Rancher Rick Burton of Claresholm has been elected chairman of the Alberta Beef Producers at their annual meeting last month in Calgary. Joining him on the executive are vice chairman Kevin Boon of Tomahawk and finance chairman Doug Sawyer of Pine Lake.

Cherie Copithorne-Barnes and John Weekes were appointed to the board of directors of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency on Dec. 1. Copithorne-Barnes from Jumping Pound, Alta., is a fourth-generation rancher, and operations manager of CL Ranches who also has experience running a large beef operation in Uruguay. Weekes is a senior international trade policy advisor at Sidley Austin LLP in Geneva who has served the World Trade Organization in many capacities, including as Canada’s ambassador, and was Canada’s chief negotiator for NAFTA.

We were sorry to hear that Canadian Cattlemen’s Association B. C. director Art Devick was laid up after being attacked by a bull in late November. The encounter left him with multiple stitches to the head, broken ribs, punctured lung and cracked vertebrae.

Andrea Brocklebank, research manager at CanFax, and co-authors Jill Hobbs and William (Bill) Kerr, have published Brocklebank’s Masters thesis into a book. NEW CONSUMER DEMANDS AND SUPPLY CHAIN RESPONSES looks at branded beef programs in the U. S. compared to Canada and what differences exist and why. Brocklebank spent a great deal of time stateside (Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa) researching her material and compiling case studies. The book is available through Nova Publishers (www.novapublishers.com)and through www.Amazon.ca.

Don and Marie Ruzicka of Killam, Alta. were the recipients of the 2008 L. B. Thomson Conservation Award for outstanding achievement in soil and water conservation, presented by PFRA alumni at the Western Canadian Grazing Conference in Edmonton last month.

Congratulations to Audrey Horkoff of Kamsack who will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame on Aug. 2, 2009. She has been active in the Canadian Charolais Association and the Canadian Western Agribition for many years. She and husband Don received the Honour Scroll from the Saskatchewan Livestock Association in 2007.

Joe Bouchard of Fisher Branch has been elected president of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association. Ray Armbruster of Rossburn is first vice-president, Major Jay Fox is second vice-president, Art Jonasson of Vogar is treasurer and Greg Johnson of Baldur is secretary of the association.