The National Show and Royal Winter Fair

On November 4th I boarded a plane which would lead to a whirlwind adventure with Rob Smith and David Bolduc. First stop was Winnipeg to meet up with my Alberta counterparts and rent a car to travel to the National Show in Brandon. I was proud to Show off Brandon’s Keystone Center to Rob and David. Barns, show rings, restaurants, convention halls, the Wheat Kings, and our hotel all under one roof. I remember David saying I wish we could pick this up and take it to Calgary.

We attended the Manitoba Beef Producers supper that night had a delicious Certified Angus beef supper. The next morning I awoke early to help tie cattle in and got to tour the barns and visit with breeders. I helped out at the show by handing out banners to the champions. Congratulations to 6 mile for winning Grand Champion Female in the Red and Black Angus show. We had to leave early and I did not see who won Grand Champion Bull.There were some tense moments as we were driving back to Winnipeg to make our flight when a detour took us right through the middle of Portage Le Prairie.

We arrived in Toronto to our Beautiful Hotel in the shadow of the CN tower. This was my first time being outside of the Toronto airport and I was excited to see the city. The next morning I got on to the wrong shuttle bus to go to the Toronto Royal but ended up getting there in good time all the same. The show was spectacular, with competitors from Indiana to the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario. The 4-H junior show was going on all afternoon in the next ring which was very entertaining. That evening I met George Earley from Ontario who toured me around the Hall of Fame before I met up with David and Rob in the Angus Barn.

The next morning we got up early and boarded our planes back to the frozen prairies that had been engulfed in winter since we left. In two hours I will be boarding a plane for Edmonton and Farmfair international. Hope to see you there.


Posted by Austen Anderson, Robert C. McHaffie Junior Ambassador
Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

Alberta Age Verification Incentive Program Milestone

This morning we hit a milestone. The Angus Association has given away over $300,000 worth of free tags under the Government of Alberta’s Age Verification Incentive Program. That equates to producers receiving 102,908 free Angus tags. This phase of the program began in July 2010 and will continue until December 31, 2012.

Any Alberta producers who paid full price for their tags or who have not yet returned their signed 2011 AVIP application form to the office, need to do so as soon as possible. Those forms must be processed by us before the end of the year to qualify for this year’s incentive. Please fax them to (403) 571-3599 or email them to chazenberg@cdnangus.ca if you have any questions about this program please feel free to contact me anytime.

We offer free third-party age verification services to Angus tag customers. We can only accept information that is sent by fax, mail or e-mail. Be sure to include the tags used and first day of calving season or individual birthdates (including year) cross referenced to tag numbers. We require a few days to complete the work before your calves are sold. Please forward the information as early as possible. Birth certificates will be returned by mail unless otherwise instructed.

Posted by Cheryl Hazenberger
Feedback: chazenberg@cdnangus.ca

2011 Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Sale at Mankota

What an event! Everyone in the Angus business should have the opportunity to attend an outstanding sale like this one. There were 3,500 head on offer, all of them were Angus-tagged and age-verified black Angus steers and heifers. There is no sale like this anywhere else in the world.

The sale attracted buyers from all over Canada, including Harry and Ed Dalke who recently won our Western Canada Feedlot of the Year Award. They were so impressed with the cattle on offer that between them, they bought about one-third of the cattle.

Prices were as high as any we've seen across Canada this fall. The quality and uniformity of the cattle are so good that they barely have to be sorted. The sorts were into groups of over 200 for tri-axle loading.

If you missed this sale, there are still lots of Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed sales left. Look at our Events Calendar or Fall Sale Listing to find a sale near you. Make sure you watch for our field reps and say hello.

I look forward to seeing you at a sale soon.

Posted by Brian Good
Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

2011 World Angus Secretariat in Argentina

Every two years Angus Associations from around the world gather to share ideas and build relationships and form a united Angus front on a global scale. This year the World Angus Secretariat, now a conglomerate of 20 different Angus Associations, met in Argentina. Official delegates from Canada included Canadian Angus Association President David Bolduc, Past President Kirk Wildman, CEO Rob Smith, Junior Ambassador Austen Anderson, and Breed Development Specialist Kajal Devani. The official delegates attend the World Angus Secretariat Technical meeting where all the Associations share their technical challenges, and together the secretariat makes recommendations for adopting technology. At this year’s technical meeting we discussed SNP-based parentage verification, using genomic information in genetic evaluations and the benefits of data sharing between the Associations.

Also from Canada were 30 participants, the largest group of participants present in Argentina. The next numerous group of participants was from the Czech Republic who had 17 participants from their country. I really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the 30 participants from Canada. You get to know people quite well if you have the chance to travel at length with them.

All Canadian participants would agree that this trip to Argentina was an incredible opportunity to witness Argentinean hospitality, to meet Angus enthusiasts from all over the world, to network and promote Canadian Angus genetics, and to establish strong working relationships. The trip gave me the opportunity to compare notes with breed development staff from 20 other Angus Associations. I recognize that most of them face the same challenges that we do, and I learned some new ways to approach different challenges.

While we were in Argentina, our Junior Ambassador, Austen Anderson, was an exemplary representative for Canadian Angus and Canadian juniors. He is creating a collection of all the photographs that were taken in Argentina so that they can be shared with all our members. So, keep an eye out for these!

Our hosts introduced us to Argentinean beef, wine, culture, Tango, heritage and people. The Canadian participants came back with a better understanding of how things are done all over the world, and in Argentina especially. Argentina is very heavily influenced by Europe, especially by the Spanish and Italians. Their Creole horses are beautiful, and they relish their gaucho traditions. 98% of Argentineans eat beef every day of the week, and their beef preparation methods were very tasty! Argentina is a very diverse country with arid mountain regions as well as more tropical southern regions. They struggle with infrastructure for roads and trade barriers that we can empathize with. And yet, they have huge operations with up to several thousand purebred Angus in their operations. Argentinean Angus breeders utilize a lot of American and Canadian genetics, and enjoy good relationships with many Canadian Angus breeders.

We look forward to the next Secretariat meeting which will be held with the 2013 World Angus Forum in New Zealand. The New Zealand Angus Association has designed a very fun Forum challenge for youth participants. You can read more about this by clicking on the following link: http://www.worldangus.com/.


Posted by Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca

Fall Sales Look Good So Far

Our 13th Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Fall Feeder Sale of the 2011 run takes place today in Olds. So far, things are good and there is lots of optimism as the market has picked up this week. People are very happy at the auction marts and producers are feeling good. Many are finding that they are receiving more money than they did at the same time last year for comparable quality calves.

Supply and demand are a big factor, and this year that is driving prices up. The Canadian dollar has gone down a bit and that doesn't hurt either. Cattle prices have gone up while other commodities have gone down.

Guys are a bit slow in bringing their cattle to town, but that is typical for this time of year. The numbers will pick up after the Thanksgiving holiday and we'll see high numbers of cattle going through the auction rings through the end of October.

Have a great Thanksgiving, and watch for our commercial field reps at Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Feeder sales near you. We will also have a booth and representation at both Red Roundup on October 21-22 and at Agribition November 23-26. A limited number of Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Tags will be available for pick-up at each location.

Posted by Brian Good
Feedback: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

Canadian Angus Foundation Update

The Canadian Angus Foundation has had one of its best years ever. We successfully raised $26,280 in the Baldy Fundraiser, half of which was donated to the ‘Kids with Cancer Society’. We also had a great turnout for the Junior Ambassador competition that featured some of the best youth that our Angus fraternity has to offer. Ultimately Austen Anderson of Swan River, Manitoba was selected as our ambassador for the upcoming year. Austen will travel to the World Angus Secretariat in Argentina as well as several shows and sales across Canada.

A few new opportunities for our Juniors include the chance for one CJAA member to have $500 of their travel paid to the GOAL conference in Regina this February. This is awarded through the Canadian Angus Memorial Fund and is open to members of the CJAA. To enter submit a paragraph stating ‘How you will benefit from attending GOAL’ to mlatimer@cdnangus.ca; be sure to include your contact information.

The inaugural Dick Turner Award will be presented at the 2012 Canadian Angus Association annual general meeting in Lethbridge. The criteria for the award will be announced early in 2012 so keep reading the Junior Connections newsletter and Angus World for more information.

The Canadian Angus Foundation functions to preserve and expand the Angus breed for future generations through education, youth development, scientific and market research, and historical restoration. More information about the Canadian Angus Foundation is available at http://www.canangusfoundation.ca/ or by email to mlatimer@cdnangus.ca.


Posted by Michael Latimer
Feedback: mlatimer@cdnangus.ca

Performance Program Deadline Extended to November 1

We understand that weaning and weighing calves before October 11 is difficult for many breeders. The Canadian Angus Association has worked very hard with the Associations that we cooperate with in genetic evaluations on your behalf to increase efficiencies. We are very pleased to inform you that we are able to extend the deadline for performance data to be included in the next National Cattle Evaluation to Tuesday, November 1, 2011. Our staff will do their best to still have the new EPDs available in early 2012 for sale catalogue and bull buying decisions.

The Canadian Angus Association staff value our members and the feedback that you provide. We will continue to work hard for you to provide you with tools and services that are useful and practical for your Angus operation.

Please contact the Registry Department (registry@cdnangus.ca) as soon as possible if you do not yet have the 205 day worksheet for your Spring 2011 born calves. If you received a Missing Data – Herd Inventory listing for Spring 2011, please complete it and return to us as soon as possible so we can generate the 205 day worksheet.

It is preferable that you mail the worksheet or submit your weights electronically or by HerdMaster to ensure accuracy.

Refer to the Breeder Handbook for assistance with completing the 205 day worksheet.

If you have any questions about weaning weights, online submission, the Canadian Performance Program or EPDs, please contact me.

Posted by Kajal Devani
Feedback: kajal1@cdnangus.ca

The Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Feeder Calf Listing Has Launched

Last week we told you about an exciting new initiative, the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Feeder Calf Listing. Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Tag customers can list upcoming lots of animals on offer by private sale, through an auction market or internet auction, and we will post the list on our website and send it to anyone interested in purchasing Angus influenced calves. The service is free for those using Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Tags.

The listing can be viewed on our website at www.cdnangus.ca/commercial/Angus_for_sale.htm. It is also sent by e-mail. Please help us spread the word about this new service. To subscribe to the e-mail, send an e-mail to chazenberg@cdnangus.ca.

To have your calves included, complete the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Feeder Calf Listing Information form and return it to the Association office. Please include as much information as possible, however, not including some information will not exclude you from participating.

Posted by Cheryl Hazenberg
Feedback: chazenberg@cdnangus.ca