Canadian Angus Association Staff
Doug Fee
Chief Executive Officer
extension 223
Michael Latimer
Assistant General Manager
extension 228
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
Amanda Suhan
Assistant Registrar
extension 249
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
-
Amanda Suhan has finished her summer work in the archives and has joined our Registry team. Si vous parlez français, demandez Amanda quand vous téléphonez!
-
The Canadian Angus Association is fortunate to have another student assisting us. Julia Lindsay is an Olds College student who will be assisting in a variety of roles in the office until April.
Showing Animals at a Gold Show this Fall?
If you plan to show animals this fall 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.
Fall feeder sales are in full swing and it is not too late to get your Angus influenced calves Angus tagged and age verified before your sale. All Angus tag customers can request the Angus office to complete the age verification as a third-party service. To do this, send us your tag numbers referenced to a tattoo or registration number. 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. For further information, contact Cheryl by email or at 1-888-571-3580 extension 238.
Our field staff are sending positive reports on Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Sales. And we have many sales to go before the run ends. The field staff report that so far, prices are higher than last year and things look good for a successful fall sale run for the Angus breed. Good cattle continue to sell well and command good prices. Angus tagged cattle continue to be in demand with buyers looking specifically for Angus tags.
Our field staff are often asked why anyone using Angus genetics wouldn't use Angus tags to visually and electronically identify their Angus influenced animals. Remember, all you need to purchase tags is one registered parent. We offer a number of ordering options and ship the tags direct to you.
If you're selling cattle with Angus genetics this fall, be sure to get Angus tags in their ears. And whether you're buying or selling, take the time to visit a Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Sale—there are lots to choose from and there's sure to be one near you. Don't forget to say hi to our field staff.
Canadian Angus breeders have asked about using genomic marker data, like the Igenity 3K panel or the Pfizer GeneStar and 50K Angus panel, to increase the accuracy of their EPDs. Currently, genomic information via the Igenity 3K panel is used to increase the accuracy of carcass EPDs for American Angus breeders. However, these carcass EPDs are already significantly strengthened by ultrasound scanning and carcass data.
The Canadian Angus Association is working to evaluate how well these panels will describe Canadian genetics. In the meantime, Canadian Angus breeders can increase the accuracy of their carcass EPDs significantly by ultrasound scanning their cattle. As your cattle reach yearling age (the acceptable age range for ultrasound scanning is 320–460 days), please consider making an appointment with a certified CUP technician in your area. For more information on the Centralized Ultrasound Processing program, visit our website or contact the CUP lab by phone (515) 232-9442 or online at www.cuplab.com.
The deadline for performance data to be included in the Spring 2011 National Cattle Evaluation was October 15, 2010. Thanks to those of you who were able to submit your weights on time. The data will be merged with that of the American Angus Association, the Red Angus Association of America, and the American Simmental Association to calculate EPDs or descriptions of genetic merit (breeding values) for your calves.
If you were not able to submit your performance data before this deadline, you must still submit it once your calves are weaned and weighed. The data that you submit will be used to calculate Interim EPDs and will also be included in the National Cattle Evaluation that is scheduled for next summer.
If you have any questions about the Canadian Angus Performance Program, please contact Kajal by email or at 1-888-571-3580 extension 227.
Angus Beef & Wine Pairing in BC
The Canadian Angus Association through the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed program has partnered with Cedar Creek Estate Winery to cross promote Canadian beef and wine to consumers. We will formally launch this partnership at Friday's Red Roundup gala event.
Assistant General Manager Michael Latimer visited BC last weekend to attend two wine and beef tasting events. Saturday, October 16 was our first tasting event, held at Lepp Farm Market who have just become our newest licensed participant in the Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed program. The following day we were set up at the BC Liquor Store on 39th & Cambie in Vancouver.
Both of these events were a great success. Consumers were familiar with Angus beef and had lots of questions about our product. Read more about these events on our blog. More details about our partnership with Cedar Creek Estate Winery will be available on our website the week of October 25.
Parental Averages, Interim EPDs and National EPDs are lower if only one parent has an EPD. When we calculate EPDs, no matter which level of EPD we are talking about, we use half the sire's and half the dam’s EPDs as a starting point. If a calf has only one parent with EPDs it will be at a disadvantage immediately as we will only have half the information needed to describe the calf's genetics accurately. So, if you are going to be selecting which calves to retain and which to ship based on EPDs, make sure that all your cows and sires have EPDs of their own. If you are unsure about a parent animal’s EPDs you are welcome to contact Kajal by email or at 1-888-571-3580 extension 227.
Sponsor a Steak for a Returning Soldier
Alert Agri continues to seek 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,
The change to the weaning weight deadline has certainly been a challenge for many of us. If you have not yet submitted your weights, it is important that you still enter them and submit your report to the Canadian Angus Association office. Once your weights are submitted you will get interim EPDs.
Keeping your herd data up to date is very important. When you submit your information to the Angus office you do so for a purpose. Once the complete data has been submitted (you may receive some missing data sheets that must be addressed) you will receive notice by email that you have data to import into your HerdMaster. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP to keeping your data up to date. Following registration you will get back registration numbers for your calves, following weaning weight or yearling weight submissions you will get society adjusted weights and ratios. The email you receive is also an indication for you that the office has received your data and you are compliant with the performance program. If you need help importing this data, don’t hesitate to call.
IMPORTANCE OF BACKUP—wow this has been an issue this year. I don’t know if it is the severe weather (power outages and lightning strikes) or just computers getting older (this is the fourth year we have been using HerdMaster) but there has been a lot of computer crashes. Just the other day I thought I had lost my laptop—it was an awful feeling to know I may have lost all my digital pictures, accounting records and livestock records. So here is the warning—please do a HerdMaster backup (and other information you never want to lose) on your C: drive and also on an external source—use a USB memory stick.
Finally, VERSION 4 release—we are in our final stages of testing—we did a server install the other day and hope to release the individual install next week. I will be setting up more online demos and training sessions. Watch for the HerdMaster newsletter and website www.herdmaster.ca for details.
Happy Herdmastering,
Wendy Newton
403-668-5251