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The Charolais Connection is mailed to over 8,000 cattlemen nationwide. Those cattlemen include all purebred Charolais breeders, buyers of purebred Charolais bulls from the past six years and all subscribers to the Charolais Banner.
No material contained in the Charolais Connection may be reprinted without the permission of the Charolais Banner. The publishers reserve the right to refuse any advertisements.
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Published by the Charolais Banner, Regina, SK (3 times per year - February, March and Fall)
HBSF CASANOVA
We Stress Calving Ease, Maternal Strength, Structural Soundness and Performance
many being repeat customers
• McTavish Charolais, SK
• Howe Family Farm, SK
• Bina Charolais, ND
• Rocky Coulee Ranch, AB
• Clifford Whittle
• Campbells Charolais, SK
• Bremner Charolais Farm
• Myhre Land and Cattle
• Valleys End Charolais, SK
• Hainsworth Farms
• Arthur Denbow
• Taylor Farms
• Kings Polled Charolais, SK
• Bendickson Farms, SK
• Randy Bryant
• Delton Martin, ON
• Vanbeselaere Farms Ltd.
• Dave Black
• Royce Reiss, SK
• T and M Farms, SK
• Sorenson Farms, AB
• Crocus Valley Charolais
• Forest Park Farms, ON
• Denzil McCaffrey, SK
• Van Buuren Charolais
• Circle A Farms
• Galen Keller
• Natchez Farms, TX
• Kevin Kerr, ON
• Dallas & Debbie Toms, SK
• Griffith Farms
• Bar T Livestock, SK
• Elis Van Buuren
• Jason McDougall, SK
• Morris Schilling, AB
• Eric Hillis
• Elliott Grain & Cattle
• Edward Michaud, QC
• Clayton Toms, SK
• Brian Plumbtree, ON
My last editorial in the March Connection was written the middle of February and who would have known the world would be turned upside down with COVID-19 since then. I must commend all commercial producers that supported the breeders in the mid-March bull sales by going online, or on the phone, to get your bulls bought in the sales that you couldn’t attend because of crowd restrictions. The breeders were truly humbled by the support of their customers, who purchased through the new world of buying online, as many had never done it before. Many went to the farms days before the sales and checked out the offerings and bought in absentee. For those that don’t get the Charolais Banner, or haven’t checked out the past issues on our website at www. charolaisbanner.com, the spring sales ended up excellent across the country.
The Charolais Bull Sale Summary, as reported in the May issue of the Charolais Banner magazine, shows sales in 2020 provided the highest
gross ever (over $21 million) in the 39 years we have compiled these results. There were 198 more bulls sold in 99 sales reported, and the sixth highest overall average. Six per cent more bulls sold, and the average was only off $51 at $5,938 or less than one per cent. Pretty incredible numbers, all things considered this spring, but shows the increase in market share the breed is garnering. Crossbreeding is essential and Charolais are working on all breeds to give the hybrid vigour and identifiable product, on which the industry can rely.
The backlog of fats that was caused with the temporary closing and slow downs of packing plants because of COVID is being chewed through both here and the USA. If things continue as is, the feedlots should hopefully be current by the end of the year and the market can move back to some normalcy.
The price of fats has been lower, and this has allowed the grocery stores to be able to use beef in promotions and pull consumers in. The downside of the restaurants being closed or reduced in occupancy has been a detriment to beef consumption
From the Field
Helge By
as it is still very popular when people eat out.
The yearling market has been very strong with $2 being pushed on up to the 900 weight steers in August. This is stronger than I think many anticipated with the losses incurred by the feedlots over the past six months. As it sits now, the calf market this fall looks like it will be very comparable with last year with the heavy calves early on being the top money getters.
In this issue, you will see breeders showing their appreciation to you the commercial bull buyers for your support. You will also see some of the female sales happening this fall. There are great opportunities for new purebred Charolais breeders right across the country. You can also check out the sale catalogues on the Charolais Banner website. If you have any questions, please contact Robbie Chomik, Jon Wright or myself and we will help you with your purchasing when ever possible.
Until next time, Helge
* Turnbull Charolais, AB
* Merle & Jessica P. Wyatt, AB
* Hunter Charolais, MB (2)
* Wilgenbusch Charolais (2)
* Planz Farms Ltd. (3)
* Spruce View Charolais, AB
* Palmer Charolais
* Dennis Kress
* WLL Farms Inc. (2)
* Lohse Farm & Ranch Ltd.
* Perry Jones
* Keith Domes (2)
* Haywire Farms Ltd. (5)
* D.R. Thul Farms Ltd.
* Ricky Shaver (2)
* Brian & Marilyn Tessier (3)
* RJ Lanoie RanchInc. (2)
* 7 Pillars Ranch Ltd.
* Skyline Farms Inc. (2)
* Darrell & Judy Thompson
* Hawkins Brothers (2)
* Warken Farms Ltd.
* J5 Ranch Ltd.
* Buckler Acres
* Still Hill Land & Cattle Co. (2)
* Kurtis Bartlett
* Larry & Verilyn Crooks
* Ken & Rosalie MacKenzie
* Garth & Janna Vancuren
* Lightfoot Holdings
Stop by for coffee and see the prospects for our 11th Annual Bull Sale, March 25, 2021 Featuring sons of these proven Herdsires
Mon dernier éditorial du mois de mars a été écrit à la mi-février et qui aurait pu prévoir que notre monde serait chambardée depuis l’apparition de la COVID-19? Je tiens à féliciter tous les producteurs commerciaux qui, à la mi-mars, se sont mis à leurs ordinateurs et au téléphone pour acquérir des taureaux pour leur troupeau à cause des restrictions de foule imposées. Les éleveurs étaient très touché du support reçu et pour tous ceux qui ont acheté en ligne pour la première fois. Plusieurs d’entre eux se sont déplacés quelques jours avant la vente pour voir les sujets et ont acheté en ligne par la suite. Pour ceux d’entre vous qui ne recevez pas le Charolais Banner ou qui n’ont jamais consulté les numéros précédents, les ventes du printemps furent excellentes à travers le pays.
La compilation des résultats des ventes de taureaux Charolais, tel que reporté dans le numéro du mois de mai du magazine Charolais Banner, démontre que les ventes de 2020 furent les plus élevés à date (près de 21 millions de dollars) depuis le début de cette compilation, il y a de cela
Dans nos champs
Helge By
39 ans. Il y a eu une augmentation de 198 taureaux vendus parmi les 99 ventes reportés ainsi que la sixième moyenne de vente la plus élevée. De l’augmentation de 6% de taureaux vendus, la moyenne de vente était de 51$ de plus et se situait à $5,938, ou moins de 1%. Je dois dire que ces chiffres sont incroyable sachant le tourment du printemps passé mais ceci démontre la continuité et l’engouement de la race. Le croisement est essentiel et le Charolais est une race qui est complémentaire avec les autres et pour ceux qui recherche une vigueur hybride, un produit identifiable et dont l’industrie a confiance.
La pénurie des chaires qui a été causé par la fermeture temporaire et le ralentissement des usines d’emballages se remet en place ici et aux États-Unis. Si la tendance se maintient, les parcs d’engraissements devraient revenir à une certaine normalité d’ici la fin de l’année.
Le prix de la chaire est sous la normale et cela a aidé les supermarchés à attraire les consommateurs de boeuf. Le fait que les restaurants ont fermés pour une longue durée a fait souffrir l’industrie car le boeuf reste toujours un choix de menu recherché.
Le marché des bouvillons d’un an reste fort avec des prix de presque de deux dollars à la livre pour les bouvillons allant jusqu’à 900 livres tel qu’observé durant le mois d’août. Je pense que cela est plus haut que les producteurs espéraient. Plusieurs d’entre eux ne croyaient pas atteindre ce prix avec les pertes ressenties dans les parc d’engraissements. En ce moment, le marché des veaux ressemblent beaucoup à celui de l’an passé avec les veaux gras qui auront la meilleure rentabilité.
Dans cette publication, vous verrez les éleveurs montrer leur reconnaissance aux producteurs d’élevage commerciaux. Vous retrouverez aussi ce qui est à venir du côté des ventes de femelles d’automne. Beaucoup d’opportunités se présentent aux nouveaux éleveurs Charolais à travers le pays. Vous pouvez consulter les nombreux catalogues de ventes sur notre site www.charolaisbanner.com. Si vous avez des questions, stp contactez Robbie Chomik, Jon Wright ou moimême et il nous fera un plaisir de vous aider pour vos achats lorsque possible.
À la prochaine, Helge
Steppler Sired. it’s time to use a Steppler bull.
Steppler Farms Breeding Warranty
• All bulls sold through the 2021 bull sale are covered for all injury and death 6 months after the bull sale date with ZERO PREMIUM.
• You will receive full sale credit to be used in the next year’s bull sale. Steppler Farms will only cover up to a $10,000 investment on a bull. If a buyer wants to cover a more expensive bull, he or she will need to deal with their own outside insurance.
• Buyer will receive a backup bull to get their cows bred at zero charge to the buyer.
Steppler Farms Herd Bull Guarantee
After 1 breeding season – 75% sale credit of the original sale price to be used in the next year’s sale
Year 2 – 50% sale credit of the original sale price to be used in the next year’s sale
Year 3 –25% sale credit of the original sale price to be used in the next year’s sale
The best part of both of these programs – you are dealing with Andre directly. There is no middle man, no run-around. Just call Andre.
Some High Sellers
• Brian Perras
• Sheldon Farms Inc.
• Happy Haven Charolais, MB
• Jerome & Denis Kress •
7 Ranches
• John Howe • Jason Hutton • Dan Webster
• Cole Herold • Maurice Colleaux
• Robert & Brenda Meszaros
GBR 59G
by SOS Game of Thrones 98D to Wienk Charolais, who purchased two
GBR 190G
by McTavish Excel 20B to White Cap Charolais
GBR 188G
by BNE Conga 9C to North of 50 Charolais
GBR 65G
by SOS Game of Thrones 98D to Jones Charolais
Thanks to the many top commercial producers from across the country who trust us to supply herd bulls for their operations.
CANADIAN CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION
2320, 41st Avenue NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6W8
403.250.9242 F 403.291.9324 www.charolais.com @canCharolais www.facebook.com/cdncharolais
Box 882, Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 3C3 204.252.3115 C 204.856.6357 lejcharolais@gmail.com
LORNE LAKUSTA
Box 37, Andrew, AB T0B 0C0 780.365.2079 C 780.719.0264 spruceviewcharolais@gmail.com
RYAN NESBITT
17100 Cedardale Rd, Nestleton, ON L0B 1L0 905.242.2046 ryan@cedardalefarms.ca
ROD McLEOD
293113 Twnshp Rd 263, Rocky View County, AB T4A 0N5 403.540.7986 rodmcl@telus.net
Genetic Evaluation Basics and Beyond
Sean McGrath
There has been a lot of work and bright minds that have developed genetic evaluation technologies and methodologies over time, with current work building on past efforts of a dedicated group of industry leaders. Over the last decade we have seen a lot of changes in evaluation due to a combination of improved data collection systems, enhanced models, great leaps forward in computing power and huge jumps in DNA analysis and genomic research. Each generation of improvement has enhanced the ability to assess the relative genetic merit of our seedstock. It does not mean that the previous versions were wrong, just that we can now do a better job. It could be compared to the evolution of tractors with improvements to suspension, fuel economy and comfort occurring over time. We don’t farm the way we used to, so it is only reasonable that we don’t evaluate genetic merit the same way either.
The basic driving theory behind genetic evaluations is that animals are the result of their DNA interacting with their environment. A simple example would be an animal has genes for growth that interact with the diet they are fed to produce an animal that gains weight at a specific rate. If animals are raised together in the same environment, then a lot of the difference between individual animals will be due to their genetic differences. At it’s most basic and extremely rough version, this is an in herd index, the Waterloo Boy of genetic selection tools.
EPD
The second premise of genetic evaluation is that if we can ascertain the genetic differences between
animals, then we can use genetic relationships to compare those genetics across herds or groups. This is the first step in producing EPD and the development of the methodology to do this, dates back nearly 100 years, unfortunately limitations in computing power restricted the scale of this full methodology for many years. As a compromise, the first evaluations ran on what was called a sire/maternal grandsire model, but it still represented a significant leap forward.
A Sire/MGS model means that instead of doing math on a full pedigree, we only used the sires to determine relationships. This approach was the best at the time but by today’s standard of a full animal model it lacked accuracy. To give an example of why this approach was used, if we look at a complete 3 generation pedigree there are 14 animals back to great grandparents. In the sire/MGS model this is cut down to 7. When you multiply the possible genetic relationships, they are reduced by orders of magnitude using a sire/MGS model. This is where the CCA evaluation started at.
As computers got exponentially more powerful full animal models were adopted. This meant that every animal with a record had their full pedigree relationship analysed and used in evaluation (both sire and dam). The result was a significant improvement in accuracy of the evaluation with the biggest improvements being in traits that are expressed maternally such as calving ease and milk.
Enter DNA
Animal models were in use for several years when DNA came on the scene. At first DNA testing appeared ..continued on page 16
CEDARLEA GOLD RUSH 13G
as something of an independent with most commercial tests looking for single gene mutations and some people thinking that DNA would replace genetic evaluation. A good example of a single gene test would be leptin testing. These results had straightforward inheritance patterns, and were used outside of the evaluation. There are still a lot of these tests in use today, including colour, horn/poll and genetic defect tests.
As DNA technology advanced it became possible to assess a wider array of DNA simultaneously and link that DNA to various traits. These SNP markers are used in the current technology and most of the current generation of tests offered by breed associations. In order to add value to these tests and improve the accuracy of genetic evaluation, EPD called Molecular Breeding Values or MBV were calculated from the DNA results. If one animal had more markers for growth than another, it would receive a higher MBV for growth. These same two animals may also have EPD available from a breed association based on performance data and pedigree.
Again, over time, methodology and computing power improved so that the MBV information could be used to improve the EPD of an animal and the DNA, pedigree and performance data came together. The first step in this process was called “blending”. In essence, an animal has an EPD calculated in a traditional manner using pedigree and performance data. Once the EPD is produced it is adjusted using available information from the DNA in the form of an MBV. Because DNA can be collected and analysed at a young age, this provides the power to improve accuracy of the evaluation at a young age. To paraphrase, DNA provides us with
a lot of additional data that can be analyzed at a young age. A simplified example is shown below.
In this example, based on the accuracy of the EPD, we can see that Bull A has a lot of data available on his progeny. The DNA information does not contribute significantly to his EPD. Bull B with low accuracy sees a significant shift in his EPD, since the DNA provides a significant amount of new information that moves his EPD upward and increases the accuracy. Bull C does not see his EPD change at all, but the addition of DNA to his evaluation increases the accuracy or certainty of our prediction of his genetic merit. The impact of DNA on individual traits will depend on the heritability of the trait, the relative strength of the relationship between available DNA markers and the trait in question and the amount of additional data, such as performance records available.
Enter Single Step
The latest development in genetic evaluation is called single step and it connects DNA and evaluation in a very real way. Instead of “blending” or combining DNA and EPD information after the fact, single step uses DNA as an additional source of data in the genetic evaluation, just as pedigree and performance data are used. Just as moving to the animal model of EPD calculation, single step evaluation has required a quantum leap in computing horsepower. If we think about the move from sire/MGS models to animal models moving from 7 to 14 animals in a 3 generation pedigree, consider that a single DNA test on a single animal can easily add 50,000 DNA markers. That is 49,997 more pieces of information to analyze on an animal than a birth, weaning and yearling weight. Additionally, single step analysis
can allow us to use that DNA to improve pedigree relationships. If for example a sire and a son have both been tested, it is now possible to see which pieces of DNA were passed on, rather than just assuming that a random half of a calf’s genetic makeup came from a parent. In other words, some siblings are more closely related than others. This strengthens the traditional pedigree/performance aspect of the evaluation, but it also empowers the DNA trait analysis because it allows for consideration of the impact of specific markers on a trait throughout the entire pedigree tree, rather than applying a simplified adjustment after an EPD evaluation. The single step approach also helps to identify and correct potential pedigree information on the fly.
The CCA continues to invest in improving the genetic evaluation of Charolais cattle. This really means that we have invested in a higher horsepower, GPS/autosteer equipped, four-wheel drive tractor with overlap control in the genetic evaluation world. Like most advancements in the evaluation world, improvements do not result in massive reranking of animals since we have a pretty good system already, but it will provide a much more robust picture of where animals fit relative to each other, and it also provides the framework to evaluate new traits much more effectively, similar to the way the animal model enhanced the evaluation of maternally influenced traits.
I am certain based on history and some knowledge of the work that is ongoing at the moment, that over time we will continue to see improvements in genetic evaluation. Some will come gradually, and others will be of the transformational variety. Genetic evaluation technology is being applied in most, if not all of the biological breeding industries including plants and animals and will continue to assist in decision making to enhance profitability and functionality of beef cattle.
..continued on page 24
to everyone who bought, bid and attended our 2020 b ull Sale murray l ake Colony Farming Co. ltd., Wilfred & david Jans, e lk Water Farming Co. ltd., Kevin traxel, r.h . mitchell ranch, l aidlaw ranching Co. ltd., Bt Grazing, Brett howe, h &K ranch, Stan & margie Perrin, SK, Carry ranching inc., Vale l and & Cattle, a ngus hills ranch, SK, Bow island Grazing, remount Grazing a ssociation, Bruce hampton t han K you to our F emale B uyer S: Bret marshall, turnbull Charolais and Springside Farms
March 15, 2021 to our 2nd Annual Si M ple a S b lack & w hite b ull Sale Medicine Hat, AB with K Lazy T Cattle Co. Consigning Females this fall to Charolais Superstar, Alberta Select and Prairie Cove sales
Featuring Progeny of Kentuc K y Rain (Turton x White Hot)
CANADIAN CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION
2320, 41st Avenue NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6W8 403.250.9242 F 403.291.9324
Box 882, Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 3C3 204.252.3115 C 204.856.6357 lejcharolais@gmail.com
LORNE LAKUSTA
Box 37, Andrew, AB T0B 0C0 780.365.2079 C 780.719.0264 spruceviewcharolais@gmail.com
RYAN NESBITT
17100 Cedardale Rd, Nestleton, ON L0B 1L0 905.242.2046 ryan@cedardalefarms.ca
ROD McLEOD
293113 Twnshp Rd 263, Rocky View County, AB T4A 0N5 403.540.7986 rodmcl@telus.net
Ce sont les efforts du travail ardu de plusieurs esprits brillants qui ont développé les technologies et des méthodologies d’évaluation génétique au fil du temps. Les développements actuels s’appuient sur les efforts passés pour faire avancer l’évolution des évaluations génétiques. Au cours de la dernière décennie, nous avons assisté à de nombreux changements en raison d’une combinaison de systèmes de collecte de données améliorés, de modèles améliorés, de grands progrès en matière de puissance de calcul et d’énormes progrès dans l’analyse de l’ADN et la recherche génomique. Chaque génération d’amélioration accélère la capacité d’évaluer le mérite génétique relatif de nos animaux d’élevage. Cela ne signifie pas que les versions précédentes étaient fausses, mais tout simplement que nous pouvons maintenant faire un meilleur travail. Il pourrait être comparé à l’évolution des tracteurs avec les améliorations de la suspension, de l’économie de carburant et du confort au fil du temps. Nous ne cultivons pas comme nous le faisions auparavant, il n’est donc que raisonnable que nous évaluions nos animaux pour le mérite génétique de la même manière qu’on le faisait il y a 30 ans.
La théorie de base des évaluations génétiques est que les animaux sont le résultat de l’interaction de leur ADN avec leur environnement. Un exemple simple serait qu’un animal possède des gènes de croissance qui interagissent avec le régime alimentaire dont il est nourri, pour produire un animal qui prend du poids à un rythme spécifique. Si des animaux sont élevés ensemble dans le même environnement, alors une grande partie de la différence
entre eux sera due à leurs différences génétiques. Dans sa version la plus élémentaire et extrêmement approximative, il s’agit d’un index de troupeau, le Waterloo Boy des outils de sélection génétique.
Les Écarts prévus chez la descendance (EPD)
La deuxième prémisse de l’évaluation génétique est que si nous pouvons déterminer les différences génétiques entre les animaux, nous pouvons utiliser ces relations pour comparer des animaux de différents troupeaux ou groupes. Il s’agit de la première étape de la production d’EPD et le développement de la méthodologie pour ce faire remonte à près de 100 ans, malheureusement, les limitations de la puissance de calcul ont limité l’échelle de cette méthodologie complète pendant de nombreuses années. En guise de compromis, les premières évaluations se sont déroulées sur ce qu’on appelait un modèle père / grandpère maternel (P/GPM), mais cela représentait tout de même un bond en avant significatif.
Un modèle P / GPM signifie qu’au lieu de faire des calculs sur un pedigree complet, nous n’avons utilisé que les males de la famille pour déterminer les corrélations. Cette approche était la meilleure à l’époque, mais selon les normes actuelles d’un modèle animal complet, elle manquait de précision. Pour mieux comprendre cette approche qui a été utilisée, si nous regardons un pedigree complet de 3 générations, il implique 14 animaux incluant les arrière-grandsparents. Dans le modèle P / GPM, cela est réduit à 7. Lorsque vous multipliez les relations génétiques possibles, elles sont réduites par ordre de grandeur en utilisant un modèle Père / GPM. C’est là que l’évaluation
Charolais a commencé.
Au fur et à mesure que les ordinateurs sont devenus exponentiellement plus puissants, des modèles animaux complets ont été adoptés. Cela signifiait que chaque animal avec une généalogie connue, subissait une analyse complète qui était utilisée dans son évaluation (à la fois le père et la mère). Le résultat a été une amélioration significative de la précision de l’évaluation, les améliorations les plus importantes concernant les caractères exprimés par la mère comme la facilité de vêlage et le lait.
L’arrivée de l’analyse de l’ADN
Les modèles animaux ont été utilisés pendant plusieurs années jusqu’au jour que l’ADN est entré en scène. Au début des tests d’ADN commerciaux, les fins se reposaient sur les mutations génétiques uniques et simple, et certains croyaient que l’ADN remplacerait l’évaluation génétique. Un bon exemple de test de gène unique serait le test de leptine. Les résultats avaient des modèles d’héritage simples et ont été utilisés en dehors de l’évaluation. De nombreux tests sont encore utilisés aujourd’hui, y compris des tests de couleur, de corne / polled et d’anomalies génétiques.
Au fur et à mesure que la technologie de l’ADN progressait, il est devenu possible d’évaluer simultanément un plus large éventail d’ADN et de lier cet ADN à divers caractères. Ces marqueurs SNP sont utilisés dans la technologie actuelle et la plupart de la génération actuelle de tests proposés par les associations de race. Afin d’ajouter de la valeur à ces tests et d’améliorer la précision de l’évaluation génétique, des EPD appelées Valeurs moléculaires d’élevage ou MBV ont été calculées à partir des résultats ADN. Si un animal avait plus de marqueurs de croissance qu’un autre, il recevrait un MBV plus
élevé pour la croissance. Ces deux mêmes animaux peuvent également avoir un EPD disponible auprès d’une association de race basée sur les données de performance et le pedigree.
Encore une fois, au fil du temps, la méthodologie et la puissance de calcul se sont améliorées afin que les informations MBV puissent être utilisées pour améliorer la précision des EPD d’un animal et que l’ADN, le pedigree et les données de performance s’harmonisent. La première étape de ce processus a été appelée « le mélange ». En substance, un animal a un EPD calculé de manière traditionnelle en utilisant des données de généalogie et de performance. Une fois que l’EPD est produit, il est ajusté en utilisant les informations fournies par l’ADN sous la forme d’un MBV. Parce que l’ADN peut être collecté et analysé à un jeune âge, cela permet d’améliorer la précision de l’évaluation plus tôt. Pour paraphraser, l’ADN nous fournit de nombreuses données supplémentaires qui peuvent être analysées à un jeune âge. Un exemple simplifié est présenté ci-dessous. Dans cet exemple, basé sur la précision de l’EPD, nous pouvons voir que Taureau A possède beaucoup de données par voie de sa progéniture. Les informations ADN ne contribuent pas de manière significative à son EPD. Taureau B avec une faible précision voit un changement significatif dans son EPD, puisque l’ADN fournit une bonne quantité de nouvelles informations qui déplace son EPD vers le haut et augmente la précision. Taureau C ne voit pas du tout son EPD changer, mais l’ajout d’ADN à son évaluation augmente l’exactitude ou la certitude de notre prédiction de son mérite génétique. L’impact de l’ADN sur les caractères individuels dépendra de son héritabilité, de la force relative de la relation entre les marqueurs
ADN disponibles et du caractère en question et de la quantité de données supplémentaires, telles que les records de performance disponibles.
On passe à l’étape unique
Le dernier développement en matière d’évaluation génétique s’appelle « l’étape unique » et relie l’ADN et l’évaluation d’une manière très réelle. Au lieu du « mélange » ou combiner les informations ADN et EPD après le fait, il existe maintenant une seule étape qui utilise l’ADN comme source supplémentaire de données dans l’évaluation génétique. Tout comme le passage au modèle animal de calcul EPD, l’évaluation en une seule étape a nécessité un bond en avant de puissance de calcul. Si l’on pense au passage des modèles Père / GPM aux modèles animaux passant de 7 à 14 animaux dans un pedigree de 3 générations, considérons qu’un seul test ADN sur un seul animal peut facilement ajouter 50 000 marqueurs ADN. Soit 49 997 informations de plus à analyser sur un animal qu’un poids à la naissance, au sevrage et à un an.
De plus, l’analyse en une seule étape peut permettre d’utiliser cet ADN pour améliorer les relations généalogiques. Si, par exemple, un père et un fils ont tous deux étés testés, il est désormais possible de voir quels morceaux d’ADN ont été transmis, plutôt que de simplement supposer qu’une moitié aléatoire de la constitution génétique d’un veau provenait d’un parent. En d’autres termes, certains frères et sœurs sont plus étroitement liés que d’autres. Cela renforce l’aspect traditionnel de la généalogie / performance de l’évaluation, mais cela renforce également l’analyse des caractères ADN car cela permet de prendre en compte l’impact de marqueurs spécifiques sur un trait dans tout l’arbre généalogique, plutôt que d’appliquer un ajustement simplifié après une évaluation EPD. L’approche en en une étape permet également d’identifier et de corriger les informations de généalogie ..continued on page 24
Some high Selling yearling bullS to great commercial producerS
Thank You...
Highway 21 Feeders Ltd., AB
Domek Charolais, MT
Keith Caul, ON
Sliding Hills Charolais
Thurston Charolais, AB
Clipper Cattle Co.
Buffalo Lake Charolais, AB
thankS to our other buyerS: Stop
Palmer Farm Inc. Fenlands Ago
George & Ashley Peacock, AB
Matador Pasture Co-op Ltd.
Bob & Mary Corcoran
Old Elm Farming Company, AB
Logan Ranching, AB
Turnbulls Duty-Free son to Rob & Neil Hoffman
High Bluff Bushwacker son to Gord Johnson
High Bluff Bushwacker son to Bar PW Farms Inc.
High Bluff Bodacious son to Everett Johnson
High Bluff Bushwacker son to Salty Lake Farms
Clem Sanden
Bar U Livestock
K&L Reicken Farms
Tyler & Shauna Getz
Ernie Sorensen
K & C Cattle Co.
Curtis Beaudin, AB
Dale Johnson Willner Elbow Grazing Corp.
Stan & Sherri McCrea
Dale Stammers, AB
Troy Bohn
Black Aces Cattle Ltd.
Clint Peterson
High Bluff Bushwacker son to K McLeod Farms Ltd.
Charolais
son to Hawkins Brothers
High Bluff Bodacious son to Packett Brothers
SVY Taurus son to Omie Ranch Ltd.
Current Breed Average EPD (Fall 2020)
EPD Theory / Methodology
Herdbook Pre-1970
1970-1980s
Early 1990s
Mid 1990s
Performance Data Collection/Reporting
Sire/MGS EPD Evaluation
Animal Model EPD Evaluation
2010-2017 Blended EPD
2017-
Single Trait DNA Testing
DNA SNP testing MBV
Single Step Evaluation - Incorporates Traditional Evaluation and DNA Information Directly
DE LA CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
Moyennes actuelles de la race pour les EPD (automne 2020)
potentielles à la volée.
L’Association canadienne Charolais continue d’investir dans l’amélioration de l’évaluation génétique des bovins Charolais. En comparant encore une fois au tracteur, nous avons maintenant passé à un model quatre roues motrices de plus grande puissance, équipé d’un GPS avec contrôle de chevauchement dans le monde de l’évaluation génétique. Comme la plupart des progrès dans le monde de l’évaluation, les améliorations n’entraînent pas de reclassement massif des animaux puisque nous avons déjà un assez bon système, mais cela fournira une image beaucoup plus solide de la place des animaux les uns par rapport aux autres, et cela fournit également le cadre pour évaluer les nouveaux caractères beaucoup plus efficacement, de la même manière
que le modèle animal a amélioré l’évaluation des caractères influencés par la mère.
Il est certain que les évaluations génétiques continueront leur chemin évolutif et ne resteront pas statiques.
La technologie d’évaluation génétique
est appliquée dans la plupart, sinon la totalité des industries de la sélection biologique, y compris les plantes et les animaux, et continuera à aider à la prise de décision pour améliorer la rentabilité et la fonctionnalité des bovins de boucherie.
Théorie / méthodologie EPD
Herdbook Pré-1970
1970-années ‘80
Début des années ‘90
Milieu des années ‘90
20172010-2017
Collecte des données de performance / soumission à l’ACC
Évaluation EPD Père/GPM
Évaluation EPD par modèle animal
Test d’ADN pour un seul caractère à la fois
Mélange d’EPD Test ADN SNP MBV
Évaluation en une seule étape - Intègre directement l’évaluation traditionnelle et les informations venant de l’ADN
Pride in a Program
Candace By
Norway Valley Farms is a third-generation operation near Heinsburg, in northeast Alberta. Rolling hills and lots of bush makes this ideal for mixed farming operation. Using Charolais bulls on their commercial herd, they have now ventured into raising some purebred Charolais also.
“We started using Charolais bulls in the late sixties, but we shied away for a few years. At the time we had little Hereford cows and big Charolais bulls. There were just too many problems. My dad was cross-breeding Hereford with Shorthorn before the exotics came to Canada. We saw the benefits of cross-breeding and knew the benefits would be
greater with Charolais, but they females still weren’t big enough to handle the new breed.
Eventually, I saw the strides Charolais had made in improving their calving ease and decided to try them again in the late seventies. There is just nothing better than those buckskin calves,” explains Duane Barstad. His son Arden does not remember having a bull other than Charolais with their main cowherd. Duane’s uncle, Leo Kinsella, Irish Creek Charolais, started raising Charolais and provided the encouragement he needed to crossbreed with the exotics.
The Norway Valley Farm cowherd now consists of
Eventually, I saw the strides Charolais had made in improving their calving ease and decided to try them again in the late seventies. There is just nothing better than those buckskin calves.
..continued on page 28
Elder’s Blackjack 788B daughter shown last fall, bred to White Rose Sinbad 811
Sired by the 2013 Reserve National Champion Bull, Hicks Indiana Jones 7Y
Fancy daughter of Moyers Enforcer 1E that falls in the April show class
HRJ Maverick 556C daughter bred to White Rose Sinbad 811
Great EPD in this daughter of EC No Doubt 2022 P bred to Bridor EZ Rider 27E
hairy daughter of JWX Downtown 7C
Horned Hereford and Simmental crossed cows. They have forty Hereford females and buy Simmental bulls to produce their F1 females. The purebred Hereford replacement females are purchased each year. “We also breed our heifers to Hereford bulls. We do retain some of the heifer calves from this cross. They are only a quarter Simmental, but they do well, and it seems to be enough for success. Their Hereford herd was just getting too small and needed some new blood. It is getting harder to find Hereford heifers as many breeders have retired.” Their Simmental bulls are more traditional and must have a white face. They prefer their females have Hereford colouring to keep uniformity in the herd.
They run over 300 commercial cows and have started a small purebred herd of approximately 30 cows. Half of the commercial cowherd grazes in a bush pasture north of Heinsburg, Alberta. It is lease land and has provided challenges along with grazing opportunities. The younger
cows stay close to home because the bush is just too hard on them. The first year cows go there is a tough one and it shows when they come home in the fall. After that year, they adapt and do just fine.
They start calving the first of April. Even though they preg-check and plan to keep females with due dates at the end of May, there are always a few stragglers that calve in early June. The late calvers and opens are fed a bit and shipped when the market picks up after Christmas. Having a basically horned herd, they tag and use caustic paste at birth. They brand and castrate before the cattle go to pasture for the summer. The cows with younger calves stay closer to home for the summer. The bulls and the cows go to the bush together and they require more bulls to cover the cows in this large pasture, usually seven bulls for 120 cows. The pasture is 17 quarters and if they didn’t go together, they may not find each other. This necessitates the preg-testing as there is no way to pull the bulls from ..continued on page 30
this large pasture after breeding, the bush is just too thick. It is not possible to treat cattle for anything while in this pasture. If you go there on a quad, it may be too wet to get around and if you are lucky you will see ten or twelve head. They are on their own and must survive. The herd seems to know when it is time to come home and there is very minimal handling required to load them for the ride home.
Every year the cows that have gone to the bush for the first time come home a bit rangier. “We probably have to ship a couple each year because they just don’t settle down. There are lots of bear and some wolves to spook them,” says Arden. Duane continues, “They aren’t worth anything around the yard when they are spooky, but they are worth something at the market. I don’t know if it is the predators or if it is just being in the bush. When we first got that lease, I went there for two or three weeks to fence it. My dad, uncle and I camped and I was pretty relieved to get out of there. Dad and I were in St. Paul and he suggested we see if there was any lease land available. We walked in and got a 40-year lease on this land. Now the renewals are only 10 years.”
Now it is time to re-fence. Tami says when they take horses she doesn’t let Arden get out of sight, it is too easy to get lost. There are some access roads from oil but some are grown over and another has been flooded out by a beaver dam. Beavers cannot be shot because someone has the rights to a trapline within the lease. They can notify Fish and Game, and they will contact the trapline holder for permission. If they don’t want to do that, you can apply for a permit. Duane adds, “the beavers were felling trees on
the fence and it was creating quite a problem. We never go up there without a gun as you never know what you will come across.” Arden clarifies, “I can shoot a bear or a wolf up there because they are considered harmful to the cattle, but beavers aren’t considered a threat.”
The bush-pastured cows are taken to a hayfield at Marwayne at the start of October. They fall graze once the bales have been removed, until they wean in November. The balance of the cowherd and the purebreds graze closer to home throughout the summer and fall. Calves are retained to background until March or April. They prefer to sell them as grassers, but sometimes they can get too big. They watch the market to sell them before they start calving to make more room for the new calf crop. This year they didn’t get any grain as the crop was still in the field waiting to be combined, but they did really well on silage. They use barley and oats silage and can usually average 9 or 10 tonnes per acre. They chop hay and straw and mix it with the silage as they feed. They have started adding the new oats, Nasser, that doesn’t need to be rolled, to the silage for the calves and it seems to be going well.
Arden received a call from a feeder who was so pleased he finally figured out where this group of calves was raised. “They came with the NVF brand on their side and in the ear tag. They came with a group and went on feed and just took off. I have been trying to figure out where they came from for two years. He finally figured it out when he saw their bull sale catalogue with the tattoo. They came and bought five steers for 4-H and were very pleased with how they finished.”
Their grassers are sold through the ring at Lloydminster ..continued on page 32
No Borders Select Sale
Offering: 50 Quality Lots
• Show Prospect Heifer Calves – that will be competitive • Proven Producing Females – from the top of the herd • Future Breed Matrons – out of and bred to industry leading sires
Polled, Red Factor, Full French • Something for Everyone
• Consigned by some of the top breeders from Manitoba and Saskatchewan For more information or a catalogue, give us a call: Sale Manager 306-584-7937 • Helge By 306-536-4261 • Candace By 306-536-3374 •
124 Shannon Rd., Regina, SK S4S 5B1 • charolaisbanner@gmail.com
to the following breeders who purchased high quality females and bulls from our program this past year; Watch for our upcoming sale consignments this fall & winter!
Roger
Brian
Wilgenbusch
now. It was a hard decision to make the move because we had done well in Vermilion, but with personnel changes, the buyers know us there. They sell in weight packages but are not mixed with other herds.
“When they started pre-sorts, I said I wasn’t going in them. You work hard to raise the type of cattle you want and then they mix them up. There is no pride in that.”
“When they started pre-sorts, I said I wasn’t going in them. You work hard to raise the type of cattle you want and then they mix them up. There is no pride in that,” says Duane. “They are all age verified and on the Express program,” explains Arden. “They are really even when they go, we keep the smallest of the group at home to feed, usually only five or six, until the first of June,” adds Tami. “I always laugh because we sell our top animals in March and keep the others until June and they bring just about as much money as they hit that hot grass market and have put on a lot of weight in that time frame.”
In 2016, the Barstads were faced with an opportunity to start a purebred Charolais herd. Arden had always been interested in the purebred industry and possesses a keen interest in pedigrees. They were considering buying some purebreds when they were offered to keep some on shares. It was an opportunity not to be passed as it allowed them to move into the business with no cash investment. It also
provided someone to help with the learning curve of the paperwork that goes with purebred registrations. Their purebred herd is either full French or French influenced. They prefer the style and love the docility. In the late sixties, it probably was the French bulls we had trouble with, but there are just no issues with vigour at birth or calving ease anymore. “We use some big birth weight bulls (118 lb) and never have trouble, we don’t touch them unless it is a malpresentation,” says Arden. “It is all in the build,” explains Duane, “you can have a low birth weight bull and have trouble if it isn’t built right.”
When they buy bulls for their commercial herd, they only look at how they are built, not the birth weight. Their birth weights range from 100-120 pounds.
When they buy bulls for their commercial herd, they only look at how they are built, not the birth weight. Their birth weights range from 100-120 pounds. They recognize that the bull is not always to blame for birth issues and birth weight comes from the female too. “I like to see a 100-pound calf. When they start out at that weight, they just go,” states Duane. Arden says he has weighed some commercial calves too and they have been easily over the 110-pound mark and they are up and going on their own without trouble.
..continued
on page 34
They would like to increase their purebred cowherd to forty head and supply their commercial herd with bull power and sell a few. “It’s hard to be able to pay for the type of bulls we want,” says Arden. And Helge confirms, “I have seen you get bucked off some pretty high dollar bulls.” “Yes, it isn’t easy to look you in the eye and say no when you really want a bull. At least we know we have really good taste,” says Duane. Everyone laughs, but when searching genetics for an operation, bull power is an investment to be taken seriously.
At one point in their program, they had some trouble
with a white strip on the tail. They had a red factor bull at the time and blamed him. After getting rid of the bull, they realized it wasn’t his fault. They talked to one of their bull producers and he explained there are certain bloodlines that carry broken pigment and can throw this. After DNA proved the parentage of the bull, he offered to give them some money back. They refused and said it wasn’t a good enough reason to take a refund but are quite conscious of watching for pigment in their bull purchases now. It is even more important when you use an F1 female.
..continued on page 36
ACA President, Stephen Cholak (left) and Lorne Lakusta (right) presented Duane, Marie, Arden and Tami Barstad, Norway Valley Farms, with the Commercial Breeder of the Year Award in 2018
Arden and Duane were the Commercial Judges at the ACA Select Bull Show in 2018
The Diamond K Cattle Co. Bred Heifer Sale DeCeMBeR 14TH, 2020, 2 PM Bircham Ranch, 8 miles south of Piapot, SK
Two-year olds at Davies Ranch doing it right
These heifers are fully guaranteed and we deliver. A program designed to produce females to use with Charolais bulls.
• 170 Home Raised One Iron Heifers
• 95 Red & Red Baldies Red Angus x Simmental and 15 Tans exposed June 5th-July 18th to proven Red Angus bulls
60 Red heifers bred for February calving exposed May 5-June 5 to Charolais bulls
Bryce and Dena Weiss
Lance and Jayne Weiss
Maple Creek, SK
306-662-2926
Cell 306-662-8733
306-661-8803
We deliver, give us a call!
21 years of supplying bred heifers to the industry
For more information on the 550 head in the sale, visit www.rocksolidbredheifer.com
Videos will be online and the sale broadcast live on DLMS.ca
These first calf heifers with Charolais calves are working well at Bar PW Ranch
They seed about 1200 acres, 300 of it would be for silage and the rest would be oats, wheat, barley and canola. There also have about 400 acres of hay. They are seeding more to hay in the rotation. The Marwayne hay field is a half section. It works really well for the cows that have been in the bush, and gives them a little boost when they come out.
Pasture is not easy to come by in their area. There are a lot of young farmers keeping the price up. A lot of the land is simply too rough for farming and they can produce more with cows. Their cowherd is at its maximum size for their land base. “If we were to increase our herd, we would have to do things differently. You must have straw and feed. We produce our own wheat and oat straw for bedding. We use barley straw in our feed,” says Duane. “Last year we used canola straw in our bedding for the bulls to keep them from scratching. It took more bedding, but it seemed to help them stay cleaner as well,” tells Arden.
Arden and Tami are living in the place were Duane grew
up. They have been married for six years and have two children, Lee and Aiden. Duane and Marie moved into the next yard to raise their family. Their oldest daughter is a principle in Kimberly. Their second child, also a girl farms near Elk Point. They have 50-60 cows of Norway Valley genetics and they help each other with branding. At the current time, Lee is the farmer of the two and loves equipment and Aiden is the one interested in the livestock. They use horses sometimes to work cattle but have found the quad to be easier and faster. This is a true family operation; everyone works together to make this a great place to raise the next generation on the land.
In 2018, the Alberta Charolais Association recognized Norway Valley Farms as Commercial Breeder of the Year. It was an award they were very honoured to accept with gratitude. Duane reflects, “All we’re doing is trying to raise good cattle, having someone notice and acknowledge it was very humbling.”
How Docility Impacts Conception Rates
Amanda Radkle, BEEF Daily
Producers working heifers and cows through the chute for breeding would benefit from taking chute scores to record and identify disposition issues.
In our seedstock business, we are seeing an increased interest in buyers who select for two common traits — disposition and calving ease.
I think these priorities correlate with the trend that the average age of the rancher is nearing 60 years old. With age comes wisdom, and I always think it’s a good idea to avoid bad temperament and dystocia problems whenever possible.
In addition to seasoned wisdom, I believe many of these older producers may not have the energy and agility to tolerate ornery cows and calving problems like they did in their 20s and 30s.
And while we shouldn’t base our purchasing decisions on singletrait selection, I do believe that docility impacts everything from feed efficiency to pregnancy rates to carcass quality to the well-being of the producer.
A recent article written by Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University emeritus Extension animal scientist, highlights exactly how cow disposition affects pregnancy rates.
Selk writes, “Now we have another good excuse to cull cows due to bad temperament. Producers that routinely breed cows artificially realize that cows that are unruly and nervous are less likely to conceive to artificial insemination.
“Presumably, the lowered conception rates were because they have been stressed as they are passed through the working facilities and restrained while being synchronized and inseminated. Research trials indicate, even in the serenity of a natural breeding pasture, cows with bad dispositions are less likely to conceive when mated with bulls.
“Louisiana State University researchers presented data about the
impact of temperament on growth and reproductive performance of beef replacement heifers. They used crossbred heifers that were evaluated for ‘chute score.’ Heifers were scored as 1= calm, no movement to 5= violent and continuous struggling while in the working chute and exit velocity.
“Exit velocity is a measurement of the speed at which the heifer would travel as she exited a working chute. ‘Slow’ heifers (presumably more docile) were heavier at breeding time and tended to have a higher body condition score. Pregnancy rate did not significantly differ between slow, medium, and fast heifers when all crossbreds were considered,” Selk says.
“However, it was interesting to note that pregnant Brahman-Hereford F1 cross heifers tended to have lower exit velocities (at both weaning and at the end of the breeding season) than their counterparts that failed to become pregnant. These researchers concluded that some important relationships between growth, reproduction and temperament may exist in beef replacement heifers.
“University of Florida animal scientists recorded disposition scores over two years on 160 Braford and 235 Brahman x British crossbred cows. They wanted to evaluate the effects of cow temperament and energy status on the probability to become pregnant during a 90-day natural breeding season.
“Cows were scored as 1 = calm, no movement to 5 = violent and continuous struggling while in the working chute. Also, a pen score assessment was assigned as 1= unalarmed and unexcited to 5 = very excited and aggressive toward the technician. An exit velocity speed score was measured as the cows exited the working chute as 1= slowest and 5 = fastest. An overall temperament index score was calculated by averaging the chute
score, pen score and exit velocity score,” he says.
“Blood samples were analyzed for cortisol concentrations. Cortisol is a hormone released when mammals are stressed or excited. Increased cow temperament score and elevated plasma cortisol concentrations both were associated with decreased probability of pregnancy.
“These results suggest that excitable temperament and the subsequent elevated cortisol concentrations are detrimental to the reproductive function of cows. These authors concluded that management strategies that improve cow disposition, enhance their immune status, and maintain the cow herd at adequate levels of nutrition are required for optimal reproductive performance.”
Selk’s article is worth noting as producers prepare to artificially inseminate replacement heifers and cows in the weeks to come.
For myself, this article is timely as we have plans to place CIDRs in our replacement heifers this week as we follow a synchronization protocol for timed artificial insemination.
As each heifer works through the chute, I will be taking notes on her disposition, and I think the aforementioned notes of including a chute score, pen score and exit velocity score will give us a good indication of any culling decisions we need to make. We’ll also be able to note any differences in sires and perhaps correlate any disposition trends to specific genetic lines.
Focusing on disposition pays, no matter what your operation’s goals are. Working with mean, spooky or ornery animals is dangerous, costly and limiting. Pay attention to this trait and reap the rewards.
The opinions of Amanda Radke are not necessarily those of beefmagazine. com or Farm Progress.
Source www.beefmagazine.com
Turnbull’s Ground ball 740G
Cedarlea shoeless Joe 83C son sold to Pleasant dawn Charolais oak lake, Mb
Bar S ranch
Bird land and Cattle
Black Springs ranch
Tim Cisar
Sid Cook
Bryce Conley
reed Conley
Francis Cyr
Durango livestock
Dale erickson
Colin eskeland
Flying V Cattle
Flying W
gray hills ranch
Kim & Mitch hardy
Dustin hummel
J.D. ranch
Kiwi Cattle Station lewbuilt longson land and Cattle
einar Nelson
Nelson hirsche Purebreds
N over 7 Farms
Patton ranches
Pelleboer Farms
Steve rutledge
Schiermann Farms
Adam Schoening
Jim Smyth
Spring Creek
Thompson Colony T6 Cattle
W.C. ranching
Bruce Williams
Willow ridge Farms
Wind Valley ranch
Yagos ranching
ryan Yagos
Terry Yagos
Turnbull’s Golden boy 227G
Pleasant dawn MVP 316y son sold to HeJ Charolais, red deer County; McKeary Charolais, Compeer; border ridge Farms, Hilda
Turnbull’s Good TiMes 558G elder’s Hernandez 17e son sold to Casey lippa, Coutts
HVa ForTune 5F
Cedarlea sHoeless Joe 83C
elder’s Hernandez 17e
Both rectal palpation and ultrasounding for pregnancy have certain advantages depending on their intended application. Both, in order to be accurate, must have a skilled veterinarian performing the pregnancy exam. I will try to outline the pros and cons of each method so you can see how to best fit them into your farming operation. Many myths and fallacies surround pregnancy examination and hopefully these will also be dispelled in this article. There is even comparing traditional ultrasound versus using the extended arm and situations where one method is preferred over the other.
Rectal examination has been performed by veterinarians for eons and very little has changed in this science. It is a relatively quick, cost effective and safe procedure in the right hands. Accuracy is good in the early stages of pregnancy (30-90 days). In mid gestation (4-7mths) it is not uncommon for veterinarians to be out two weeks to a month in their estimate. Several things account for this, which are easily explained. Gestational length still varies tremendously. I always use the example of a flush of embryos put into recipient cows. Even though genetics are identical, and they are implanted within minutes of each other, it is not uncommon to have the recipients calving up to one month apart.
Depending on breed and sex of calf, gestations also vary greatly. The veterinarian may palpate the nonpregnant horn of the uterus giving a false underestimation of pregnancy status. The most important things are whether the cow is open or is late. With good setups and in skilled veterinarians hands rates of up to 100
Pregnancy Checking – Rectal Palpation versus Ultrasound
Roy Lewis DVM
head per hour can be accomplished. A misnomer of pregnancy examination causing abortions is one we still hear frequently. There is only a very slight risk in the real early stages of pregnancy (around 30 days) and skilled palpators are seldom in the rectum for more than a few seconds minimizing any risk. We do not manipulate the fetus as is talked about.
Rough handling and banging through the chute are more likely to cause abortions than any rectal palpations ever have but with today’s setups that is very rare indeed. One must keep in mind abortions still normally occur in 2-3 % of cattle yearly. This has numerous causes including genetic defects, infectious causes, twinning and trauma. Make sure as a producer you perform whatever else you need to do at the same time as the pregnancy diagnosis. Equipment simply relies on a good setup preferably with a palpation cage, ob. sleeves and lube. Veterinarians always need to find a positive sign of pregnancy. This involves balloting the uterus or feeling for the presence of cotyledons. In confirming a cow open the whole reproductive tract is explored. The only cows, which are difficult to do, are extremely fat ones. Their internal fat pushes the uterus down making it difficult to reach and retract to confirm an open uterus.
Ultrasounding requires a large capital outlay for the veterinarian and the diagnostic intent may be different. Reproductive problems can be explored since you can differentiate fluid from pus and make a more definitive diagnosis. If interested in fetal sexing this (although more difficult and time consuming) can be accomplished when cows are 55-75 days pregnant. The ultrasound is very
accurate in the 30 to 75-day range. It is more inaccurate in the later stages of pregnancy. Newer ultrasounds have probes that get much deeper so allow more accuracy later in pregnancy. Others have introducers whereby the veterinarian’s arm does not even enter the rectum. We need to watch these as occasionally the rectum can be perforated, and a massive peritonitis is the result. Vets use lots of lube if using the probe introducer. Fine feel and gentleness are a virtue when it comes to rectal palpation. In inexperienced hands full bladders may be misdiagnosed as pregnancies and other pregnancies can be missed. Veterinarians have gladly embraced this ultrasound concept since rectal palpation is really hard on shoulders and elbows and wrists from retracting the uterus. You will find most mixed practices use ultrasounds and the newer graduate veterinarians are well trained in their usage. In any pregnancy examination we must strive to be 99%+ accurate in the pregnant versus non-pregnant department. Opens diagnosed with the ultrasound are often doublechecked by palpation by the attending veterinarian just to be sure.
With a good internal probe (quality of ultrasounds also varies considerably) besides fetal sexing, twins can be picked up and this may help the producer manage these cases differently. The fetal sexing is impossible to do manually and twins will rarely be picked up. Again though, cows must be ultrasounded early in pregnancy for this to be accomplished. Very early embryonic deaths can be diagnosed where you have a fetus but no fetal heartbeat, indicating a dead fetus. Cysts on the ovaries can also be detected and
..continued on page 42
easily differentiated between luteal and follicular. These cysts require a slightly different treatment regime, which your veterinarians can explain.
As you can see both forms of pregnancy examination have merit. Rectal palpation with either method being fast and safe is commonly done in most beef herds and is a very important management tool. Ultrasounds with the extension arm are generally used only where there is a yes, no answer needed, and no degree of staging is necessary. Again, beware lubricant is necessary between everyone to avoid perforations as the vet is going in blind.
Complete perforations will kill the cow or heifer within 24 hours but again this is very rare indeed. The problem is with the extension arm you may not realize you have done it.
It happens very rarely with the other forms of palpation but if it does, emergency slaughter is your only
option so before wasting Ultrasounds generally are also used in problem breeders or when specialized procedures such as fetal sexing are required. Cows being sold with sexed embryos are often reconfirmed in calf by rectal palpation later in the year. Pregnancy checking whether manual or with ultrasound is done by upwards of 70-80 percent plus of cattlemen across Western Canada, but it should be much higher when we think of the feed costs this saves or being able to identify problem breeders earlier. It is even more critical as far as purebred cattle are concerned with more dollars tied up in that unborn calf.
If there has been a reproductive disease go through the herd, it can be caught earlier and dealt with. It is much better to find you have open cows at weaning than at calving time when you finally notice cows aren’t bagging up. At the same time, as
pregnancy examination reproductive problems can be explored and cows can be condition scored, vaccinations given lice and worming treatments implemented or discussed with your veterinarian. Lots can be done at the pregnancy examination visit to help with the year-round health of your herd, so let’s utilize this opportunity to the fullest for both the purebred and commercial herds. There are advantages to both techniques but at the end of the day, the most important thing is having reproductive exams performed on your beef cattle at least once a year. If handling setups are available at pastures, pregnancy checking can be done early to remove opens. Keep in mind other management procedures such as fly control can be done in the summer at the same time such as vaccinating or deworming.
• Flying W Cattle Co. thAnk
• F. Nester Ranching
• Gouw Quality Onions
• Wolfer Ranching Ltd.
• Coltor Ellefson
• Curtis Calvert
• Collin Christman
• Muzyka Farms Ltd.
• Joel Dorchak
• Agroscope Inc.
• Brian & Vanessa Plett
• Driland Feeders
• Ken & Darcy Blair
• Ray Rintoul
• Bow Island Grazing Association
• Laidlaw Ranching Co. Ltd.
• Park Road Cattle Co.
• J & E Farms
• Michael Douglass
• Casey Lippa
• Flat Valley Cattle Ltd.
• Watmough Farms Ltd.
• Jim & Austin Horkoff
• Allan Schafer
• Wallace Fraser
• K-Belt Farms
• Hays Stock Grazing Co-op Ltd.
• Johnsons Hwy 36 Farm Ltd.
• Three Forks Cattle Company
• Ridgeview Ranch Ltd.
• Allan Minor
• Fahlman Cattle Co. Ltd.
• Les & Sandra Eremenko
• Rick Kikel
• AO Farms Ltd.
• Loren Weaver
• Park Road Cattle Co.
Canadian Cattlemen’s Association News
It’s a privilege to address you for the first time through this column as President of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). In the five months since taking over CCA’s leadership from David Haywood-Farmer, much has changed with the arrival of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada in March 2020. The Canadian beef industry quickly mobilized and had to adapt to new protocols to help limit the spread of this virus and navigate these uncertain times one day at a time.
The CCA quickly pulled together a number of working groups consisting of representatives from CCA and our partners within the Canadian beef industry to manage and coordinate the response. To help keep cattle producers and the industry informed during these uncertain times, a COVID-19 resources section was developed on the CCA website. In addition, CCA launched a
number of virtual events such as media town halls, producer town halls and the Virtual News Roundup to enhance information sharing.
CCA also developed and submitted to the Government of Canada recommendations and asks to provide meaningful assistance to Canada’s beef producers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of an initial investment in the agriculture sector on May 5, 2020, CCA has continued to meet with Parliamentarians regarding the impacts of COVID-19.
Since this announcement, our recommendations and discussions have focused on changes to business risk management programs (BRM) programs, set-aside programs to address the backlog of cattle, continual investment in resiliency within the packing industry, as well as economic resiliency, specifically related to international trade. I believe that agriculture and the Canadian beef industry are well-positioned to help
Canada with its economic recovery and future growth, but strategic investments are needed to support our industry, cattle producers and food system.
On August 6, 2020, CCA provided input into the next federal budget through written submission for the Finance Committee’s pre-budget consultations. Below is a snapshot of some of the key recommendations shared in our submission.
The temporary processing plant shutdowns in May 2020 and extreme market volatility due to COVID-19 have presented cattle producers with significant challenges. These unforeseen challenges highlight the critical importance of cattle producers having access to well-designed and sufficiently funded business risk management (BRM) tools. Aspects of the BRM programs, including program spending, design, and lack of availability, provide inequitable coverage across the different
Bob Lowe, President ..continued on page 46
agricultural sectors and regions.
CCA continues to recommend enhancements to the AgriStability program, including the removal of the reference margin limit (RML) and addressing the $3 million payment cap. To bring more tangible evidence to federal and provincial governments that demonstrate why these program changes are needed, CCA has partnered with the Alberta Cattle Feeders’
to conduct a number of AgriStability modelling exercises with MNP to show the impact of reference margin limiting, trigger percentages and payment caps.
In addition, CCA recognizes the value of the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program (WLPIP), as a risk management tool to cattle producers and continues to advocate for price insurance to be a permanent program and available to all cattle
the maritime region increases the price risk and limits the options for young producers in accessing financial support. We are eager to work with provincial and federal governments to create an Eastern Settlement Index under WLPIP, which would contribute to national price insurance coverage.
In June, the Eastern Price Insurance project started and has two phases. The first phase will assess data availability for developing feeder and calf price indices utilizing data from Ontario and Quebec. This requires lot level data from auction markets, similar to what is used in the west. The second phase will develop the feeder and price indices and complete a historical analysis to evaluate years with big swings in prices. The project is scheduled to be completed in April 2021.
CAA continues to strongly support and encourages the continued expansion of free trade and the optimization of current agreements as well as efforts to maintain and strengthen the World Trade Organization (WTO). Of particular importance is advancing the CanadaUnited Kingdom (U.K.) trade relationship prior to January 2021, when the U.K. officially parts from the European Union (E.U.). We are a world leader in the production of high-quality beef, with 50 per cent of our total production being exported to 58 countries around the world.
CCA is pleased that our access into world markets has improved in recent years thanks to new trade agreements such as the Canada-United States (U.S.)-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
We look forward to continuing our engagement and dialogue with the federal government following the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) meetings this fall and offering real solutions to policymakers on issues facing cattle producers during these uncertain times.
• Ken Merkl
• Prouse Ranch
• John Dubyk, MB
• Soura-Horan Farms, MB
• Kreutner Farms Ltd., MB
• Marvin Lychuk, MB
• Jim Todosichuk, MB
• Alkali Lake Ranching Ltd., AB
• CY Ranch Ltd., AB
• Ranhart Farms Inc., MB
• Dwayne & Devon Burback
• MABR Holdings Ltd.
• Curtis & Ted Myslichuk, MB
• Eugene Ilienko, MB
• Dennis Wasylyniuk
• Stewart Farms Ltd., MB
• Kruk-Lylyk Livestock, MB
• Tom Fogg, SK
• Watmough Farms Ltd., AB
• Tom Nakonechny, MB
• Logan Lytwyn, MB
• Logan Abrahamson
• Clayton Hawreluik
• Raymond Sushelnitski
• Ryan Johnston, MB
• Ronald Radchuk
• Ted Wowchuk, MB
• Barry Zawislak, MB
• Rick Kwasney
Can You Predict the Fertility of a Bull?
There has been renewed interest among researchers to have a better understanding of the contribution of the bulls to fertility, especially as it relates to establishment of pregnancy and subsequent survival of the embryo and/or fetus. New research currently being conducted at multiple locations around the world is demonstrating that the bull (or bull DNA) may contribute to differences in pregnancy survival. This indicates that simply having a bull capable of breeding females with viable semen may not result in optimum fertility. Nonetheless, bull fertility is a complex issue and predicting fertility among bulls is not an exact science. Keep in mind that it takes a bull approximately 6 to 10 weeks for sperm to form and develop (spermatogenesis) before ejaculation. Therefore, any negative insult on the bull prior to ejaculation may have a negative impact on fertility of an ejaculate. These insults could be acute, such as an injury or freezing of the testes, or prolonged, such as nutrition or herd health related. Therefore, a bull may have viable sperm one day and then may ejaculate nonviable sperm one week later, which complicates our ability to predict bull fertility.
There are some key attributes of sperm that we know are critical for fertilization such as the morphology,
Cliff Lamb, Texas A&M University, reprinted from the Angus Journal
metabolism for production of energy, progressive motility, capacity for hyperactive motility, stabilization of plasma and acrosomal membrane lipids, acrosomal enzymes, and chromatin integrity. Some of these attributes are easy to determine under a microscope and others are more complicated and require enhanced technology.
Historically, the assessment of male fertility has focused on the quantity and quality of sperm delivered to the female. Fertility of a bull generally increases with increasing numbers of viable sperm inseminated up to a threshold level. After this threshold level has been attained, the female population becomes the limiting factor and increases in sperm numbers do not result in further increases in fertility. However, although the minimum number of sperm may be critical for fertility the threshold for maximum fertility differs among bulls.
There are ‘compensable’ and ‘uncompensable’ characteristics of sperm (Figure 1). Compensable characteristics relate to the ability of the sperm to reach the ovum and initiate the process of fertilization (lines A and B from Figure 1), whereas uncompensable characteristics relate the competence of the fertilizing sperm to complete the fertilization process and sustain early embryonic development (lines C and D from
Figure 1). Therefore, seminal deficiencies that may be seen as reduced fertility when numbers of sperm are below threshold, may be overcome or minimized by increasing sperm dosage and would be considered compensable. Reputable AI organizations routinely adjust the AI dose when compensable deficiencies are known.
Alternatively, deficiencies resulting in suppressed fertility regardless of sperm dosage would be considered uncompensable. Bulls with semen exhibiting unacceptable levels of abnormal sperm (i.e., misshapen sperm, chromatin integrity, acrosomal membrane lipids, etc.) are usually the main source of uncompensable traits. Reputable AI organizations, however, will not process semen with unacceptable levels of abnormal sperm. In practice, the impact of uncompensable seminal traits may be high when using natural service bulls which have not received a breeding soundness evaluation, and when using semen from non-accredited custom collection and freezing facilities.
As discussed, predicting fertility of bulls is usually more complex than simply increasing the volume of semen. However, beef producers should keep in mind that only compensable seminal deficiencies can be overcome or minimized by increasing the sperm dosage, which reputable AI organizations account for. In contrast uncompensable characteristics of semen quality result in suppressed fertility regardless of sperm dosage. For producers who utilize natural service, a key practice to reduce the opportunities of having a bull with uncomenssable seminal characteristcs is to ensure that bulls undergo a breeding soundness examination (physical examination, scrotal circumference, and semen collection and evaluation) annually prior to the initiation of the breeding season.
FIGURE 1 Relationship between pregnancy rate and the number of sperm inseminated. The semen of different bulls varies in fertility and in the rate at which the maximum fertility is achieved with increasing sperm dosage (modified from Sullivan and Elliott, 1968).
Managing Bulls after the Breeding Season
James Byrne, Beef Cattle Specialist, OMAFRA Virtual Beef
Over the course of the breeding season, bulls can lose between 100 and 200 lbs. of weight. To achieve a tight calving pattern that will deliver both a uniform crop of calves and a calf per cow per year requires a breeding season of around 63 days. This means that for a mature bull running with 36 or more cows at any one time, there is little time available for feeding and resting during this intensely active period. It’s completely understandable that after this level of exertion, post breeding recovery can take between 4 and 8 months. A good recovery period is essential for bulls to be fit and ready for next year’s breeding season. Post breeding recovery is important for all ages of bulls but special attention to this recovery should be given to young bulls that are still growing (i.e. those less than 36 months).
Mature bulls that are in good condition at the end of the breeding season will easily recover any weight lost through access to good quality grazing followed by good quality winter forage (i.e. hay) without the need for grains or other supplementary feeding. Target hay quality of around 8% to 10% crude protein. The aim is to get bulls into ideal body condition score, i.e. 2.5 to 3, for the start of the breeding season but not fat. Over-conditioned bulls at the start of the breeding season will have low sperm counts and display lower breeding activity than a bull in ideal condition. Bulls that are thin at the end of the breeding season may need some supplementary grains to help with weight recovery - the amount of grains will depend on the nutritional quality of grazing and other forages available after the breeding season.
Young bulls are still growing so they need access to good quality grazing after the breeding season. Grain supplementation may or may
not be needed depending on the quality and quantity of high-quality pasture available. Body condition scoring and feed testing is important prior to the start of the winter-feeding period. From those results a winterfeeding program can be formulated so that the young bull can gain 1 1/2 to 2 pounds per day depending on the magnitude of weight loss during the breeding season. Winter diets should target around 10-12% crude protein level.
Producers who run two calving seasons (spring and fall) often are in the situation of double using their bulls. In this situation bulls must recover their body condition in the short time between breeding seasons. In these situations, its important producers plan for the post breeding management of their bulls and ensure both high quality pasture and supplementary grains are available to get those bulls back into shape as quickly as possible. Young bulls may not be the best choice for this type of system as they would potentially have to gain over 2 1/2 lbs. per day to recover body condition between breeding seasons, depending on the weight loss incurred.
Where bulls are maintained in a coral or indoors post breeding, adequate space should be provided to allow the bull to get exercise. Daily exercise is necessary so that the bull has built up the stamina to put in the distance required during the next breeding season. Simply placing water and feed at opposite sides of the barn or corral will force the bull to walk between stations, thereby getting the necessary daily exercise. Be careful when putting multiple bulls together after the breeding season - introductions should be done slowly to avoid fighting.
It’s critically important for a successful breeding season that the performance of breeding bulls is
examined closely while they are with the cows. Pay close attention to herd estrus behavior; note cows that are mated and if they show estrus again approximately 21 to 45 days later. Identifying and rectifying a situation where a bull that may be infertile or have sub-clinical fertility is critical to ensuring a good breeding season. Such a situation may require the replacement of the bull with another bull or using timed AI to save the current year’s breeding season and to avoid issues with subsequent breeding seasons.
There are several factors that must be considered when making decisions around culling a beef bull. The main reason beef bulls are culled is for reproductive failure, which, unfortunately, is sometimes only recognized when cows are scanned. This can have a significant negative impact on next year’s calf crop and a significant negative economic outcome from reduced calf sales. It is therefore imperative that the breeding herd is watched for breeding repeats to quickly prevent a sub-clinical bull becoming a breeding disaster.
Other culling decisions relate to issues of age. As bulls age they become less active and their breeding performance declines. Health issues is another common culling criterion, particularly related to feet and legs, which should be examined after the breeding season. If injuries have occurred, these should be treated, and it should be determined if they will heal adequately enough to enable the bull to perform well next year. Where treatment is not likely to be successful, this should be determined early so decisions around next year’s bull can be contemplated. The movement of older bulls move should also be observed to determine if arthritis is becoming a problem.
Where beef cow culling practices
2020
OctOber 15
Hicks charolais all Homozygous Polled
Female Production sale, 7:00 p.m., carson’s sale Barn, Listowel, on
OctOber 17
Fall Feature Female sale, 2:30 p.m., Hoards station, campbellford, on
no Borders select sale, 1:00 p.m., Heartland Livestock, virden, MB
December 10
char-Maine ranching 16th annual Bull sale, 1:00 p.m., southern alberta Livestock exchange, Fort McLeod, aB
December 16
steppler Farms a Piece of the Program
Female sale, 1:00 p.m., at the steppler sale Barn, Miami, MB
2021
February 19
stephen charolais & guests 4th annual Muscle Up Bull sale, 1:00 PM., Whitewood (sk) Livestock sales
February 26
Maple Leaf charolais & guests 17th annual Bull sale, 1:00 PM, calnash ag events centre, Ponoka, aB
march 6
turnbull charolais & guests Bull sale,1:00 PM, at the farm, Pincher creek, aB
march 7
Legacy charolais 4th annual Bull sale, 1:00 PM, at the farm, Botha, aB
march 8
Palmer charolais 10th annual Bull sale, 2:00 PM, at the farm, Bladworth, sk
march 14
steppler Farms 10th annual Bull sale, 1:00 PM, steppler sale Barn, Miami, MB
march 15
Flat valley cattle co. & k Lazy t cattle co. simple as Black and White 2nd annual Bull sale, 1:00 PM, Medicine Hat (aB) Feeding company
march 20
Pleasant dawn charolais 18th annual Bull sale, 2:00 PM, at the farm, oak Lake, MB
march 23
diamond W charolais, red & Black angus 19th annual Bull sale, 1:00 PM, Minitonas, MB
march 24
Hta charolais annual Bull sale, 1:30 PM, at the farm, rivers, MB
march 25
elder charolais 11th annual Bull sale, 1:00 PM, at the farm, coronach, sk
march 27
coyote Flats charolais 6th annual Bull sale, 1:00 PM, at the farm, coaldale, aB
march 30
Prairie distinction 7th annual charolais Bull sale, 1:00 PM, Beautiful Plains ag complex, neepawa, MB
april 1
Hunter charolais 10th annual Bull sale, 1:30 PM, at the farm, roblin, MB
april 6
cedarlea Farms git ‘r done Bull sale, 1:00 PM, Windy Willows angus, Hodgeville, sk
april 17
Brimner charolais & Wraz red angus cornerstone Bull sale, 1:30 PM, Whitewood (sk) Livestock sales
revolve around retaining home produced heifers, bulls will need to be culled to prevent inbreeding. This necessity is less of a problem on farms that run multiple bulls, but good breeding records must be maintained to prevent inbreeding.
Producers should also note the degree of dystocia (calving difficulty) that can be attributed to an individual bull. In some cases, this may not be obvious initially but over time as the cow herd changes as new breeding females with different genetics enter the herd, dystocia may become a problem. The primary cause of dystocia is fetal-maternal mismatch, i.e. the calf being too big at the time of calving to be born easily. Birth weight, which determines size, is strongly genetically determined by the male line.
The temperament of bulls can change and an initially quiet bull may become aggressive and dangerous
over time. No matter how good the quality of calves or the number of calves that a bull produces, an aggressive and dangerous bull must always be culled from the herd, and the sooner the better.
Finally, producers should also consider the quality of calves being produced. Although a lot of emphasis is placed on the capacity of the cow to breed a good quality calf, it must be remembered that 50% of that quality comes from the bull.
Producers should carefully consider if the poor quality of calf produced is a bull or cow factor. One of the ways to identify this is to examine the quality of calves produced by that set of cows bred to the bull. Where the overall quality is good, any poorquality calf is likely to be related to the genetics of the cow rather than the bull. Where the vice versa though is true, the decision to cull will depend primarily on economics, i.e. will
a new bull increase the quality of calves sufficiently to justify the cost of acquiring that new bull.
Once the breeding season ends, it’s important to start getting breeding bulls back in good shape. In most cases, access to good quality grazing followed by good winter forage is all that is required. The end of the breeding season is also a good time to think about the role the breeding bull plays in the overall breeding program. Consideration should be given to such factors as bull health, presence of daughters in the herd, bull temperament, history of calving difficulty and calf quality when making decisions around culling. Ideally, decisions around culling should be made as early as possible once the breeding season is completed to allow as much time as possible for research into and finding the ideal replacement.
McDonald’s Canada Beef Supply affected by COVID-19
McDonald’s Canada has been committed to sourcing and serving 100% Canadian beef in their burgers. The recent and unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic had an unforeseen impact on the Canadian beef supply chain. McDonald’s made the announcement in April that they would be temporarily adjusting their beef supply to incorporate imported beef from outside Canada, from pre-approved McDonald’s suppliers and facilities globally, to deal with the adverse effects and Canadian beef supply disruption brought on by COVID to meet their current demands. They vowed to source as much Canadian beef as they were able to until the supply stabilized, and then supplement the shortfall with imported beef. They have stated that the switch to sourcing imported beef is only for the short term.
As of June 29, 2020, Canadian beef was still accounting for 81% of the total beef used to produce all of the beef burger patties on average.
The interruption in Canadian raw beef material was the result of
processing capacity limitations at their supplier level, which included the temporary closure of Cargill’s High River, Alberta, processing facility.
McDonald’s Canada has been committed to supporting Canadian ranchers and farmers, and are committed to returning to sourcing 100% Canadian beef as soon as they are able.
They are optimistic that they will be back to sourcing 100% Canadian beef and utilizing it in their hamburgers in September.
$5M Donation for Agricultural Research at the University of Calgary
The University of Calgary recently received a major donation for the development of a new research center to help tackle issues facing westernCanadian farmers.
The $5 million donation came from John Simpson, the owner, CEO, and chairman of the CANA Group. Simpson recognized that the contributions of the agriculture industry to the Canadian economy are undervalued. According to a news release, he hopes that the
Industry Info
new center will help inform and shape government policy to support agricultural and livestock businesses.
The “Simpson Centre for Agricultural and Food Innovation and Public Education” will focus on the most pressing concerns for the Canadian agricultural industry. The center will research issues that affect Canadian agri-food and agri-business. Over the past decade, the school earned a reputation for independence and fact-based analysis. It plans to bring this same approach to policies that impact the agricultural sector.
The new research center is to be built at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. It is the leading policy school in Canada. Founded in 2009, the school was created to improve public policy in the country using a practical approach that brings a global perspective.
The goal of the school is to drive policy discourse through a combination of outreach, research, and teaching. The faculty includes scholars with experience in government, business, and the nonprofit sector.
Although 2020 has put a stop to most cattle shows in the country, including the CCYA Conference, it can’t put a stop to everything else this year has to offer. Even though people were unable to take their show string out this year, we should all take this as an opportunity to start the prep work for an amazing 2021
CCYA NATIONAL BOARD charolaisyouth@gmail.com
President: Keegan Blehm keegb34@yahoo.ca
Vice-President: Reegan McLeod Reeganmc11@gmail com
Treasurer: Tyson Black blackbern@hotmail.com
show season! Join us in Olds, Alberta, for the 2021 CCYA Conference and Show. There will be lots of time for competition and comradery during the action-packed week. Events that the youth will be able to participate in include: marketing, grooming, judging, showmanship, keep and cull, art, photography, and confirmation.
The CCYA Conference has always been a highlight of my summer. My favourite part of the show is being put
in herdsmen groups with other youth from across the country. They become your family for the week and your friends for a lifetime. The herdsmen groups and herdsmen mentality is what sets the CCYA conference apart from other junior shows across the country.
We hope everyone is staying safe during this unpredictable time and we look forward to seeing you in the barns in the near future.
Madisyn Robertson won Neepawa (MB) & Area 4-H Beef Club
Virtual Show Grand Champion Steer with Big Mac. At the June 30th show of 14 steers judged by Jeff Beyak, Austen Anderson & Richard Moellenbech, he weighed 1,525 lb and sold for $2.25/lb to Stride Credit Union.
Charcross Heifer Wins Grand at Clairbank
Eva Jones of Gull Lake, SK, had Grand Champion Yearling Heifer at the Clairbank 4-H Virtual Achievement Day with her heifer, Zoe.
Charolais Steer Wins Reserve at Rivers & District 4-H
Chase Airey, Rivers, MB, with his Charolais sired steer, Dale Brisby, won Overall Reserve Champion Steer at the Rivers & District 4-H Beef Club Virtual Show 2020. The show was judged by Gracie Falconer of Sweet Grass Ranch, MB. Dale Brisby graded AAA, weighed 1,525 lb and was purchased by Redfern Farm Services, Rivers, MB.
Charolais Steer Wins Willow Creek District 4-H Show
Teran Broderson and his steer Charcross steer Bowser won Grand Champion Steer at the Willow Creek District 4-H on June 1st. Teran is a member of the Claresholm (AB) 4-H Beef Club. Tasked with sorting through the steers was Earl Dunn.
Charolais Sweeps Tisdale 4-H Virtual Show
The Charolais breed was well represented at the Tisdale (SK) 4-H club virtual achievement day on June 20th. Judges Layne & Justin Cay, of Kinistino sorted through the club entries and named the following animals club champions:
Justin Harcourt of Quill Lake, had the Overall Grand Champion Female with his two-year old cow/calf pair, HBC Temptation 802F, sired by WC Milestone 5223 P, with her January 2, 2020 bull calf at side. The bull calf, HBC Summit 1H, sired by WCR Commissioner 593 P was also selected the Grand Champion Bull Calf.
Ty Olson, of Tisdale, had the Grand Champion Steer with his 1,325 lb Dakota Gold x Charolais steer, Stone, which sold for $5,000.
Jennifer Harcourt, of Quill Lake, had the Reserve Grand Champion Steer with her Charcross steer, Joe Exotic. He tipped the scales at 1,385 lb and sold for $3.60/lb to Aaron Behiel, Behiel, Will & Biemans Law Firm, Humboldt.
Charolais Wins Altario 4-H Show
Danna Bouchard of Compeer, AB, had Overall Grand Champion Female at the Altario 4-H Beef Club virtual show with McKearys Jessicah Glam 79F, sired by SOS Chuck Wagon 54C, and her Steppler Lit It Up 142F bull calf at side.
Danna also had Grand Champion Steer with a Charolais x Simmental steer. Judged by Nikki Ross, there were 18 steers. Danna’s steer weighed 1,330 lb and sold for $3.00/lb to Jason & Stacey Evans, Altario.
Charolais Steers Top 4-H District Rate of Gain
Austin Harty, of Strome, AB, and his Charcross steer topped the Flagstaff 4-H District for Rate of Gain at 4.62 lb/day. The steer’s start weight was 625 lb and finished with an end weight of 1,490 lb. He sold for $2.90/lb to James Insurance Group & A1 Custom Applicators, Killam.
Elizabeth Harty, of Stome, AB, had a Charcross steer win Reserve Rate of Gain with a 4.46 lb/day ADG. With a start weight of 615 lb and an end weight of 1,450 lb. He sold for $2.95/lb to Bullseye Feeds & Killam Feed & Farm Supply, Killam.
Their 4-H District did not have a live show this year. They sold their market steers through a DLMS FarmGate Timed Auction. Marie Harty said, the kids loved it. It was such a learning experience for them because they were able to participate more fully in the auction experience and understand and learn more about the auction process.
Charcross Tops Rainy River 4-H
With Covid this year, the club had four small shows and took the top two from each show and concluded with a final show on August 15th at a local farmer’s yard. Three local beef farmers, Brent Miller, Riley Caul and James Gibson, judged the shows. Unable to have an auction sale to sell their calves, the youth were responsible for selling their own steers prior to the show. The steers were sold on the hanging rail weight.
Grand Champion Steer, with a carcass weight of 894 lb and a AAA grade, was shown by Georgia Romyn, Stratton, ON, and sold for $6.50/lb on the rail to The Sharp Group and Leon DeGagne.
Reserve Grand Champion Steer, with a carcass weight of 794 lb and a AAA grade, was shown by Aaron Bujold, Devlin, and sold for $7.00/lb on the rail to Kaemingh Fuels.
Sydney Romyn won Grand Champion Female.
Charolais Sired Steer Wins Whitewood 4-H Regional
Morgan Debenham, of Kennedy (SK) 4-H Beef Club, had Grand Champion Steer at the Whitewood 4-H Regional Virutal Show on June 27th with her steer, Google. He tipped the scales at 1,435 lb, with an ADG of 4.14 lb/day and sold to Kevin Bassendowski, Bassendowski Agencies, Regina.
Haley & Morgan Debenham took home the honours of Best Pair of Steers at the Whitewood 4-H Regional Virtual Show with their Charolais sired steers. Robin Hogberg judged the show.
September 26
Platinum Picks Female Sale, 4:00 p.m., Hoards Station, Campbellford, ON
October 3
Charolais & Simmental Female sale organized by the Select Bull Sale group, 12:00 noon, at Ferme Claude Lemay, Shawinigan, QC
October 15
Hicks Charolais “All Homozygous Polled” Female Production Sale, 7:00 p.m., Carson’s Sale Barn, Listowel, ON
October 16
Uppin’ the Ante Charolais Sale, 7:00 p.m., Maple Hill Auction, Hanover, ON
October 17
Fall Feature Female Sale, 2:30 p.m., Hoards Station, Campbellford, ON
November 2
Cassity Charolais Dispersal Sale, 1:00 p.m., VJV Auctions, Beaverlodge, AB
