Canadian Angus Association Staff
Rob Smith
Chief Executive Officer
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Michael Latimer
Assistant General Manager
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Alan Yuen
Office Manager
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Joanelle Fuellbrandt
Receptionist
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Kajal Devani
Breed Development
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Cheryl Hazenberg
Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Tag Program
Co-ordinator
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Sharmayne Byrgesen
Registrar
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Shirley Anderson
Assistant Registrar
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Ciara Buchanan
Assistant Registrar
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Tina Zakowsky
Member Communications
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Brian Good
Commercial Fieldman
(403) 391-4037
Wayne Gallup
Eastern Fieldman
(Quebec & Maritimes)
(819) 826-3026
Wendy Newton
Educational Support
(403) 668-5251
Announcements
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The Canadian Angus Association office will be closed Monday, September 5 (Labour Day).
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Congratulations to Ferme d’Anjou et Fils who were presented with the Canadian Angus Association Feedlot of the Year Award for Eastern Canada on August 13. The award for Western Canada was presented to High Ridge Feeders and Shannondale Farm of Manitoba at the annual general meeting in June.
Fall 2011 National Cattle Evaluation Results
The latest EPDs calculated to describe your genetics are now available on our website under animal inquiry. Updated Sire Summaries, the list of Trait Leaders and the breed averages can also be accessed on our website.
The next evaluation will be held at the end of this year. The deadline for inclusion of performance data into the next NCE is October 11, 2011. The Canadian Angus Association will be working with NCE partners this summer to have the NCE results available in a more timely manner. We are also working to develop Index EPDs and are evaluating including genomic marker information in our calculations.
A free EPD workshop is available to all Association members — contact Kajal by email or at 1-888-571-3580 ext 227 to register.
Registry Department Processing Times
The Registry Department is currently processing paperwork that was received about three weeks ago. This is not an unusual backlog for this time of year and means that our Association is doing well as members continue to register and transfer animals.
If you need paperwork completed quickly, ensure you mark RUSH on the outside of the envelope or cover page of your fax. Rush fees will apply. To allow us to accommodate your requests, please do not wait for the last minute to register your show animals or request paperwork. All Canadian Angus Association policies, including random parentage spot tests, apply to rush requests.
Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Fall Feeder Sales
Market your 2011 Angus tagged calves at any of the 169 Angus feature sales at 67 participating auction markets across Canada! We have two new sale locations this year, and two sales that will feature only Angus-tagged cattle.
The sales are listed on our website and are listed individually on our events calendar. Listings on our events calendar can be exported to your Microsoft Outlook calendar, smart phone or PDA.
Even if you're not buying or selling cattle this fall, attend a sale to represent the Angus breed and meet customers. We will have field representatives at most sales this fall.
Volunteers Wanted to Test BIXS
The Canadian Angus Association is looking for a few keen breeders to test the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS) program. Training will be provided and producers will be working on the live CBBC-BIXS system. Contact Cheryl (1-888-571-3580 ext 238) for more information or to volunteer.
October 11 Deadline for Performance Program
If you are on the Canadian Angus Performance Program, your performance data must be in the office on or before October 11, 2011. It is preferable that you mail the worksheet or submit your weights electronically or by HerdMaster to ensure accuracy. If it is not possible to submit your weights by October 11, please submit them as soon as possible to remain compliant on the Performance Program. There will be another evaluation in May 2012, so weights received after October 11, 2011 will be evaluated in 2012.
Refer to the Breeder Handbook for assistance with completing the 205 day worksheet. If you have any questions, please contact Kajal at 1-888-571-3580 ext 227 or by email.
For a weaning weight:
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Black calves must be between 120 and 280 days of age
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Red calves must be between 130 and 280 days of age
The Canadian Angus Performance Program is based on Whole Herd Reporting. Please provide a weight for each calf on the worksheet, or a disposal code if the calf was removed from your herd before your weigh date. Missing data will result in delays with adjusted weight and EPD calculations.
The Registry Department recognizes members who efficiently submit complete and legible paperwork or electronic records with a Gold Star.
Congratulations to the following herds who received a Gold Star in the last month:
| Glen G Elliott, Seven Persons, AB |
Dwayne Emery, Camp Creek, AB |
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Judy Eyers, Lindsay, ON |
Tom & Judy McDonald, Milton, ON |
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Red Rock Red Angus, Airdrie, AB |
Joel and Irene Thomas, Shelburne, ON |
Remember, it's easy to earn a Gold Star Award—simply complete your paperwork accurately and neatly and you will receive a token of our appreciation.
Management Groups: Knowledge is Power
Performance data like adjusted weights, indexes, and EPDs give you information about your own animals’ genetics. This information is worthless if it is inaccurate. Placing your animals in the correct management groups when you submit your weaning weights this fall is the key to accurate performance data. All calves that are fed and raised the same up to weaning should be placed in the same group, management group number 1 for example. Any calf that was treated differently or had a different opportunity to develop weaning weight should be placed in a separate group. For example, place any calves fed for shows into management group 2. You should not place animals that have been raised the same but have grown less than the rest in a different group. Animals that were raised together should all be placed in one group, no matter what their individual performance. For more information please contact Kajal by email or at 1-888-571-3580 ext 227.
Invitation to Livestock Gentec Conference
Livestock Gentec is holding their second annual conference in Edmonton, Alberta on October 19 & 20. All Canadian Angus Association members are invited to attend. The 2011 conference theme is “Addressing the Gap Between Discovery and Profitable Adoption, and the potential for impact across the value chain”. Speakers include David Chalack (ALMA), Stephen Moore (University of Alberta) and Stephen Miller (University of Guelph) as well as Sally Northcutt (American Angus Association) and Christoph Weder (Prairie Heritage Beef).
Livestock Gentec is an Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions centre, created to conduct genomics research and bring commercial benefits to the Canadian livestock industry. The centre brings together a team of world-class scientists that represent a broad spectrum of the industry who have immense expertise in genomics. The Canadian Angus Association collaborates with Gentec in several research projects designed to bring Canadian Angus breeders value through the application of genomic technology.
For more information, or to register please visit the Livestock Gentec website or contact Livestock Gentec at (780) 248-1900.
Alberta Supreme Cattle Show Introduced at Farmfair
Northlands Farmfair, Olds Fall Classic and Lloydminster Stockade Round-Up have collaborated to introduce the Alberta Supreme Championship. The Alberta Supreme will include all breed winners from Northlands Farmfair Agriculture Showcase, Olds Fall Classic and Lloydminster Stockade Round-Up. In addition to winning the Alberta Supreme Champion title, the exhibitor of the male and female champions will drive away in a 2011 Dodge Ram truck.
Please visit the websites for Farmfair, the Olds Fall Classic or the Lloydminster Stockade Round-Up for information.
Together we stand for progress — apart we will stand for competition.
Young Guns 2011 hosted by the Red Angus Association of America and the American Simmental Association was the perfect example of “coopertition” (cooperation + competition). The convention designed for forward thinking, energetic breeders and commercial producers was enlightening and invigorating. We actively discussed raising feeder calves, marketing and selling, new technology and developments in selection tools for breed development, and the industry’s future. The convention was an opportunity for the hosting Associations to learn about their breeders, about what they value, and what tools they want and need in order to be successful breeders. This convention was an honour to attend on behalf of our membership and we would like to thank our gracious hosts.
Synergistic "coopertition", sharing resources to accomplish more while still maintaining individuality and competitiveness, is certainly a new way to get things done in this day of fast developing and expensive technology. There is potential to achieve a lot through “coopertition” in this industry, whether it is two competitive breeders coming together to host a powerful sale or two breed associations coming together to collaborate on genomic research, collaborative endeavors can be quite successful.
Weaning and weighing time is coming up soon. If you cannot weigh your calves all in the same day, weigh as many like calves as possible. For example, weigh all your heifers on one day and all the bull calves on another day. Animals that are weighed on different days are placed in separate contemporary groups, so try to weigh all the animals in each management group together. Then, submit your weaning weights as soon as possible. The deadline for inclusion into the next NCE is October 11, 2011.
Group Benefit Program for Canadian Angus Association Members
The Canadian Angus Association is pleased to support a group insurance program for members and their families and dependents. For more information, visit the RanchPlan website.
Hello HerdMaster Users,
Keeping your Animals Up to Date
The article this month is a reminder about keeping your animals up to date. We have just been through the calf registration and when you are compliant with the performance program (you have reported calving activity or a fate code for all females on your inventory) you will receive an email from ILR2 system Account Re: Download file available. The following instructions are given on the email:
To proceed with your online File options, log on to your CAA Internet account as an Authorized User at www.cdnangus.ca
HerdMaster Users — To Download your updated EPD Files:
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Click on the Download Files link in the upper right portion of the authorized user page
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Click on the herd EPD_...zip file (eg: 5232737_EPD_zip)
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Save the 5232737_EPD_...zip file to your computer
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Unzip (or extract) the file using the unzip program on your computer
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Open your HerdMaster program
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As a precautionary measure, we recommend you back up your current data prior to the import: click on Utilities — Backup data
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Click on Utilities — Import – EPD
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Select the unzipped EPD...dat file (it will be called GROUPEBV...dat) that you saved on your computer
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Review the notification report for any issues with the import
This download will import registration numbers for the calves. If you did not get the email, then you are not yet compliant with the performance program and need to contact the Canadian Angus office to see what is missing.
Have you checked out the On line training? The following sessions have been scheduled:
Aug 23 (10 a.m. or 7 p.m.) Movements — Do you know where your animals are? Record movements according to traceability requirements.
Aug 29 (10 a.m. or 7 p.m.) Matings — Get your mating records in place. Know the possible sires when the calves hit the ground next spring.
Aug 30 (10 a.m. or 7 p.m.) Age Verification — Prepare the file needed to upload directly onto the CCIA website.
Happy HerdMastering,
Wendy Newton
403-668-5251