to have your performance data included in the November NCE, all data must be in the office by October 10; data can be submitted online or by mail.

However, most pastures are very green this year and many Canadian Angus Performance Program members were planning on leaving their cattle out as long as possible. If you do not submit your data by October 10th, you should still submit it as soon as possible. Data that gets submitted after the deadline will be used to calculate Interim EPDs (P+) for members until it is used in the next NCE in June 2011. Interim EPDs consist of Parental Averages (P) and the trait information that is submitted.

If your Herd Inventory and Application for Registration has been processed and you received an RFI (Request for Information) sheet from us, please provide your corrections or changes in writing and return it to the office by fax or mail. To ensure accuracy, we cannot accept revisions by telephone. The registration fee for an animal on which an RFI has been issued will be held for 90 days, but we strongly recommend that you respond to an RFI as soon as possible. If you have received a Missing Data-Herd Inventory sheet, please update it and return it to us as soon as possible. Once your inventory is complete, 205-day worksheets will be generated for you.

We realize that deadlines are sometimes difficult to meet when so much of our business is dependent on variables like the weather, however, data that is submitted shortly after it is taken is much more accurate and leaves more time to complete everything.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions at all.

Regards,
Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca

Dick Turner Memorial Scholarship Fund

The recent loss of Angus legend Dick Turner and the creation of a memorial scholarship fund in his name has brought the Canadian Angus Foundation to people's minds and conversations. We have received a number of donations in Dick's memory, and the Canadian Angus Foundation is grateful for your support.

Some people have asked if they can make a donation without using the donation envelopes that were distributed earlier this year. The answer is yes, of course. You can send a cheque made payable to the Canadian Angus Foundation and write "Dick Turner Memorial Scholarship" on the memo line. You can also contact us in writing with your Visa or Mastercard number if you prefer to pay with your credit card. We also accept credit cards by phone; please call our toll-free line at 1-888-571-3580 and ask for me or Michael Latimer.

There is no deadline for contributions to the Dick Turner Memorial Scholarship Fund. Donations can be made at any time. Donations can also be made in memory of any deceased Angus breeder to the Canadian Angus Foundation Memorial Scholarship Fund established earlier this year. All donations, whether for scholarships, research, archives, education, youth development or a special project of your choosing, are welcome at any time. Donations over $20 are eligible for a tax receipt and are graciously acknowledged on our website and in our annual report.

To learn more about what the Canadian Angus Foundation does, please visit the website. The Canadian Angus Foundation thanks you for your support.


Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

You’ve Tagged them as Angus, Now Sell them as Angus!

The 2010 Angus feature sale dates are set! This year we are pleased to have the support of 67 auction markets across Canada who will be hosting 157 sales for Angus tagged cattle. Click here for the complete list of sales.

You'll notice that we have changed the name of the sale program this year: Canadian Angus Certification Program Sales are now Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Sales. All the cattle being sold at these 157 sales that are tagged with the exclusive Angus RFID tag qualify for Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed beef programs. Buyers from our licensed participants will be on hand at sales to source cattle with guaranteed Angus genetics for their Angus beef programs.

The sales are also listed on our online events calendar. Times and dates may change subject to weather conditions and we recommend that you confirm details with the auction(s) of your choice.

It's not too late to qualify your cattle for Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Sales! Please contact Cheryl (cheryl1@cdnangus.ca or 1-888-571-3580) if your Angus calves need tags. For information on the program, visit our website.

To ensure that your age verification will be ready by the date you want to sell, please ensure that you get your age verification requests submitted early. Remember that this service is provided free of charge when you purchase Angus tags.

Our field staff look forward to visiting with you at Angus feature sales starting in September.


Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca