Canadian Angus Association Staff
Doug Fee
Chief Executive Officer
extension 223
Michael Latimer
Assistant General Manager
extension 228
Linda Anne Seville
Office Manager
extension 222
Joanelle Fuellbrandt
Receptionist
extension 0
Kajal Devani
Breed Development
extension 227
Cheryl Hazenberg
CACP Co-ordinator
extension 238
Sharmayne Byrgesen
Chief Registrar
extension 224
Shirley Anderson
Assistant Registrar
extension 216
Kailey Walker
Assistant Registrar
extension 225
Tina Zakowsky
Member Communications
extension 229
Brian Good
Commercial Fieldman
(403) 391-4037
John Duivenvoorden
Eastern Fieldman (Ontario)
(705) 431-0319
Wayne Gallup
Eastern Fieldman
(Quebec & Maritimes)
(819) 826-3026
Wendy Newton
Educational Support
(403) 668-5251
Announcements
-
A new article has been posted on the Ultrasound Resources page on our website: Ultrasound for the 40-Cow Herd
-
Amanda Suhan, our summer archive coordinator, has identified a number of gaps in our collection of Angus memorabilia. If you have Angus items from as much as 100 years ago or as recent as last year's World Angus Forum that you would like to donate, please contact us
-
Don't forget to check out our blog, updated at least every Friday: http://cdnangus.blogspot.com
This year’s Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Feeder Sale dates are confirmed and posted online and in our online events calendar. Seize the opportunity and market your Angus tagged animals at one of these sales. Don’t have your Angus tags yet? It is not too late to have them delivered and applied before the first sale. Contact Cheryl at the Association office today (1-888-571-3580) to order.
This year there are 157 sales across the country and we are happy to have 4 new auction markets on board. New for this year there will be 3 sales (2 in Quebec, 1 Manitoba) in March and April 2011.
The results of the Fall 2010 National Cattle Evaluation are now available on our website. Highlights of the evaluation include:
Interim EPDs:
With these newly calculated EPDs also comes the implementation of our
new programming that allows for the calculation of Interim EPDs.
Interim EPDs will be available for animals that have performance data on
record but have not yet gone through the National Cattle Evaluation.
Red Angus Evaluation:
The data for the red Angus animals was evaluated in cooperation with the
Red Angus Association of America and the American Simmental Association.
The robust data set, evaluation model and base adjustment factor used
are different and should describe the genetics of Canadian red Angus
with increased accuracy.
EPD Workshop:
An EPD 101 workshop is being offered to members who would like a
refresher on how EPDs are calculated and used. The workshop will be
accessible online and scheduled for the first week in September. For
more information please contact me at 1-888-571-3580 or at
kajal1@cdnangus.ca.
How Long Have You Been Raising Angus?
The American Angus Hall of Fame is looking for Angus operations in North America that have been in continuous operation for 100 years or more. Does your family operation qualify or do you know someone who does? If so, please contact Michael Latimer at the Canadian Angus Association for more information.
The Canadian Angus Performance Program requires that participating members have at least 2 cows on inventory. Members who do not meet this qualification or who have not reported any calves for Spring 2009 will be suspended from the program. Please contact Kajal if you have any questions or concerns.
As an extra service to Angus tag customers, we will complete the age verification of your calves. Due to the large volume of requests at this time of year, please submit your information well before the date you intend to sell your calves to ensure we can accommodate you.
An EPD 101 workshop is being offered to members who would like a refresher on how EPDs are calculated and used. The workshop will be accessible online and scheduled for the first week in September. For more information please contact Kajal by email or at 1-888-571-3580.
Black Angus ET calves are now eligible for EPDs as long as they are from a registered recipient dam. Please be sure to include the recipient dam information on the ET Calf Form when you record your ET calves.
Recent Questions about Genetic Defects
A number of breeders have asked the following questions about genetic defects:
Are the registration papers pulled if a registered animal is identified
as a carrier of a gene that causes a genetic defect?
No, if an animal is already registered then its registration is not
revoked by the Association. Instead the test results are indicated
behind its name on its registration certificate and pedigree with the
code for the defect and the letter C for carrier. Arthrogryposis
Multiplex (AM) is shown as AMC for example. The calves from this animal
will need to be tested free of the gene to be eligible for registration.
What should I do with a cow that is a known carrier?
That depends on the cow and her performance. If she throws the best
calves you could ever hope for, you could breed her to a known
non-carrier bull with the commitment of testing all her calves.
Statistically, half her calves will be carriers that will not be
eligible for registration or breeding and half will be non-carriers. If
the cow is a great mother she can be used as a recipient dam. Or, you
can use a genetic defect test result like a selection tool, just as you
would use a high birth weight EPD or a low weaning weight EPD. You could
use the test result as a tool to select the cow out of your breeding
program. Unless the cow has spectacular performance, most breeders are
choosing the latter route. Under no circumstances does the Canadian
Angus Association recommend that carrier animals be used in commercial
breeding programs. These recessive genes exist in other beef breeds and
we do not wish for Angus customers to be economically impacted at any
point.
Despite earlier reports of the cancellation of this event, the European Angus Forum is being held September 1–5. The Danish Aberdeen-Angus Association is hosting and encourages those interested in attending to visit their website for more information.
Sponsor a Steak for a Returning Soldier
Alert Agri is seeking financial support in sponsoring a steak "for a returning soldier and their loved one” to show appreciation for the dedication and sacrifice these men and women have made. Click here for more information.
Hello HerdMaster Users,
Three things for you to be aware of:
-
National Cattle Evaluation (NCE) results are now available for import. This file will update all the EPDs for all of your animals. Log on as an authorized user on the Canadian Angus website, go to the download section and you will find the file for download. Save the NCE file, unzip it and then import Utilities/Import/EPD. Remember to save a backup before you import just in case you have a problem.
-
New VERSION 4 of HerdMaster to be released soon — We are in the final stages of testing the new Version 4 of HerdMaster. This new version has improved search functions, multiple screen capabilities, and enhanced evaluation tools like weight graphs and EPD comparisons to your herd data. Watch for online sessions to see the new version in action.
-
Online Sessions — Want to learn more about HerdMaster? Have you tried our new online training? Watch your emails for online session details. Do you have a request for a session? Send your requests to wendy@herdmaster.ca
Enjoy the rest of your summer.
'Til next month,
Wendy Newton
1-403-668-5251