He was named Grand Champion Limousin bull at the Olds Fall Classic this year and for 2014 and 2013 at Lloydminster Stockade Roundup, Farmfair International and Canadian Western Agribition Regina, Sask.

The Canadian Charolais Association would like to commend the youth that applied for the 2014 CCA Scholarships; the applications are getting tougher to narrow down each year as the calibre of submissions keeps getting stronger! Congratulations to Shae-Lynn Evans of Kenaston, Sask. as the 2014 recipient of the $1,500 Dale Norheim Memorial Scholarship, and to both Chloe Gresel of Erin, Ont. and Jade Marshall of Red Deer County, Alta. as the successful applicants receiving the two $1,000 Canadian Charolais Association Scholarships.

Our condolences go out to David Bolduc, and family, on the unexpected passing of their wife and mother, Margaret Bolduc, in mid-November. Margaret was a familiar hostess at the annual Cudlobe Angus Sale, and one of the key components of the sale was the pies baked by Margaret and Dyce’s wife. David is past president of the Canadian Angus Association and is the current president of Canadian Beef Breeds Council.

Canadian Western Agribition, hosted a roundtable meeting Nov. 25 focused on improving dialogue between Canadian and American beef producers. Producers from Colorado, Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska met with their Canadian counterparts through this program organized by the Canadian Consulates in Minneapolis and Denver and the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA).

Discussion topics focused on the integration of meat and livestock industries, sustainability and innovation, intergenerational succession planning and key trade issues such as U.S. mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) and regulatory cooperation. “The North American cattle industry operates as an integrated market and by working together on shared issues and eliminating trade barriers such as COOL both our countries can benefit greatly,” said SSGA president Doug Gillespie.

On Nov. 4, Canadian Beef Breeds Council hosted a delegation from Turkey. It was looking for information regarding the beef production system in Canada, as well as on specific breeds of beef cattle. It is anticipated that live cattle access to Turkey will occur in the near future.

Canadian Beef Breeds Council also sponsored a luncheon in co-operation with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development at Farmfair International. This included a seminar to inform international attendees about Canadian livestock production. Specific topics were genomics, traceability, and reproduction techniques.

Canadian Western Agribition CEO Marty Seymour said their 2014 show “shot the lights out on beef sales,” which were at least 50 per cent higher than last year. (This doesn’t include results from Saturday’s commercial and prospects sales.)

Angus Sale

• Total sales — $283,325; 46 lots for an average of $6,159.
  Highlights — $31,000 for choice of 2014 bull calf and $24,000 for pick of any 2014 calf; buyers from across Canada with one heifer calf going to Oklahoma.

Speckle Park Sale

• Total sales — $132,900; 20 lots for an average of $6,645.
  Highlights — $13,250 heifer calf; $12,900 bull calf; package of three embryos to Dorchester, England.

Gelbvieh Sale

• Total sales — $71,550; 14 lots for an average of $5,111.
  Highlights — high-selling heifer calf for $11,000.

Shorthorn Sale

• Total sales — $117,625; 26 lots for an average of $4,524.
  Highlights — high-selling heifer calf sold to an Ontario buyer for $18,750.

Charolais Sale

• Total sales — $157,450; 17 lots (all females) for an average of $9,262.
  Highlights — Pick of herd — cow $32,500; bred heifer $18,000; heifer calf $13,000.

Hereford Sale

• Total sales — $136,750; 23.5 lots for an average of $5,819.
  Highlights — high-selling heifer calf for $10,300; half interest in a bull calf for $7,500; embryo package to Texas.

Simmental Sale

• Total sales — $126,800; 17 lots for an average of $7,459.
  Highlights — high-selling heifer calf to Alberta for $15,000.

Limousin Sale

• Total sales — $173,450; 21 lots for an average of $8,260.
  Highlights — half interest in a bred cow for $16,000; half interest in a bull calf for $12,500; bull calf for $15,000 with several head going to buyers in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Angus Power and Perfection Sale

• Total sales — $361,350; 33 lots for an average of $10,950.
  Highlights — mature bull sold for $62,000; bred heifer for $20,000; heifer calf for $26,000.

As noted earlier, CBBC nominee and legendary livestock photographer, Walt Browarny was inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place on November 9 in Toronto, Ontario in conjunction with the Royal Winter Fair.

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair wrapped up its 92nd season of agricultural fun and competitions including its famous Queen’s Guineas Show and Sale. This year, Ryan Scott of Brant County took home the top prize in the Queen’s Guineas competition and earned the first spot in the sales ring for the 2014 Queen’s Guineas auction later that night. His steer, High Hopes, was purchased by Cargill for $11,440. Cargill was one of the biggest supporters of the youth participants in the competition as top buyer in the 2014 Queen’s Guineas sale, followed by MacNeil Farms and Premier Farm Equipment.

The Queen’s Guineas is now in its 68th year of operation, making it the longest-running youth competition at The Royal. The competition first took shape when money was released from a grant given to the Province of Ontario in 1946 by the Prince of Wales. From this money, a new competition and prize called the King’s Guineas was created at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. In 1952, when Elizabeth II came to the throne, the competition was renamed as the Queen’s Guineas.

“The Queen’s Guineas is one of The Royal’s most storied competitions, with many past competitors who still carry fond memories of their own days as a competitor,” said Peter Hohenadel, director of agriculture and food at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

Canadian Beef Breeds Council, Canadian Angus Association, National Cattle Feeders and the Canadian Cattlemen Association presented briefs to the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. The committee was gathering information regarding international market development for various aspects of Canadian agriculture.

In efforts to increase positive messaging around beef in human health and wellness, Canada Beef works with the International Meat Secretariat’s (IMS) Human Nutrition Committee. With an exciting nutrition story to share, Canada Beef’s participation with IMS is a highly valuable addition to advocacy and education work done by Canada Beef to promote beef’s role in a healthy diet. Backed by science and a global platform of experts, co-ordinating efforts with the IMS Human Nutrition Committee makes an important contribution towards ensuring attitudes and policies regarding beef consumption reflect scientific fact.

“Nutrition is a core piece of our brand story. Canadian beef is packed with essential nutrients and is an anchor to healthy eating, and we need to leverage opportunities like collaboration with the IMS Human Nutrition Committee to advocate for positive beef messaging,” said Rob Meijer, president, Canada Beef.

The post Canadian National Grand Champion, two years running appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Finally, in Ontario, at the RAWF which offered a Supreme overall show for the first time this year, NJW 73S W18 DOWNHOME 21ZET exhibited by Lyons Polled Herefords, St. Thomas, Ont., owned with Dalmuir Farms, Lindsay, Ont., and NJW Polled Herefords, Sheridan Wyoming, took home Supreme Champion Bull. Congratulations to all the breeders, owners and exhibitors.

The 41st annual Farmfair International brought national and international sellers and buyers together to conduct business, trade industry knowledge and support Alberta’s thriving agriculture industry. A total of 91,516 guests came through the Edmonton EXPO Centre to see cattle shows and sales, equine events, the Heritage Ranch Rodeo, RAM Country Marketplace and more.

The guests included hundreds of registered international and Inbound Buyer Program participants from 10 countries — Australia, Brazil, U.S., Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, Scotland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. The program pays up to 50 per cent of a buyer’s travel costs up to $1,500. In addition to the buyers, the Australian High Commissioner to Canada, Her Excellency Louise Helen Hand and Ahmet Altiparama, governor of Erzurum in eastern Turkey participated in events. Next year’s Farmfair International runs from November 10-15, 2015.

• More ‘Purely Purebred’ on the Canadian Cattlemen: Peak Dot Ranch donates sale proceeds of heifer to SSGA

The Young Canadian Simmental Association (YCSA) is holding its second annual semen and embryo fundraiser. Thanks to the generous donations of Simmental breeders, six lots of semen will be auctioned off at various sales across the country. Funds raised will go towards the YCSA program. For more information on these lots, contact Carla Schmitt 306-221-7950 or Sophie Wotten 705-464-1713.

The Canadian Bull Congress 2015 edition will be held Jan. 23, 24, in Camrose, Alta. Entry forms are now available online. Be sure to read the rules, as changes have been made to some of the shows. They have also added a Mature Bull Show. The complete handbook is not available to download, but the majority of the book is online under the required components. Remember, entries are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Give the office a call if you have any questions. You’ll also notice Canadian Bull Congress has a new logo which is part of its rebranding campaign going into 2015. Staff are also working hard to implement new marketing and international genetic and travel components as part of this branding exercise. Watch the show’s Facebook page for new postings.

Shirley Lousie Rosso of Rosso Charolais, passed away on Saturday, October 25 at 72 years of age. She was from the Old Wives District, near Moose Jaw. Shirley leaves her husband of 53 years, John, her sons Darwin and Kevin, daughter Alma Wanner and seven grandchildren. She was predeceased by her son, Victor and brother, Bryan Lemieux. John and Shirley were recipients of the Saskatchewan Charolais Association Honour Scroll in 2008.

In late Oct., Dale Blair lost his battle with cancer. He was an important member of the Blair family and also a second-generation owner of Blair’s Family of Companies. Dale has played an important role in western Canadian agriculture, the Blair family and the Blair’s business.

With funding from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd. (ALMA) Northlands unveiled the Livestock Innovation Showcase in conjunction with the Beef Shows in Hall B of the Edmonton EXPO Centre during Farmfair International in November. The showcase highlighted the latest technological advancements in Canadian livestock production through the use of static and interactive displays.  Northlands president and CEO Tim Reid says the showcase, “gives our industry the opportunity to market their products and genetics to domestic and international audiences that would otherwise go untapped.”

Livestock Gentec’s Tom Lynch-Staunton recently issued a report on the fall meeting of the Beef Value Chain Roundtable in Calgary. The main topics were the labour shortages facing the beef industry and an update on Ottawa’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, a summary of the latest research on antimicrobial/antibiotic resistance by Dr. Tim McAllister of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research station in Lethbridge, and an update on the new National Beef Strategic Plan being developed by Beef Cattle Research Council, Canada Beef Inc., Canadian Beef Breeds Council, National Cattle Feeders, the Canadian Cattleman’s Association, and the provincial beef organizations.

The five-year plan (2015-19) is to be a co-ordinated effort to address challenges and opportunities for the Canadian beef industry and includes targets for increasing demand for beef, reducing Canada’s cost disadvantage compared to international competitors, increasing the efficiency of production, and collaboration throughout the value chain and industry stakeholders.

Cattlemen’s Young Leaders Profiles

Erin Durrell grew up on her family’s historic ranch, Wineglass Cattle Company in Riske Creek, B.C. Situated along the banks of the Chilcotin River, the central grasslands of B.C.’s interior have been home to the Durrell family since the 1800s. Erin and her sister (Keely) and brother (Iaian) are the fifth generation to grow up there and be actively involved in the ranch from Day 1. Erin and her siblings have been very involved in rodeo, and she excelled as a breakaway roper during high school, winning a provincial championship in her graduating year and earning trips to the National and Canadian high school rodeo finals.

Wineglass Ranch runs a reputable commercial Black Angus herd that Erin is excited about continuing to develop. The ranch has also developed a grass-fed, antibiotic- and implant-free beef market through a local butcher shop and through farm gate sales. All cattle work is done with horses and dogs and grassland and environmental sustainability are important to the ranch, its history and for its continued generations. Erin recently became a director of the local regional Cariboo Cattlemen’s Association and is looking forward to her involvement there. She has worked in agriculture in Australia, and in the veterinary industry here at home and is looking forward to returning to university to finish her degree in ag business.

Her interests include marketing and trade as well as animal health and the sustainability of family ranches. Erin is also looking forward to working with her mentor Kevin Boon. Kevin spent the past five years as general manager of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association and is a former rancher and volunteer director with the cattle industry in Alberta. He is a member of the Minister’s Agriculture Advisory Committee for B.C., and a career mentor with the Thompson Rivers University Alumni and Friends Association.

Jaclyn Horenberg developed her love for agriculture and passion for the beef industry on her family’s cow-calf operation near Stratford, Ont. She has shown cattle throughout Canada with 4-H and the Ontario Limousin Association. She always knew she wanted to pursue a career in agriculture, so Jaclyn obtained her bachelor of science in agriculture, with a major in animal science from the University of Guelph. During her third year, she began working with Agribrands Purina as an intern. Part of her internship was with Cargill Meat Solutions where she worked with the beef procurement department purchasing cattle with the head cattle buyer. Since graduating in 2012, Jaclyn has continued to work with Agribrands Purina as a beef farm consultant assessing the nutritional needs of beef herds and recommending proper feed rations designed to maximize performance and meet economic goals. Jaclyn and her husband do not operate a farm themselves, so she is grateful that her job allows her to stay involved in the beef industry.

Her mentor is Darryl Gibb. Darryl obtained degrees in animal science from Utah State University (bachelors and PhD) and the University of Nebraska (M.Sc.). He has conducted research at the farm level with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and for the past 20 years work focused on ruminant nutrition for ranches and feedlots. Part of that work has been developing ration software for feedlots and using NIRS to identify feeds that help enhance the profitability of producers.

Neil Overby was raised on a commercial cow-calf and bison operation near Inwood, Man. He attended the University of Manitoba where he was enrolled in the animal science program concluding in 2007. During university, Neil created Overby Stock Farm, a purebred Gelbvieh operation and has been expanding the operation ever since. He has been fortunate to be involved in many established purebred cattle operations after university giving him valuable experience. Neil and his fiancée, Deanne Wilkinson, take great pride in how the purebred program has progressed over the years and are excited about where they can take it in the future.

The operation is located at Ste. Rose du Lac, Man., and along with Jaymarandy Limousin and Maple Grove Gelbvieh, Overby Stock Farm had an inaugural Western Gateway Bull Sale at the Ste. Rose Auction Mart on March 29 where they offered two-year-old and yearling Gelbvieh and Limousin bulls.

Along with the cattle operation, Neil also works for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development as a farm production adviser — ag Crown lands representative out of the Ste. Rose office. Neil feels privileged to have been selected into the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program and visiting with his mentor, Mike Fleury of the Saskatoon Auction Market.

The 36th annual Lloydminster Zoetis Stockade Round Up Oct. 30-Nov. 1 had nearly 500 cattle shown, with entries up in the purebred shows. This year the UFA Feature Show Series continued with the Stockade Lady Show, a heifer jackpot, and the King of the Ring Show, a bull jackpot! The Saskatchewan Angus Gold Shows were hosted at this event.

Dave and Sheila Crittall of Paradise Hill, Sask., were this year’s recipient of the Lloydminster Exhibition Cattleman of the Year Award.

A few weeks ago I had lunch with Ted Power, an old friend and president of Edmonton-based ViewTrak Technologies Inc. — a company working to help the livestock industry get better at tracking and sharing information to boost profits and competitiveness. Ted and I talked about his perspective on what’s missing in the cattle industry — a focus on what he called “collaborative economics.” He feels that the industry is falling behind other livestock producers because we haven’t been sharing data effectively — for the sake of everyone from producers to consumers. Data sharing allows producers to ask for, and get, a premium price for their products by giving consumers a reason to pay a premium for their meat. Ted tells me that pork and lamb producers are driving data sharing in their industries because they have the most to gain, or lose.

It’s hard to argue with Ted’s point that data sharing is the path to not just revenue growth but also increased profits, and sustainability within the industry. I agree that responding to consumer demand for more information is just good business. Retailers are already on this path, and we producers can’t afford to keep banging our heads against a wall on this issue.

Suggestions are always welcome. You can email me at deb.wilson@fbcpublishing.com.

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Canadian Beef Breeds Council sponsored an on-farm tour at Belvin Angus for members of the Industry Government Advisory Committee (IGAC) who are responsible for implementation of multi-species animal traceability in Canada. The evening consisted of a great meal along with a hands-on demonstration of logistics associated with purebred beef cattle traceability. Mabel Hamilton and her family hosted the event.

Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) faced a firestorm of controversy last month when allegations of animal abuse at the Western Hog Exchange facility in Red Deer hit the media. As with any such allegations, due process is important when determining wrongdoing to take appropriate action.

I live in the vicinity of the Western Hog Exchange and saw this reported on the Alberta TV stations, repeatedly. The video showed the bats that hogs were “bludgeoned” with at the facility. I have to say that the bats definitely appear to be of the large plastic toy variety or similar to those. I would imagine that they are used to appear intimidating to the animals both in size and noise created. A person, who works with hogs that have been raised in confinement, can understand how difficult it is to work with, and move these animals. It is unfortunate the videos were taken and used out of context, as well as being sensationalized, but as livestock producers this is something that we will continue to see happen.

As an industry we need to know who we hire, who we let into our operations, and ask ourselves do the employees understand why we do what we do. Twenty seconds of video can discredit a whole industry, so we need to take this seriously and be proactive. Perhaps the answer is legislation that makes it illegal for a person to gain employment on a livestock operation, of any kind, for the purpose of creating video that misrepresents the industry or operation; as well as improving our handling practices.

Last winter the Alberta Shorthorn Association decided to donate a $500 and a $250 certificate to a 4-H member in Alberta who showed a Shorthorn or Shorthorn influenced animal over the past 4-H season. All of those members had their name placed in a draw, with the first name drawn receiving the $500 certificate and the second name receiving the $250 certificate, to be used towards the purchase of a Shorthorn or Shorthorn-influenced animal from a member of the Alberta Shorthorn Association.

This year’s winner was Kayla Van De Voorde. She is an eight-year-old Cleaver Kid from the Bashaw 4-H Beef Club who chose to show a Shorthorn “because my Grandpa and Grandma Peterson, and my mom and dad show Shorthorns. I think it’s in the family to show Shorthorns. They’re so quiet. They are easy to train to lead and they don’t like to kick very hard or very much.” Kayla plans to use her $500 certificate to buy a roan steer — or possibly a white one — for her 4-H project. Roan is her favourite colour.

Benjamin Masson was the winner of the $250 certificate, so he will be looking for a Shorthorn animal of his own.

December will mark the beginning of Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan (FFCSK) which grew out of the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan (FACS), an organization with a 22-year history advancing animal care in the province. The new Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan will have an expanded mandate to help connect consumers with food and farming in Saskatchewan. It follows a similar pattern followed when the Ontario Farm Animal Care Council evolved into Farm Food Care in 2012.

FFCSK will represent livestock, poultry, crop and horticulture producers, and work with agriculture partners, chefs and associated businesses — all those who are passionate about food and farming in Saskatchewan. Today, there’s greater interest than ever in understanding how food is grown, especially since less than two per cent of Canadians now have a direct link to the farm. The mandate of FFCSK is to help consumers make the connections between the food they eat, and where it comes from and how it ends up on their plates.

Programming will focus on reaching consumers to build public trust in the entire food industry while educating members about best practices, communicating with the public and responding to concerns about animal care and environmental sustainability.

A website and provincial Ag Ambassador’s Speakers Bureau are currently in the works and plans are being made to enhance networking with the culinary industry, on farm tours, and a social media strategy.

The official launch will occur at an inaugural industry conference Dec. 10 and 11 at the Sheraton Cavalier Hotel in Saskatoon. For more information and to register for the conference visit farmfoodcaresk.org.

The new CBBC website has officially launched! It can be found at www.canadianbeefbreeds.com. They welcome your comments to help them improve the site and ensure the most useful information is available.

The official CBBC Twitter handle has been updated to @CanBeefBreeds so make sure to follow CBBC. The staff will maintain personal pages as well, so follow Doris (@DorisRempel), John (@Gentec_John) and Michael (@LatimerMichael) on those accounts for up-to-date industry information.

The Beef Cattle Value Chain Round Table (BCVRT) was held in Calgary Oct. 1-2. There was general consensus that currently the No. 1 issue for the Canadian beef industry is the difficulty in finding skilled and entry-level labour for farms, feedlots and packing plants.

Tina Zakowski was scheduled to begin maternity leave as communications director with the Canadian Angus Association on October 24. Karla Ness (email) will be taking over Tina’s duties while she is on leave. This will be Tina’s second child and we wish her best of luck.

Cattlemen’s Young Leaders Profiles

Colin Verbeek was raised on his family’s mixed grain and purebred Limousin farm in Sturgeon County, near Morinville, Alta. Hillview Farms calves out 150 purebred Limousin females each year and sells high-quality Limousin bulls by private treaty, and in the Prime Limousin Club Bull Sale in Westlock, Alta. the third weekend of March. Colin graduated from the Olds College agricultural management program with a major in marketing and worked for Richardson Pioneer. This spring he will be returning to the family farm and starting up his own cattle operation with his fiancée, Tessa Nybo, another CYL mentee.

Colin has a passion for improving genetics through the use of artificial insemination, genomics, expected progeny differences, and other progressive means of selecting and breeding efficient, productive and sound structured cattle. Colin is a director of the Alberta Limousin Association and is looking forward to becoming more involved in cattle industry groups, as he progresses as a producer and industry leader himself.

Colin is eager to learn from his mentor, Dyce Bolduc Cudlough Farms at Stavely, Alta., as he begins building his own operation.

Laura Ecklund grew up on a cow-calf operation in southwestern Ontario, raising purebred Limousin cattle. In her youth, she was an active 4-H member in the local beef club and also showed cattle with the Ontario Limousin Association. Laura’s passion for beef cattle led her to pursue a career in the beef industry. She moved to Alberta to attend Olds College graduating with a diploma in agricultural business and a bachelor of applied science and agribusiness degree. She and her husband, Cody, now live in Olds. In the near future they hope to start their own commercial beef operation.

Through the Cattleman’s Young Leaders program and her time with mentor Deb Verbonac a senior account manager with the PR firm AdFarm, and a former staff member of the Canadian Limousin Association, Laura would like to become involved in educating consumers about beef production.

Kristine Blair grew up in Woodside, Man. on a cow-calf and backgrounding operation. The goals of her family’s operation have been to strive for excellence in grazing management and environmental stewardship. She is in the process of building her own cow-calf herd and she is very excited to be establishing an operation near Langruth, Man.

Kristine received her bachelor of science, from the faculty of agriculture and food science at the University of Manitoba majoring in agroecology. She has spent some time working for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on projects including riparian area health, as well as the impacts of bale grazing on forage quantity, quality and species composition.

Kristine is currently enrolled in the master’s of animal science program at the University of Manitoba. Her research is part of a larger study to develop beneficial management practices (BMPs) that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the Canadian cattle industry. This is particularly important as cattle producers in Western Canada have begun to change the way in which they overwinter cattle, moving from traditional confined pen systems to extensive in-field systems including swath grazing and bale grazing. Kristine’s project will compare energy lost as methane, a greenhouses gas, in background cattle. More specifically, she will compare intake, gain and energy use efficiency in steers fed during winter, four forage-based diets that differ in protein content. The diets have been formulated to reflect the range of diets fed to backgrounding cattle in Western Canada.

Her mentor is Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, senior manager sustainability with McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada.

The post Peak Dot Ranch donates sale proceeds of heifer to SSGA appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Congratulations to Delburne 4-H Beef Club members, their leaders and parents. What an awesome initiative for your club to undertake. It is very supportive of your community.

The Canadian Charolais Association Scholarship Deadline is October 31. Applicants must be involved in agriculture and registered in a post-secondary education college or university program. Applicants or their family must have purchased or be using a Charolais bull. For more information visit the Canadian Charolais Association website.

The Canadian Hereford Association, Canada’s largest beef cattle registry, has reached three million registrations. The association has held number 3,000,000 and it will be auctioned off at Agribition, immediately following the Grand Champion Female Class during the National Hereford show on November 28, 2014, and is available to any 2014 born Hereford animal. Online bidding will be available through www.cattleinmotion.com. All money raised will be donated to the Hereford Research Fund for use in future research. Visit www.hereford.ca for more details as they become available. Sponsoring the event are Cattle In Motion, T Bar C and Agribition.

If you have not already heard, the Canadian Angus Association (CAA) is transitioning to Delta Genomics in Edmonton, Alta., for SNP parentage verification testing. The association’s newsletter thanked members for their continued patience and understanding as it works to reduce the backlog of samples and improve turnaround time for these tests. It is confident that this transition will result in better service for its members.

Samples that are currently in transit to Quantum Genetix (GenServe) in Saskatoon, Sask., will be forwarded to Delta Genomics. Members who are concerned about samples they submitted should contact the CAA office at 1-888-571-3580 or by email. Be prepared to provide the animal tattoos and dates that you submitted your samples.

The CAA says its members will soon be able to rely on a turnaround time of 10 business days for processing of SNP parentage verification test results.

• More ‘Purely Purebred’ on the Canadian Cattlemen

Canadian Beef Breeds Council (CBBC) recently participated in welcoming an incoming Mexican delegation that was visiting Alta Genetics along with representatives of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Market Access Secretariat, Trade Commissioner Service and Alberta Agriculture.

John Crowley also represented the CBBC at the American Simmental Association meetings along with Canadian Simmental Association general manager Bruce Holmquist where they met with a number of American geneticists and breed associations.

Executive director Michael Latimer and Doris Rempel participated in a conference call with AAFC staff regarding the agri-marketing program which will replace the Legacy funds that CBBC currently receive for International Market Development. The discussion was very encouraging, and there will be more information available as it is received.

CBBC staff were also invited to participate in Canada Beef’s hosting of an incoming delegation from China. This group imports and distributes a significant amount of beef in China. Also in attendance were reps from the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canfax and beef processors. One of many items these visitors were interested in is how Canadian genetics affects the quality of our beef compared to other countries.

Recently, representatives from around the world met in France, the birthplace of Charolais, for the World Charolais Congress 2014. Among the delegates were 18 Canadians who were treated to French hospitality and the breathtaking scenery as they toured through south-central France. As well as the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Herd Book Charolais, and 50th Anniversary of Charolais International, tour participants took in farm visits, an A.I. centre, the Institute of Charolais, a 500-year-old auction yard, feed efficiency meetings and the National Show and Sale.

During the congress the general assembly of Charolais International met and elected its executive; president Helge By, publisher of the Charolais Banner, Canada; vice-president Luis Enrique Villasenor Gutierrez, president of Charolais Charbray Herd Book de Mexico; vice-president Michel Baudot, president of Herd Book Charolais, France and secretary, Clement Perrodin, technical sales with Herd Book Charolais, France.

Charolais International provides a platform for organizations to network and share information for the betterment of the Charolais breed on a global scale. There were 20 voting delegates for International Charolais hailing from 10 countries including Mel Reekie, general manager of the Canadian Charolais Association. The Canadian Charolais Association will welcome the world in 2015 when they host the World Charolais technical conference in June.

The Canadian Simmental Association (CSA) has hired Carla Schmitt to fill the position of CSA programs co-ordinator with the primary focus on its youth program, the Young Canadian Simmentalers Association (YCSA). Schmitt has previous involvement with junior programs as a director of Canadian Western Agribition. She led the 4H and educational programming efforts at the show, which provided her with valuable experience for this position. The new national YCSA board is listed on the associations website www.simmental.com/ycsa.html. The new YCSA president is Sophie Wotten. This year the Canadian Simmental Association national show is at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto.

The Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) headed to southern Ontario in late August for a tour. The three-day trip began in Toronto on August 21 at a dinner with Canada Beef Inc. staff where CYLers learned more about that organization’s marketing and promotions role in the industry. The next day the group headed to the McDonald’s Canada head office where they met with CYL mentor and McDonald’s senior manager of sustainability, Jeff Fitzpatrick-Stilwell. Staff from McDonald’s supply chain department along with staff from Cargill’s Spruce Grove facility joined the group via conference call to discuss supply procurement.

The group’s next stop was Gilbrea Farm, outside of Hillsburgh, for a tour of their cow-calf operation and a BBQ supper. The CYLers toured the farm’s barns and handling system and asked questions about basic production practices and record-keeping. The next day saw the group taking in more farm tours as well as a stop at VG Meats in Simcoe. VG Meats has a processing facility and retail stores that offer consumers a locally raised, fully traceable product that is tested for tenderness — 25 per cent of which is their own cattle that they raise on their cow-calf operation. In addition to the cow-calf operation, VG Farms has a feedlot to supply the processing plant. The next stop was Miller Land and Livestock near Jarvis. The group met three generations of the Miller family and toured their feed yards and purebred Charolais herd. There were many questions from the group that included topics such as the difference between feeding cattle in Western Canada as compared to southern Ontario, the crops the Millers grow, land acreage, and succession planning. From there the group headed north to their last stop near Woodstock. This division of Nature Farms finishes Holstein cattle and the group toured the feedlot including the new barn and handling system. Many questions were asked about the decision to finish Holstein cattle instead of beef cattle and also about the feedlot, such as bedding, feedstuffs, marketing, etc.

The group thoroughly enjoyed their time in southern Ontario. Many CYLers had never experienced agriculture in this region and it was a great learning experience. The group had many questions and each stop spurred on quality conversation with their hosts. CYL would like to thank their hosts for welcoming the group and the great hospitality during the tour. Funding for the CYL program is made available through its foundation partners: Cargill, UFA Co-operative Ltd., the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA), MNP and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) as well as Gold Partners Farm Credit Canada and New Holland.

National Breed Show at the Royal Winter Fair:

• National Simmental Show — Sat., Nov. 8, 2 p.m., Scotiabank Ring of Excellence.

National Breed Shows at Canadian Western Agribition:

• National Speckle Park Show – Wed., Nov. 26, 9 a.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium.
• National Gelbvieh Show – Wed., Nov. 26, 12 p.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium.
• National Red Angus Show – Thurs., Nov. 27, 9 a.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium.
• National Black Angus show – Thurs., Nov. 27, 9 a.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium.
• National Limousin Show – Thurs., Nov. 27, 2:30 p.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium.
• National Shorthorn Show – Fri., Nov. 28, 9 a.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium.
• National Polled Hereford Show – Fri., Nov. 28, 9 a.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium.
• National Horned Hereford Show – Fri., Nov. 28, 9 a.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium.

Other national events at Canadian Western Agribition:

• RBC Beef Supreme Challenge – Sat., Nov. 29, 4 p.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium. Presented by: Royal Bank of Canada.
• Canadian National 4-H Youth Judging Competition – Mon., Nov. 24, 8:30 a.m., Chevrolet GMC Stadium. Sponsored by: John Deere, Federated Co-op, TD.

The post Purely Purebed appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

At the board meeting the CLA directors discussed the CLA website which will be revamped this fall, changes to the registry system in the new year, a proposal for Limousin tags that is pending approval with CFIA, and a change in the fee schedule as of January 1, 2015. The new fee schedule will be mailed to CLA members this month with their Whole Herd Enrolment statements.

It was a great summer of livestock shows, junior events, breed annual meetings, field days and industry meetings. I hope you were able to take part in some of the events. As we head into the fall run it looks like prices will be good for producers, and feed grain prices reasonable. Access to foreign markets is improving slowly but surely, and Canadian cattle and beef continue to be recognized as some of the best in the world. I hope you have a successful harvest, your feed yards are full and your calves wean heavy. I look forward to visiting with you at one of the many events this fall.

The 35th Annual Canadian Junior Hereford Association National Show, Bonanza, was held in Lindsay, Ont. at the Lindsay Exhibition Centre July 29 to August 3. The Bonanza committee was chaired by Ontario CJHA adult adviser Katelyn Larmer, co-chaired by junior members Kyra McConnell, Justin McLaughlin, and Cassandra Gorrill along with many volunteers! The Bonanza 2014 committee did a fantastic job putting on a very large, very successful junior show! Show sponsors made this event possible, bringing together enthusiastic juniors, their parents, and leaders for an extremely friendly competition and learning opportunity, where cattle-handling skills, presentations skills, showing and exhibiting skills, speaking, judging, writing and artistic abilities were put to the test.

The large number of juniors involved in Bonanza 2014 reflects the dedication they have to the Hereford industry, and will keep the breed on a solid footing for years to come! A total of 116 juniors from across Canada and the U.S. attended Bonanza 2014 with 152 head of Hereford cattle. Bonanza 2015 will be held in Fredericton, New Brunswick from July 29 to August 2 at the Fredericton Exhibition Centre.

• More ‘Purely Purebred’ on the Canadian Cattlemen

The 115th Interior Provincial Exhibition was held the Labour Day long weekend in Armstrong, B.C. This is an extremely popular event with a well-attended livestock show, rodeo, fair and trade show. Some of the highlights for livestock folks were the Supreme Show, the Jackpot Heifer Show and the Jackpot Steer Show with a $1,000 prize to the Champion Steer, and $500 to the Reserve Steer. The Grand Champion Steer was a silver Charolais-cross steer shown by Austin Fiske, and the Reserve Champion Steer was a Black Angus shown by Lone Star Angus, the Townsend family of Sylvan Lake, Alta. The Jackpot Heifer Show was won by Harvest Angus of Prince George, B.C. Supreme Champion Bull was an Angus, also shown by Lonestar Angus, with the Supreme Champion Female, a Hereford cow-calf pair shown by Cayley Brown of Princeton, B.C. Thank you for the invitation to the Beef Banquet on Saturday night, hosted by the IPE and Don and Peter Raffan and their crew. The food was fantastic, as was the company. Any time you get a group of cattle enthusiasts together, the stories get bigger and better, and the BS gets deeper!!

In conjunction with Bonanza, the 123rd Canadian Hereford Association annual meeting was held on Friday, August 1. There was a strong presence in attendance as well as online. The keynote speaker was Kevin Schultz from Sandhill Farms, Haviland, Kansas, U.S. He spoke on GE-EPDs and how he incorporates their use on his farm. Kevin’s presentation is available at www.hereford.ca under the home tab, then click on media. The presentation was extremely well received and we would encourage cattle people from all breeds to take a look.

At the Calgary Stampede the 2014 UFA Steer Classic Reserve Grand Champion — “Baldy” came from a Hereford X Maine Anjou cow and was sired by the clubby bull “Believe In Me.” He was purchased in September 2013 from Chad Thompson Show Steers, in South Dakota and came to Canada in November of 2013. He was managed at Wheatland Cattle Co. under the watchful eye of Cody Lafrentz. Baldy has done extremely well in 4-H and Jackpot shows throughout the spring and summer of 2014.

The entire Canadian Hereford membership, along with Cattlemen magazine, would like to congratulate the owners of “Baldy” for winning the UFA Steer Classic Reserve Grand Champion and Champion in the Hereford class at the Calgary Stampede and Exhibition. For the third year in a row, the champion Hereford steer has gone on to become the UFA Steer Classic Reserve Grand Champion. “Baldy” is co-owned by Barry Olney, his daughter Emily Geisel, both of Estevan, Sask. and Cody Lafrentz of Bienfait, Sask. The owners of “Baldy” received a cheque for $5,000 sponsored by United Farmers of Alberta (UFA), plus breed class prize money of $1,000 sponsored by the Alberta Hereford Association and a Grand Champion Hereford trophy sponsored by Charlie Dallas.

The Canadian Angus Foundation is in the final days of compiling a National Angus Cookbook and has requested your family recipes passed down, your current favourite recipes, and particularly to promote our product — all kinds of beef recipes. It is looking for your recipes to show the diversity of our great “Angus Nation” and really needs your help to make the cookbook a success. All Angus breeders — big, small, new, longtime, youth, active and retired — please participate! We are looking for all sorts of recipes — main dishes, salads, desserts, breads, cookies, BBQ and Angus beef just to name a few. Be a part of a great project!

Please assist them in creating history and have your recipes documented. The deadline to submit recipes is September 30, 2014. Recipes can be submitted online at www.cookbookprinter.com.

Cattlewomen for the Cure raised a record-breaking $71,000 at their annual golf tournament in Medicine Hat, Alta. The beneficiary of the funds for 2014 is STARS, Stars Air Ambulance. Congratulations to the organizing committee led by Lindsay Smith, on a tremendously successful event.

The Seventh Annual Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup, along with the Canadian Junior Shorthorn Weekend was an unbelievable educational weekend event. Sixty-five Juniors from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta’s enthusiastic Junior Cattle Producers attended the Seventh Annual Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup August 1, 2 and 3 in Neepawa, Man. Excitement in the cattle industry brought out a top-notch group of interested young cattle producers and 115 head of cattle. This Junior event brought out 65 Junior members, all working together as teams and in individual competitions, to learn the skills needed in the livestock industry. This is not just a cattle show, but a multi-faceted event which is structured to encourage youth to continue on in the livestock industry.

The weekend started off with the Ag Challenge, a timed competition which requires hands-on knowledge of the livestock industry. The Juniors enjoyed the challenges and tasks they were given, like halter making and tattooing an animal. The winning team was Braden Calvert, Brad Height, Clayton Sprung, Brooklyn Hedley, Ty Nykoliation. On Saturday competitors competed in — judging, grooming, public speaking, photography, graphic design, art, promotion and marketing, as well as participating in the cattle show; making this event an educational competition, for both individuals and teams.

The Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup Agribition Team will consist of Kolton McIntosh, Eriksdale; Rachael Verwey, Portage; Braden Calvert, Carberry and Devon Manns, Austin. This team will represent Roundup at the 2014 Canadian Western Agribition in Regina in November. New in 2014, the Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup presented two $1,000 scholarships to Dillon Hunter, Kenton, Man. and Samantha Rimke, Oak Lake, Man.

The Roundup committee thanked everyone who attended, volunteered, judged, and sponsored the Seventh Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup to make it a success. Visit their Facebook page — Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup. Show pictures can be viewed on www.grantspix.com or on their Facebook page.

MRA Cleveland 108Z was recently named the Grand Champion Bull at the Manitoba Limousin Association Provincial Show, Supreme Champion Bull (Ron Sangster Memorial Award) and The RockyMountain Implements Ultimate Supreme Champion Beef Animal at Harding Summer Fair. With this he will represent the Harding Fair and Ron Sangster Memorial Award in the RBC Supreme at Agribition. 108Z was exhibited by Jaymarandy Limousin, Roblin, Man.

Notice to Hereford breeders, the Canadian Hereford Association is now accepting bulls born in 2014 for Traits 5 and 6. Please contact Megan Black at the Canadian Hereford Association at Meghan@hereford.ca or 888-836-7242 for all the details.

Congratulations to Lynn and Tyra Combest, of Combest Limousin Farm, Erskine, Alta., on their marriage August 9. Lynn is a director on the Canadian Limousin Association board and a longtime Limousin breeder.

We wish Canadian Limousin Association president Brian Lee a speedy recovery. Brian suffered a livestock accident on August 15, at the farm where he works, when a cow and he had a disagreement. Consequently, he spent time nursing his six shattered ribs at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. A reminder that no matter how experienced we are, accidents happen when handling livestock.

The Canadian Hereford Association (CHA) is entering its third and final year of the RFI research project, a collaboration between the Canadian Hereford Association (CHA), Olds College, Cattleland Feed Yards, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, University of Alberta and Livestock Gentec which is funded through the “Idea to Innovation Program,” Natural Sciences and Engineering Council (NSERC), and co-operating Hereford breeders. At the end of the third year, the CHA will have assisted researchers in measuring close to 1,000 Hereford bulls for residual feed efficiency (RFI). The goal of the project was to produce a Residual Feed Intake (RFI) EPD and that goal has been accomplished. The preliminary EPD will be released in the fall of 2014, a full year in advance of the planned release. The Canadian Hereford Association will be the first breed in Canada to release a homegrown RFI EPD. Feed efficiency is the new buzz in North America and gives cattlemen the opportunity to breed more efficient cattle creating additional profit for cow-calf producers, growers and finishers. The CHA is working with Dr. John Basarab, senior research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development and adjunct professor at the University of Alberta, a world-renowned researcher in the field of feed efficiency.

The 2014 National Junior Limousin Conference was a huge success, thanks to the organizers, participants, sponsors, judges and everyone who came out to take part in it. Congratulations to the 36 juniors who participated. To see the complete results check in the Limousin Voice Summer Edition or on the CLA website. Mark your calendars as the 2015 Junior Conference will be in Stratford, Ont., August 6-8. Event chair is Wayne Lawrence. Thank you to all who contributed to the fundraising auction that took place in Saskatoon for the OJLA.

Michael Latimer celebrated his first full year working for Canadian Beef Breeds Council in August. “It has been a tremendous privilege to represent the purebred industry, especially the interaction with the people involved. In my opinion, we have made some big gains in how the organization and the seedstock industry is viewed by other sectors of the beef production chain,” said Latimer. “However, we still have some work ahead of us, particularly regarding funding for our initiatives, as the Legacy fund expires next March. I look forward to seeing everyone throughout the fall and as always feel free to email or call me with your thoughts.” Congratulations Michael, from Canadian Cattlemen, it has been a pleasure to work with you.

Canadian Beef Breeds Council (CBBC) participated in the Alberta government lead trade mission to Kazakhstan from Aug. 1-10. As reported by earlier trade missions, there are some opportunities for exporting cattle or genetics. It has a somewhat similar terrain and climate to that of Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as a desire to increase its cattle numbers. However, there are also some serious challenges to the market such as the financing structure and the devalued Kazak currency (KZT).

Michael Latimer and CBBC president David Bolduc, attended the Canadian Cattlemen Association semi- annual meeting in Charlottetown, P.E.I. Aug. 12-17. They presented a report focusing on the recent Kazakhstan trade mission and the Russian sanctions, to the CCA Foreign Trade Committee. Latimer and Bolduc also participated in the Value Creation and Competitiveness Committee meeting and the CCA board meeting. While there they presented an overview of the Canadian beef industry along with Alberta Beef Producers, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Cattlemen’s Young Leaders, Beef Cattle Research Council and Canfax to a group of South Korean agriculture students from the “Korean Rural Hope Foundation.” They were an attentive group who seemed to have a particular interest in our youth development programs.

Representatives of Canadian Beef Breeds Council met with Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) staff at their office in Edmonton. ALMA seemed very supportive of the CBBC initiatives and helped provide some insight regarding funding for both international marketing and scientific development projects. John Crowley was in Calgary on September 2-3 and met with a few of the breed associations to discuss programming.

Canada Beef is an official sponsor of the CFL. A truly Canadian sports league and a truly Canadian product, the match is a great one. The opportunity is targeted to a large audience and offers a number of opportunities to share the Canadian beef story in an effort to build Canadian beef brand loyalty.

The post Purely Purebred appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Bruce Holmquist, Canadian Simmental Association general manager, as well as CSA director Lacey Fisher and her husband Jacob attended the 2014 World Simmental Fleckvieh Federation (WSFF) Congress in Colombia in July. Along with tours of local farms, sites and events, there were many discussions on research projects happening around the world. The WSFF executive remains the same — Josef Kucera, president, Czech Republic; Johan Kluyts, vice-president, South Africa; Fred Schuetz, second vice-president, U.S.; Bruce Holmquist, past president.

The seventh annual T Bar Invitational golf tournament was once again an overwhelming success, raising close to $50,000, for youth in the beef industry. Chris Poley presented Canadian Junior Angus Association president Michael Hargrave with a cheque for $12,145.60. The money raised was divided among eight national junior breed associations representing nearly 2,000 members and Canadian Western Agribition. “We are extremely happy with this year’s event. With the help of our generous sponsors, we have raised nearly $300,000, which has provided opportunities to a great number of youth,” said Bryan Kostiuk, co-chairman of the tournament. “The tournament encompasses people from all segments of the industry as well as those who wish to have fun and support a great cause.”

The Canadian Angus Association released its full lineup of Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Sales, starting in September and running until March. They will present 175 sale dates at 61 auctions. While CAA field staff will visit each location through the sale season, Angus producers are encouraged to do their part to promote the breed. With that many sales and locations, everyone should be able to find a sale location near them. The association also has new field staff this year, including recently retired director Lois McRae in Manitoba and Peter Van Staveren in Ontario.

The Canadian Simmental Association’s (CSA) newly restructured and renamed Friends of Canadian Simmental Foundation (FCSF) held their annual charity auction on July 26, 2014 at Elkhorn Resort in Manitoba in conjunction with the CSA annual meeting weekend. This year’s auction was a tremendous success with a new record amount of $89,570 being raised. Funds raised by the foundation support youth development programs and scholarships as well as research and development initiatives focusing on the improvement of the Canadian beef industry through Simmental genetics. Ken Lewis, FCSF chair, noted, “The phenomenal success of the foundation auctions has come from the amazing broad-based support of the CSA membership and the beef cattle industry with this year being no different.” A special note of appreciation was extended to Bonchuk Farms of Solsgirth, Manitoba for the donation to this year’s auction of a bred heifer for raffle which raised $16,460 which was won by Transcon Livestock Corporation and Beechinor Brothers Simmentals. New Holland Agriculture donated a tractor/baler rental which was purchased by Cudlobe Angus of Stavely, Alberta for $8,750.

Canadian Simmental producers from across Canada gathered at the Elkhorn Resort in Clear Lake, Man., July 25-27 for the Canadian Simmental Association’s 46th annual general meeting. Along with the annual meeting keynote speaker Dr. Dorrian Garrick, of Iowa State University and executive director of the National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium gave a presentation on current developments in genomics and EPDs. CSA members elected two new directors to the board, Lee McMillen of Carievale, Sask., and Blair McRae of Brandon, Man., and returning director Kelly Ashworth, Oungre, Sask. Retiring from the board are past president Fraser Redpath and Deanne Youn. The new executive for 2014-15 executive is composed of president Kelly Ashworth, first vice-president John Sullivan, Kazabazua, Que., and second vice-president Lacey Fisher of Amherst, N.S.

The 2014 Canada Beef Annual Forum takes place September 18-19 in Toronto. The theme, “The Power of the Brand —Building Loyal Partnerships” will explore leveraging traditional and non-traditional partnerships within the industry to create brand loyalty. September 18 will be a full day of presentations including the industry panel and the evening banquet dinner. The CBI AGM will follow on September 19 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

2014 Young Leaders

Tessa Nybo, Sundre, Alta.
Mentor: Jamie-Rae Pittman, Kyle, Sask.

Tessa Nybo was raised on a commercial cow-calf operation near Sundre, Alta. With her father being a veterinarian she grew up with a passion for cattle and agriculture. Through years of 4-H and showing cattle, Tessa has learned a great deal and is keen to share her knowledge with others, especially young cattle enthusiasts. She does so through her clinic business in which she offers cattle clinics, judging clinics, and public speaking clinics for 4-H clubs as well as at events such as Farmfair International. She also owns a herd of commercial show cattle from which she raises and sells calves for 4-H and jackpot shows. Details of her services, clinics and cattle can be found at www.tessanybo.com. Tessa graduated from the Olds College Agricultural Management program with a major in marketing. She has worked for the Alberta 4-H Branch and AgCareers.com, among other positions and continues to serve on numerous 4-H and industry committees. Tessa and her fiancé, Colin Verbeek, also a CYL mentee, are moving near his family’s farm in Sturgeon County where they will begin building their own cattle operation that will include a purebred Limousin herd. Tessa appreciates the opportunity to acquire practical production knowledge as well as gain a greater perspective on the cattle industry as a whole in addition to networking through the CYL program.

Her mentor Jamie-Rae Pittman lives in the southwest of Saskatchewan where she ranches and farms with her husband, their three young children and her husband’s family. She and her husband operate under the name Pittman Holdings. The cow herd is a commercial cow-calf operation, as well they farm cereal and pulse crops. Jamie-Rae is a co-founder and art director of Bella Spur Innovative Media Inc., a marketing company with roots and a large client base in agriculture. Her involvement with the marketing industry puts her in touch with agricultural producers and agribusiness owners all across Canada.

Stuart Sommerville, Endiang, Alta.
Mentor: Doug Sawyer, Pine Lake, Alta.

Stuart Somerville, his wife Kayla, and their son Robbie live near Endiang, Alberta and work with Stuart’s parents on the family’s mixed grain and cow-calf operation. Stuart completed a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Alberta in 2007 and currently shares his time between teaching in Hanna, Alberta and working on the family farm. He is proud to be the fourth generation to work this homestead, and prouder still to have the chance to introduce a fifth generation to this way of life.

His mentor Doug Sawyer is a cow-calf producer and past chair of the Alberta Beef Producers.

Stacey Domolewski, Taber, Alta.
Mentor: Terry Hockaday, Calgary, Alta.

Stacey Domolewski is from Taber, Alta., where she is part of her family’s Red Angus operation, C.D. Land and Cattle. They calve 180 purebred cows and hold their bull sale the second Saturday of March on the farm. Stacey has been very involved with Junior Angus Associations acting as a director on both the Alberta and Canadian Junior Angus boards. She has really enjoyed the opportunity to help plan and organize junior shows and events. Stacey was also selected as the 2012-13 Robert C. McHaffie Junior National Angus Ambassador where she had the opportunity to attend many shows, events, and tour farms and Angus operations all across Canada.

She graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 2013 with her animal science degree, and is currently back at the U of S completing her master’s degree in animal science. Upon completion of her degree she hopes to pursue a career in extension and communication, while still remaining actively involved in her family’s farm.

Her mentor, Terry Hockaday is the president of Meristem, an Alberta-based communications company specializing in agriculture with products such as the web-based Meristem Land and Science and NewStream, a digital news service.

To advance the potential in genomics, the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) is partnering with Livestock Gentec and the University of Alberta on two projects on the relationship between genomics and residual feed intake (RFI). Scientists from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development as well as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are also involved in the projects. Along with ALMA, the Beef Cattle Research Council, Canadian Angus Association, Canadian Charolais Association and Beefbooster are also supporting these projects.

Mel Reekie has been promoted to the role of general manager for the Canadian Charolais Association. Mel joined the association as office manager back in May of 2012.

Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) vice-president Dan Darling was in Calgary, in early summer, to attend roundtables on reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program hosted by Economic and Social Development Canada (ESDC) Minister Jason Kenney. The first roundtable had more than 20 participants from a range of industries, including the cattle sector, that shared its concerns with the recently announced reforms and the impact they would have of its various sectors. The second roundtable involved processors. The CCA is pleased that the recently announced reforms recognize the chronic and long-term labour challenges of primary agriculture but more work needs to be done on the processing side. There is a real concern that the recent changes will negatively impact packing operations. All the opportunity in new market access (and in existing markets) depends on processing profitably. Exemptions or other methods to allow targeted access beyond the levels spelled out in the recent changes need to be considered.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Gerry Ritz and Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification Michelle Rempel joined Canada Beef chair Chuck MacLean and president Rob Meijer to announce $3,844,800 in funding for the new Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence. “Our government is proud to support this cutting-edge facility. This centre will give our industry a competitive advantage in showcasing Canada’s top-quality meats and will allow our producers to capitalize on new and existing market opportunities,” said Minister Ritz. This state-of-the-art facility will provide space and resources to help the industry promote new beef products, training and education, focused around the technical advantages of Canadian beef, and play a valuable role in marketing Canadian beef domestically and internationally. “The Centre of Excellence will further empower our industry to reach consumers and customers both here at home and around the world to build brand loyalty and generate new marketing opportunities,” said Meijer. With a full commercial kitchen, meat case, classroom, dining facilities and broadcast capabilities, the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence will become a cornerstone in the Canadian beef industry, and provide a focal point for domestic and international marketing opportunities, and incoming trade missions. The Centre of Excellence should be completed in Calgary in December 2014.

Corinne Gibson of Fir Mountain, Sask, was elevated from the position of president elect to president of the Canadian Angus Association at its recent national convention in Moose Jaw. Tammi Ribey of Paisley, Ont., is the new president elect of the association and Kevin Blair of Lanigan, Sask. moved into the past president’s chair. Several new directors were also elected with Doug Reid and Brett Wildman replacing retiring directors Gary Latimer and Dawn Wilson in Alberta. Shawn Birmingham replaces retiring director Lois McRae in Manitoba; Ryan Currie replaces retiring director Jérôme Richard in Quebec and Trevor Welch replaces retiring director Jim Colodey in the Maritimes. All five new directors will serve three-year terms and be eligible for re-election to a second term.

A Charolais-cross steer owned and shown by Megan McLeod of Cochrane, (photo at top of page) was slapped 2014 UFA Grand Champion steer by judges Lee and Dawn Wilson, Bashaw, Alta. at the Calgary Stampede. Megan was also a recipient of one of the Youth Foundation Scholarships at the stampede. The 1,316-pound Canadian steer is off a purebred Charolais cow and sired by Monopoly. It has been named Champion at nine shows since the fall of 2013 and brought in over $18,000 in cash and prizes.

The reserve Grand Champion, and Hereford Champion steer, is co-owned by Barry Olney, his daughter Emily Geisel, both of Estevan, Sask., and Cody Lafrentz of Bienfait, Sask. The steer is out of a Hereford/Maine Anjou cow sired by the bull Believe in Me. It is the third year in a row the Champion Hereford steer has gone on to place Reserve Grand Champion.

Results from Colonial Days in Lloydminster, Sask. July 16, 2014:

• Classic Steer Stake

— Grand Champion Steer: Bar SK Cattle and Wade Brokenshire, Lloydminster, Alta.

— Reserve Champion Steer: Cassidy Serhienko, Maymont, Sask.

• Heifer Classic Show

— Supreme Champion Heifer: Jenn’s 1406 Fay 135A exhibited by Jennifer Jones, Lloydminster, Sask.

— Reserve Champion Heifer: HLC 1220 Sweet Emotion 36ZA exhibited by Nicki J. Ross and Hollinger Land & Cattle, Duchess, Alta.

• Junior All Breed Beef Show

— Grand Champion Bull Calf: French Fry exhibited by Jarrett Sroka, Maidstone, Sask.

— Reserve Grand Champion Bull Calf: Chica’s Zorro exhibited by Brianna Kimmel, Lloydminster, Alta.

— Grand Champion British Breeds Female: Jenn’s 1406 Fay 135A exhibited by Jennifer Jones, Lloydminster, Sask.

— Reserve Grand Champion British Breeds Female: Justamere 40 Mistress 420A exhibited by Jorja Fox, Lloydminster, Sask.

— Grand Champion European Breeds Female: NGDB Ace of Spades 339A exhibited by Quinn Hoegl, Lloydminster, Sask.

— Reserve Grand Champion European Breeds Female: CMS Poker Annie exhibited by Brianna Kimmel, Lloydminster, Alta.

— Overall Grand Champion Female: Jenn’s 1406 Fay 135A exhibited by Jennifer Jones, Lloydminster, Sask.

— Overall Reserve Champion Female: Justamere 40 Mistress 420A exhibited by Jorja Fox, Lloydminster, Sask.

• More Purely Purebred from the July 2014 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

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Beef Australia 2015 is rapidly approaching, and is to be held May 4 to May 9, 2015. Leader Tours Inc. have put together a 14-day agricultural tour from April 30 to May 16, 2015 which will include Australia’s National Beef Exposition — Beef Australia, which is held every three years in Rockhampton, Queensland. The tour offers visits to beef operations as well as some free time on the Gold Coast. Click here for more details. Deadline to book on this tour is Sept. 1 so don’t miss out.

For Canadian seedstock producers the Olds Fall Classic will operate Oct. 3-5, 2014, in Olds Alta., at the Olds Regional Exhibition facilities. Breeds include Black Angus, Blonde d’Aquitaine, Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, Red Angus, Shorthorn, Simmental as well as the Stars of Tomorrow Jackpot Calf Show. Online entries deadline is September 15.

Alberta Agriculture has offered up to $3,000 to the Canadian Beef Breeds Council so it can rebate 50 per cent of the $149 registration fee for Alberta producers who attend the Livestock Gentec Conference August 12-14 in Edmonton. Alberta producers are encouraged to contact their breed association for more information on the conference and the rebate.

The Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame selected three accomplished ambassadors for Canadian agriculture to join its prestigious ranks in 2014. The late Walter Browarny, Charles Froebe and Lorne Hepworth will be formally inducted into the national hall of fame at a ceremony on Sunday, November 9, 2014 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario. “Canadian agriculture thrives on a diverse group of individuals constantly pushing boundaries to drive our industry further,” says president Judy Shaw, Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association. “This year’s inductees highlight the importance of taking an innovative approach — whether you are a farmer or a photographer — to make a lasting difference to our industry and our nation.”

Walter Browarny changed the face of livestock photography with his clean, simple approach to capturing Canada’s beef breeds. His legacy as Canada’s cameraman of livestock lives on in the bank of more than two million images he created — setting the standard for his brand of authentic livestock photography that naturally features the best attributes of his subjects. Walter was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta and was nominated by the Canadian Beef Breeds Council.

Charles Froebe of Carman, Man., championed the creation of Canada’s national canola farmer association, improving marketing options and cash flow for farmers. Lorne Hepworth began his lifelong career in Canadian agriculture as a veterinarian in rural Saskatchewan, moving into provincial politics and leaving his biggest legacy for Canada’s plant science industry through his work with CropLife Canada and GrowCanada.

Breeders attending the Canadian Simmental Association AGM and YCSA National Classic, July 25-27 in Riding Mountain National Park were also offered a boat cruise on Clear Lake, the Riding Mountain National Park buffalo tour, a Genomics and EPD presentation by Dr. Dorian Garrick and a Ukrainian dance performance in addition to the Saturday evening banquet and Friends of Canadian Simmental Foundation Auction.

There were many generous donations to this year’s auction. A special thank you goes out to Bonchuk Farms, the 2014 Friends of the Foundation, for their donation of Lot #1-BLCC 42A. New Holland Agriculture made a generous donation of a 150-hour rental of a New Holland Tractor (T6 Series) and a new Round Baler. New Holland also provided sponsorship of the weekend events.

The Canadian Beef Breeds Council (CBBC) has appointed Dr. John Crowley as its director of scientific and industry advancement. Dr. Crowley was formerly with Livestock Gentec in Edmonton. He will continue to work in Edmonton and maintain a working relationship with Livestock Gentec, while fulfilling his duties for CBBC.

At Canadian Western Agribition this fall the Red and Black Angus, Gelbvieh, Polled and Horned Hereford, Limousin, Shorthorn and Speckle Park breeders will hold their national show and sale. Additional shows are scheduled for the Charolais, Maine Anjou and Simmental breeds.

The Canadian Angus Association hosted the first annual Carcass 101 event in partnership with Certified Angus Beef (CAB), supported by the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) at Olds College on June 18-19. Thirty-one participants took part in the two-day event to learn about carcass traits. On the first day Brody Gardner evaluated three live steers ready to go to the Olds College National Meat Training Centre, then asked the participants to rank the steers based on their traits and how they would grade. The group then put on hairnets and lab coats before entering the cutting room where Dr. Phil Bass, a meat scientist with Certified Angus Beef, explained the various parts of the carcass and their value, and how carcasses are graded in Canada.

James Bradbury, the director of market development with Canada Beef Inc., looked at what consumers are seeking from the beef industry and current trends facing the industry. Then Drs. Bass and Brad McLeod, a meat instructor at Olds College, gave a cutting demonstration on a carcass and explained how this skill has changed with the development of many more specialty cuts.

The second day featured John Crowley of Livestock Gentec, Rod Wendorff of Windy Ridge Ultrasound Inc., and Larry Sears of Flying E Ranche. Crowley covered the importance of genetic selection and the use of genomic technology with the Zoetis 50K test. Wendorff explained how ultrasound can aid in selection while Sears gave a rancher’s view on how carcass data can be used in cow-calf herds.

Ryan Kasko of Allied Marketing Group gave his perspective on feeding Angus cattle in Alberta. Then the group moved to the meat training centre to analyze the carcasses of the cattle they rated the day before. Oscar Lopez Campos from Lacombe Meat Research Center in the meat science department led the session with the animal carcasses. Larry Corah, vice-president, supply development from Certified Angus Beef rounded off the day with his findings on the growth potential for the quality beef market in Canada.

Each year, ALMA hosts FutureFare, its annual feature celebration that provides industry, government and academia attendees with an opportunity to discover the names and faces behind the initiatives that are transforming Alberta’s meat and livestock sector. For FutureFare 2014, over 245 participants came to the River Cree Resort just outside of Edmonton to learn more about the successes of ALMA partnerships directly from the partners themselves.

Under the theme of “Feeding the Demand,” FutureFare 2014 kicked off with an evening reception featuring Cameron Bruett, JBS U.S. head of corporate affairs, and Clint Dobson, ALMA senior research and policy manager. Bruett is also the chairman of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, and his talk the following day kept everyone totally engaged. To learn more go to the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency website and check out News and Events.

Marta M. Haley, director of Global Market Access (Canada) for Elanco Animal Health will speak on the challenges and opportunities for a food-secure tomorrow at the annual Livestock Gentec Conference August 12-14 in Edmonton. Some say Canada is ideally positioned to assist the world as it strives to reach a food-secure future. The three critical elements of rising to the challenge centre around innovation — the discovery and adoption of new technologies to do more with less; choice, in how to best produce and select foods to meet the price, taste, and nutritional requirements of various geographies and populations; and finally trade to allow food to be produced where it is most economical and sustainable and can deliver it to those who need it.

Leaders from across various industries have come together to form the first Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). With over 68,500 beef farms contributing more than $33 billion to Canada’s economy and conserving over 50 million acres of Canada’s environmentally significant grasslands, the roundtable aims to be a leader in the continuous improvement and sustainability of the beef value chain. Fundamental to the success of the roundtable will be science-based information, multi-stakeholder engagement, communication and collaboration.

“The roundtable represents a breakthrough for the Canadian beef industry,” said Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, chair of the CRSB. “It’s important for industry stakeholders to come together to combine their expertise to ensure the industry remains economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible for future generations.” To view the full membership, find out how to become a member, or for more information visit the CRSB website.

The Canadian Angus Association (CAA) honoured 300 years of membership at the National Convention banquet on Saturday, June 7, presenting three 50-year and two 75-year long-term recognition awards. The awards recognize breeders who have been a member of the association for 50 and 75 consecutive years. The 50-year recipients are Doug Henderson of Alberta; the Willms family of Saskatchewan; and Peak Dot Ranch of Saskatchewan. Isla Bank Angus/Stables family, Saskatchewan and the Harold Spady family, Alberta were recognized for 75 years of continuous membership and commitment to the agriculture industry.

Doug and his wife Linda Henderson operate Douglas J Henderson and Associates Ltd. (DJH). They are dedicated to the promotion of top-quality livestock that help to advance the agriculture industry. Doug is a life member of the Canadian Angus Association.

The Willms family reside in Saskatchewan. Jake and Bernice live on the original homestead and began the family farm. Today the third generation of the Willms family are working on the farm. Tom Willms and Bryan Willms with his wife Tracey and children Kylie and Owen are the operators of Wilbar Farms. Terry and Barbara Moneo are the founders of Peak Dot Ranch. The ranch is located in the rolling hills of Saskatchewan and is one of the largest purebred breeder operations in Canada. It is a family-run operation that raises 750 mature cows.

Isla Bank Angus was established in 1938 by Robert Stables. Today the operation is run by Iain Stables. Iain is a great-nephew to Robert Stables. The farm is located in Delisle, Sask., and continues to grow.

The Spady family farm, Valleymere Angus, is located in the Battle River Valley near Alliance, Alta. Jack Spady began the herd in 1937 and then Harold Spady continued the family farm until he passed away. Today, both of Harold’s sons help to operate the family farm. The cattle business has helped the Spady family to make a living for the past three generations.

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