A volunteer committee spent more than 2-1/2 years gathering member histories (363 in all) and information, and then compiling the book.

The 560-page full-colour book is the third history book published in the Canadian Angus Association’s 113-year history. It sells for $90 and can be picked up at the Canadian Angus Association office in Rocky View County or ordered by calling 1-888-571-3580 or by emailing cdnangus@cdnangus.ca.

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Good is the senior director of business development for the Angus association, which is headquartered in Rocky View County.

“Brian is what the Industry Champion Award was designed for,” said Rick Wright, the executive administrator of the livestock markets association. “He is a very sincere and passionate man about the cattle business. Brian lives and breathes cattle every day of the week.”

Good is the third recipient of the champion award.

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The Fort Saskatchewan-area ranch began as a dairy and grain operation, started a herd of commercial Angus in 1964, and purchased its first registered Angus cows in 1968. The Gabert family has never missed Farmfair and has shown at the event longer than any other Angus breeders.

The Canadian Angus Association is the country’s largest purebred beef breed organization, with more than 2,000 members. It started its long-term recognition award program in 1998 to honour individuals and families who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to the Angus breed in Canada by maintaining a continuous membership in the association for at least 50 years.

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The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently agreed to the change as the number of cattle born prior to March 1, 1999 has dwindled to virtually nothing.

While it remains a requirement that the cattle be born before then, the export certificate will no longer have to state the age of the cattle.

The move follows the presentation of a statistical analysis done by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and presented to U.S. and Canadian regulators. It showed there would no longer be any dairy or commercial beef cattle of that age and that fewer than 20 purebred Angus, Hereford, Simmental and Charolais cattle of that age would still be alive.

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Participating long-term breeders will be paired off with industry newcomers this summer in a mentorship program announced at the Canadian Angus Association’s annual meeting here in early June.

“This isn’t one where perhaps you qualify, perhaps you don’t,” association CEO Rob Smith said. “It is as simple as, if you want someone to help provide you with management expertise, spiritual guidance, the way forward to help you become one of those greatest Angus and seedstock producers in the country, we will help to put you with someone who can help you take those initial steps.”

The association has said the program will support breeders during their critical first five years, increase social ties within the membership and provide member resources to support long-term health of the industry.

Nathan Marin, CAA new-generation breeder development director, says operational matches will be prioritized over distance between farms, although the association hopes farm visits will be possible.

“It’s basically just a resource for young breeders to go down the road that they want to go down,” Marin said. “If there’s maybe somebody who’s a little more interested in, say, grass-fed cattle, low-energy-type cattle, we’ll try and match them up with somebody who’s running the same program.”

The program will include professional development workshops and resources for up-and-coming breeders.

Participation is currently limited to association members, although Smith has said he hopes to eventually open it to commercial producers.

“We recognize the, not only responsibility, but the obligation that Canadian Angus has to play in our national herd and in support of our national cattlemen,” he said.

A 2016 study by Canfax on behalf of the association estimates that between 64 and 67 per cent of Canada’s cow herd is at least half Angus.

Industry growth

The focus on mentorship has been at least partly driven by a sudden increase in membership.

The jump ends a five-year declining trend. From 2010 to 2015, membership fell from 2,634 to 2,225, recovering to 2,346 in 2016.

The association also hit a six-year record in registered cattle in 2016. About 62,400 calves were registered last year, up from 55,400 in 2010. Transfers fell to 21,200 in 2016 from 21,700 the year before. Smith noted, however, that bull transfers had remained largely the same, and attributed the drop to members keeping their registered females. This has fed into herd increases, he said.

The association plans to pursue a brief needs assessment with each of its new members over the next year and will include information on the mentorship program.

The program is still in its first stages, Marin said, although CAA members have expressed some interest.

“It happens right now,” he said. “There are young people who go to older breeders right now and get advice from them all the time. I’ve got lots of friends in the industry my age who have been doing that with older, successful, breeders forever. There’s maybe just some younger folks who are new to this industry who, maybe, don’t have access to those people.”

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Animal welfare icon Temple Grandin has recently been sounding alarms about more lameness in beef cattle and part of that is related to heavier weights and genetics.

“There are certain genetic lines of beef cattle that are repeating a mistake the pig industry made back in the 1980s and early 1990s when it just selected for production traits and ended up with leg conformation issues,” the Colorado State University professor told Australian newspaper Farm Weekly last month.

There are some challenges that can arise with heavier cattle, said feedlot veterinarian Joyce Van Donkersgoed.

“It really depends on the frame size of the cattle,” said the Picture Butte-based veterinarian. “If they have the frame, they can carry the weight. You get exotic breed cattle like Charolais or Simmental Cross, those are big-frame cattle and they can carry the weight. It doesn’t impact them.

“Where we tend to see more issues are in the British breeds, like the Angus or Herefords.”

Smaller-framed animals that are raised to 1,500 to 1,700 pounds can become stiff in their gait.

“They don’t quite walk, they waddle,” said Van Donkersgoed. “If you keep them at that size for a long time, you will have feet break down on you.”

Fat cattle, especially ones that are black, will also have more trouble with heat stress.

Cattle with founder (laminitis) — a condition caused by feeding too much grain — can also develop sore feet.

“The heavier you make them, the harder it is on their feet,” she said. “Their feet are sore to start with and then you put more weight on them. And then it hurts more. Those cattle will get stiffer and stiffer and get pain in their feet.

“Those cattle, you shouldn’t keep them around. You should sell them as quickly as you can.”

The performance of cattle with founder will go down and they won’t gain any more, she added.

‘Peel off the heavy ones’

The trend for size comes and goes depending on market price and the availability of feeder cattle.

“Feedlot guys make cattle bigger depending on the price of feed, the price of fat cattle, the price of buying replacements, and the availability of replacements. They’re also looking at whether they have a contract to fill,” said Van Donkersgoed.

Warm winters can make a difference in the speed that animals gain. This year’s winter was mild, so cattle got bigger faster than they were projected to gain. If a packer changes their contract and delays shipping, this can add to the problem.

“If the (feedlot owner) had an agreement with the packer and then they can’t ship cattle for another month, the feedlot guy is still going to have to keep them and feed them for another month and then they’ll just get bigger,” she said.

When prices drop, the feedlot owner may keep on feeding cattle while waiting for a better price.

There are a few things that producers can do to minimize problems caused by heavier cattle.

Van Donkersgoed recommends sorting cattle into different weight classes, by weighing or ultrasounding them.

“Peel off the heavy ones and send them right away,” she said. “Put the lighter cattle into different marketing groups and you can feed them for different lengths of time.

“Get a consistent package of cattle going to the packer, which he wants. This makes sure that the packer doesn’t give massive discounts on overweights. Producers can get dinged big time for overweight cattle.”

Also, manage the cattle in groups, and try to ship them on time. Pen riders should be trained to find cattle that have foundered, pull them and ship them. And provide lots of water to reduce heat stress.

“Cattle don’t sweat so if there’s no wind to cool them off, you need to make sure you have a lot of water for them,” she said.

In cases of extreme heat stress, cattle need to be fed early in the morning and late at night. If the ground is too hot, put out straw for bedding. Sprinklers can also help cattle cool off, as long as they aren’t running during mid-afternoon.

But when in doubt, it’s best to ship.

“If you have a pen of big black heifers and it gets humid and hot, those cattle are going to be in trouble for heat stress. You need to get them gone. They need to go on a truck and go bye-bye.”

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