Ontario Angus Association

Awards and Honours

Purebred Breeder of the Year

Nominations for Ontario Purebred Breeder of the Year are accepted annually. The winner is presented with their award at the Annual General Meeting or a mutually agreed upon event as well as announced on our social media channels and website.

Pat and John Duivenvoorden, JPD Angus
Pat and John Duivenvoorden, JPD Angus

2020 Purebred Breeder of the Year: JPD Angus

In 1991, John and Pat Duivenvoorden of Stroud purchased their first group of Black Angus heifers from Alberta. In the years after they continued to make purchases from many of the greatest breeders in the country. They inevitably became involved in showing cattle and exhibited across Canada making many life-long friends within the Angus breed. In 1998, JPD Gallileo won his class at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF) and in 2003 JPD Maid Marion 17N was Senior Heifer Calf Champion at Agribition. In 1999, John became a director of the Ontario Angus Association and was instrumental in bringing the Angus point show back to the Barrie Fair. In 2001 John was elected the Ontario director to the Canadian Angus Association board and served from 2001-2007. In 2006 JPD started and hosted the Georgian Angus Premiere Sale which ran for many years.

John and Pat’s daughter Lori always had an interest in cattle, building her own herd within her father’s over many years. Lori always played a pivotal role in the operation as she resided on the home farm with her husband Darryl and four children; Michaela, Evan, Owen and Nolan. Through living on the farm the love of cattle and farming was passed on to her children. When John decided to retire and sell the farm in Stroud, Lori asked her kids if they wanted to continue raising Black Angus cattle. There really wasn’t much discussion. JPD Angus moved north to Oro-Medonte in 2009.

Flash forward to 2021 and JPD Angus is currently calving around 55 females annually in January and February. The Chalmers crew along with Michaela’s husband, Chris Stoneman, and Owen’s girlfriend, Faith Walker, work hard to ensure that the best job possible job is done when it comes to the cattle. All the members of the team play differing, but pivotal roles in the success of the operation. Because of everyone’s combined efforts and talents JPD is able to run a very successful AI program, utilizing the best genetics the breed has to offer.  JPD currently markets bulls and females both privately and through consignment sales.

During spare time, the crew has always loved to halter break cattle and hit show rings across Canada. Some favorite show ring memories include the 2014 London Junior Beef Expo where Michaela and Evan exhibited the Grand and Reserve Champion Angus heifers with JPD Blackcap 13A and JPD Blackcap 6A. JPD Blackcap 6A also went on to be the Reserve Champion Sr. Yearling at Showdown 2014 in Virden, Manitoba exhibited by Nolan. That same year Evan was named Honorable Mention Intermediate Showperson at the National Junior Beef Heifer Show. In 2015 JPD exhibited the Reserve Junior Bull Calf Champion at the RAWF with JPD Chizam 29C and in 2018, JPD Pride 10F was a Sr. Heifer Calf class winner at the RAWF.

Lori and Michaela currently lead the Elmvale 4H Beef Club alongside Katherine Giffen, another amazing Angus breeder. Lori is also very involved with the Simcoe County Beef Farmers Association as the secretary/treasurer. Michaela was named the Canadian Junior Angus Ambassador in 2016 and spent many years on the CJA board. In 2016 JPD Angus was proud to provide the donation heifer for auction at Agribition to benefit the outstanding junior programs and opportunities provided by the CJA and the Angus Foundation. The JPD crew is very thankful to have been so involved in all the CJA has to offer and will continue to give back.

At JPD the slogan has always been “Breeding for Cow Families”. This means both the powerhouse cows we strive to raise and the families of amazing producers we raise them for. We are so thankful to be a part of an industry that we get to share with other families just like ours. It truly is a family affair and for many years (except during COVID), John, Pat and the Chalmers crew begin each week with a Sunday breakfast sit down to hash out issues and to keep everyone in the loop where the cattle are concerned. We are extremely honored to be named the 2020 OAA Purebred Breeder of the Year and look forward to many more great years in this industry.

Congratulations! Being named the 2020 Breeder of the Year is a reward well deserved.

Commercial Producer of the Year

Nominations for the Commercial Producer of the Year are accepted from the membership each year and are decided on by the board. The winner is presented with their award at the Annual General Meeting or a mutually agreed upon event as well as announced on our social media channels and website.

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2020 Commercial Producer of the Year: Ken and Nancy Mills

Nancy and I have been married and farming together for the past 45 years. We operate the family farm “Millrose Farm” which is located in the former County of Wentworth but is now the City of Hamilton. The 110 acre farm is located south of 97Hwy and west of Hwy 6. We rent an additional 300 acres in the near neighbourhood to crop. We grow corn, soybeans, wheat and hay for feed and cash crop. We keep a small herd of thirty black commercial cows on roughly 35 acres of pastures, rotationally grazed from May to November. When available we run the cows on corn stalks as weather permits. All the calves are raised in our feedlot to a finished weight of 1250 t0 1500 pounds. We buy in another 35 head from small cow-calf producers to finish in our feed yard. These finished calves are sold on rail weight and grade bases.

After we survived BSE we knew that simply selling commodity beef on the size of operation we have would not work so we looked for a way to “value add” to our cattle. Subsequently we started to sell our product to a small provincial plant who sold to a niche restaurant market but also had a retail store. (Homer Meats). When Homers closed we got involved with Grand Valley Fortifiers who were promoting a naturally raised beef animal for Rowe Farms of Guelph. These animals had to be raised without antibiotics, no medicated feeds, no implants .and only fed plant sourced proteins. Detailed records were to be maintained and audited by a third party. This worked well until Ryding Regency closed and “Rowes” could not find another processing facility to meet their needs. We then searched out another “Natural” program and for a year sold to Meyers Natural Angus Canada Program with processing done at Cargill in Guelph. Our 2020 finished cattle went to St Helens Meat Packers for their Ontario Heritage Angus Branded Program. For meeting the “Natural” standards requirements we are paid a premium over the weekly BFO steer rail grade price.

Over the past number of years we have also developed a freezer beef market which also provides an additional premium. Presently a third of our 2021 finished cattle are booked for custom freezer ready beef orders.

Raising and finishing cattle for a “Natural” branded market requires a full vaccination regiment. Our cows are vaccinated annually and calves are vaccinated prior to weaning. We buy in the extra calves in the late fall from three other herds to top up our feedlot. These extras must be vaccinated, weaned and feed bunk adjusted. Over the past three years we’ve only had three animals that required antibiotic treatment and these were marketed outside the “Natural” program.

We found using the best Angus genetics available is essential to meeting high quality meat standards. By using select Angus sired calves we have been able to produce carcasses grading 90% Prime or AAA with yield grades 2or3. We find that Angus sired calves produce the desired results to meet branded program requirements.

We would like to thank the Central Angus Association for thinking of our contribution to the beef industry with this nomination. It is greatly appreciated and encourages us to continue improving our product.

Congratulations to the Mills on being named Commercial Producer of the Year!

Canadian Honourary President

The Honourary President is elected by the membership during the Annual General Meeting. The title of Honourary President is given for recognition without the usual requirements, duties, and privileges that formally go along with the role of the president. A pin is presented to the recipient at the Canadian Angus Association Annual General Meeting and they are recognized in the CAA Annual Report.

Richard and Mary Tanner
Richard and Mary Tanner

2020 Honourary President: Richard and Mary Tanner, Oaklane Farms

Thank you for naming Mary and I as honourary presidents. We enjoyed our involvement with the Ontario Angus Association over the years and have many good memories of the things we worked on. High on my list would be the constitution updates that needed to be done. It was a job that was overdue and was satisfying to see the finished product.

The futurity show and sale is another interest we had over the years. We have purchased and sold many calves in the futurity. We show very little but always enjoyed seeing someone else showing our cattle and having some success.

In 2009 we drove to Calgary for the World Angus Forum, taking out the Ontario booth and helping man it. In 2013 we were part of the organizing committee for the National Convention in Guelph.

We have many fond memories of the time spent, but the best memories are not of the time spent but of the people we have met along the way.

At our place we farm with two sons. We purchased our first Angus in 1995 and with four granddaughters coming along we hope we are involved in 4-H and the Angus business for years to come.

Congratulations to Richard and Mary Tanner on being named Honourary President!