2011 GOAL Conference Outstanding

The 2011 GOAL (Guiding Outstanding Angus Leaders) Conference was held February 19-21 in Saskatoon. Saskatchewan Director Laird Senft and I attended the conference with 36 Juniors and Belinda Wagner, the CJAA coordinator and Shelly Easton.

Thursday featured keynote speaker Dr. Scott Vernon of Cal Poly-San Luis Obisp California. His seminar covered communication, motivation and leadership. The evening included dinner at the Western Development Museum followed by a tour and then the attendees presented skits.

Tom Blacklock spoke about Staying Creative in Agriculture on Friday morning, sharing his experiences of retailing his own beef through farmers markets during the BSE crisis.

The Juniors had a full and busy weekend. Bella Spur Innovative Media Inc. gave a marketing presentation and Gordon Roger from Intervet gave a presentation on Opportunities for Youth in Agriculture. The formal banquet was held Saturday night and featured a presentation from Robert C. McHaffie Junior Ambassador Erika Easton. I presented the Association's highlights of 2010.

Belinda deserves a lot of credit and recognition for her hard work. She does a great job and did a lot of work to put on a great conference.

It was great to see the Juniors focus on their future in the Angus breed and make new friends. I am also happy to report that after my presentation, several Juniors have "friended" me and "like" the Canadian Angus Association on Facebook.


Posted by Michael Latimer
Feedback: michael1@cdnangus.ca

World Angus Secretariat Meeting in Argentina

This October, Argentina will host the World Angus Secretariat Technical Meeting in Buenos Aires. The Canadian Angus Association is putting together an official delegation of Canadian Angus breeders to represent us.

The meeting takes place October 8-15. The XXXIII National Angus Spring Meeting, the XII National Fair of Angus Calves and Angus Genetics Expo will take place at the same time. The program includes visits to Angus breeding farms, the Liniers Cattle Market and a closing gala dinner that will feature a genetics auction.

Buenos Aires is a beautiful, dynamic and radiant city that features stunning architecture and a vibrant cultural life. There will be time for touring and shopping.

The official Canadian Angus delegation is set to depart from Canada on Tuesday, October 4 and return on Sunday, October 16. Full tour details and pricing will be available by the end of February.

If you are interested in being part of the official Canadian delegation, please contact me to be given priority placement on the information list.

For more information about the Secretariat meeting, please visit the World Angus Secreatariat Argentina website at http://www.wasargentina2011.com/index1.php



Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

Report on January Industry Events

Thank you to everyone who has come out and visited with Julia or myself at recent industry events across the county. Tag sales have been fantastic these last few weeks, and we have received a great response at all the events we have been to. New dates are still being added for March and will be posted very soon, but the Calgary Bull Sale, March 2 and 3, 2011, is confirmed.

In addition to attending Ag Days in Brandon and the Feeder Association of Alberta’s annual Convention in Red Deer, I had the privilege to speak at this year’s Ottawa Valley Annual General Meeting. I was delighted to see the turn out and to hear the positive comments not only about the industry but what the Association is doing. I am very grateful for the opportunity and the invitation to attend.

Ag Days in Brandon is a wonderful event and I am sorry that I have never had the chance to attend until this year. With a huge showcase of everything agricultural related, I was pleased to be able to add Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Tags to that list. The people that I spoke with over those two days were from diverse backgrounds and very interesting; from producers to consumers every step along the way was represented. Thanks to the Manitoba Angus Association for working with me and helping make that event a success.

Julia made the trip to Camrose, Alberta this year for the Bull Congress and we had fantastic tag sales there. Alberta producers have embraced the Angus Tag Program and are taking full advantage of the Alberta Government’s Age Verification Incentive Program. AVIP is in year two now and producers who applied last year are eligible to apply again. Anyone who didn’t apply last year can still maximize their returns on a 2011 tag purchase.

Expect to see us out and about in March and again this fall. And as always you can mail or fax in your tag order, complete it online or call us at the office. Remember it takes a couple of days to ship tags, so order early.

Posted by Cheryl Hazenberg
Feedback: cheryl1@cdnangus.ca

How a Geneprob Herd Analysis Can Help You

The Canadian Angus Association can provide for its members a Geneprob herd analysis. This report will identify any animals in your herd that might have a probability of inheriting a recessive gene that causes either AM, NH, OS, MA or CA. The report can help members identify which animals to test for the genes, so that testing is focused in the most economical way possible.

Here are some comments from members who have used the Geneprob herd analysis:

“I thought that I was going to have to test all my animals for OS, but the Geneprob report showed me that if I tested just one sire and he came back free of the gene, then I would not need to test any other animals at all”.

“I didn’t think that NH was an issue in my herd, I am very particular about the pedigree that I use. But I got the herd analysis anyways. I was surprised to see that a few of the cows I had bought were out of a carrier bull, and had 50% probability of having the NH gene. I was happy to find out now and be able to get the tests done right away. I’d rather know now than later down the road”.

“I didn’t quite understand this whole genetics thing until I got my herd analysis and went through it with Kajal. It’s worth the $15 to really see what you have or don’t have”.

To request a Geneprob herd analysis contact, me by email or at 1-888-571-3580.

Posted by Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca

2011 off to a Good Start for the Angus Breed

It's been a busy month in the Canadian Angus office:

• 50 new members joined our Association.
• Membership renewals have been arriving daily in the mail.
• Registrations and tag sales are up as compared to January 2010.
• Our new member handbook was posted on our website.
• Staff representatives attended provincial annual general meetings in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario
• Herd inventories were mailed.
• Staff representatives attended industry events to answer questions about the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Tag Program.

We are currently running about 10 days behind the mail, so if you submit work to the office and require it urgently, please mark RUSH on the oustide of your envelope or the cover page of your fax. Rush charges will apply.

In short, there is much for Angus breeders to feel good about: a busy office staff is a sign that the breed is enjoying success. We've also heard many reports of calving going well, despite the sometimes horrific weather conditions. Spring may be just around the corner if you believe the groundhogs' predictions. Either way, things are looking good for Angus.


Posted by Tina Zakowsky
Feedback: tina1@cdnangus.ca

Invitation to Free EPD Workshop

Hello All! I had the wonderful opportunity to hold an EPD 101 workshop this month and was very encouraged by how useful the breeders that attended said that it was. I will be hosting two workshops, one on the basics of EPDs and one on the paperwork involved in participating in the Canadian Angus Performance Program, on the first Tuesday morning of every month.

The EPD 101 workshop covers what EPDs are, how they are calculated, and how to use EPDs. The Paperwork workshop includes the paperwork that participants need to fill out, and also covers how to read and use the evaluation reports that are given back to members.

The workshops involve accessing slides online while participating in a conference call. Members with dial-up or no internet service can access the slides beforehand and can simply call into the conference call. The workshops are interactive and breeders will have to opportunity to ask questions and share ideas.

To register for a workshop, simply email me at kajal1@cdnangus.ca or call 1-888-571-3580. The workshops I have held so far have been a lot of fun, and I for one came away having learned something new. I'd like to thank all the participants for sharing their ideas and experience with me.

Kajal

Posted by Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca

National Western Stock Show in Denver

It was a pleasure to represent the Canadian Angus Association at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado. It was great to see so many of our Canadian breeders taking part in this event. I would encourage anyone who has not attended or does not regularly attend to consider making the trip in 2012. There are a lot of opportunities to network with our American neighbors and our fellow Canadians. If you are planning on using American genetics in your herd it is especially important to see these cattle first-hand in order to gain a better understanding of their structure and other attributes. Pictures don’t always show you everything.

You can view the show results online.

Posted by Michael Latimer
Feedback: michael1@cdnangus.ca

Manitoba Angus Annual General Meeting

I had the pleasure of attending the Manitoba Angus Association’s General Annual Meeting last weekend, and although the attendance was low, the spirits were high and the welcome that I received was, as usual, very warm.

The members that did come out discussed the Keystone Classic and details of other shows and sales planned for this upcoming year. Each committee presented a report to summarize 2010 and members had the opportunity to ask questions and voice their opinions on what worked well and how the association might serve them better.

Manitoba will be hosting the Canadian Angus Association Annual General Meeting this year. There is much planning and prep work involved in hosting an event like this and Arlene has called upon members that might wish to volunteer.

The election process resulted in the following members placed to lead the association in the next few years:

• President: Shawn Birmingham for another 3-year term
• Vice President: Dallas Johnston
• Canadian Director: Lois McRae by acclamation
• Remaining Directors:
  - Kent Topham for a 1-year term
  - Doug Stamler
  - Dan VanSteelandt
  - Allan Nykoliation for a 3-year term
  - Ron Batho
  - Larissa Hamilton for a 1-year term (new board member)
• Arlene Kirkpatrick: Secretary/Treasurer
• Honorary President: Vaughan Greenslade

It was a little sad that no juniors attended the meeting and none had voiced their interest to run for Junior Director to a board member. This position remains open and I encourage all juniors in Manitoba to contact Arlene and get involved with their Association.

Arlene did a fantastic job of organizing the entire event. And, dinner with 5 different beef breeds was a great opportunity to network and keep an eye on the competition.

It is clear to me that Angus is still a word that people say with pride in Manitoba. Manitoba breeders remain passionate about their cattle and their lifestyle, and it was wonderful to be home for the weekend.

Posted by Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca