From the CCA General Manager

CANADIAN CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION

2320 - 41st Avenue N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 6W8 Phone: (403) 250-9242 Fax: (403) 291-9324 E-Mail: cca@charolais.com Home Page: www.charolais.com

PROVINCIAL REPRESENTATIVES: ALBERTA

President: Darren Paget, Donalda Secretary: Jeralyn Rasmussen, Innisfail

SASKATCHEWAN

President: Orland Walker, Hudson Bay Secretary: Dave Blechinger, Rosetown

MANITOBA

President: Harry Airey, Rivers Secretary: Rae Trimble Portage la Prairie

ONTARIO

President: Brian Coughlin, Cobden Secretary: Doris Aitken, Mount Forest

QUEBEC

President: Francois Couture, Notre-Damedu-Bon-Conseil Secretary: Laurent Jourdain

MARITIMES

President: Ricky Milton, Cornwall, PE Secretary: Jennifer MacDonald, St. Mary’s, Kent Co., NB

STAFF:

General Manager: NEIL GILLIES Registry: JUDY CUMMER French Liaison: CYNTHIA BECK 306-436-2007 CBeck@charolais.com

EXECUTIVE:

PRESIDENT: WADE BECK Box 5, Lang, SK S0G 2W0 Ph (306) 436-4564 email: wcbeck@sasktel.net

1st VICE-PRESIDENT: BRENTSAUNDERS RR 3, Markdale, ON N0C 1H0 (519) 986-4165 Fax (519) 986-4273 email: saunders@bmts.com

2nd VICE-PRES: CAMPBELL FORSYTH Box 3, Eriksdale, MB R0C 0W0 (204) 739-2678 Fax (204) 739-5547 email: cmforsyt@mts.net PAST PRESIDENT: LYLE BIGNELL Box 1055, Stettler, AB T0C 2L0 (403) 742-6792 Fax (403) 742-8128 email: lylebignell@hotmail.com

DIRECTORS:

BERNARD BEGIN

1630 Rg St-Martin, Ste-Marie, PQ G6E 3A8 (418) 387-7514 Fax (418) 387-5623 email: louberfarm@hotmail.com

BRIAN COUGHLIN

RR3 1012 Snake River Line, Cobden, ON K0J 1K0 (613) 646-9741 (613) 312-0270 email: cornervu@nrtco.net

URSULA CORPATAUX

Box 397, Erskine, AB T0C 1G0 Ph/Fax (403) 742-3337 ucorpataux@xplornet.com

DORY GERRARD

RR 2, Innisfail, AB T4G 1T7 (403) 227-5632 Fax (403) 227-2583 email: info@gerrardcattlecompany.com

JOHN WILGENBUSCH

Box 4, Halbrite, SK S0C 1H0 (306) 458-2688 Fax (306) 458-2371 email: wilgenbusch@sasktel.net

RICKY MILTON

4558 Rt. 19 RR 2, Cornwall, PE C0A 1H0 (902) 393-8699 email: rmilton@upei.ca

Things are indeed looking up!

Neil Gillies, General Manager, Canadian Charolais Association

What started out as an indifferent spring and early summer actually turned out to be an exceptional cropping year in most regions due to an excellent long spell of warm sunny weather at the back-end of the summer and early fall. There is an abundance of feedstuffs and cattle prices as good as we have seen in many seasons, and unbelievably, in High River which borders the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, on week into October... still no killing frost.

Commercial cattlemen are weighing every option available as they try to maximize the market opportunities. The majority of the yearling cattle have been traded with prices in the $1,000 - $1,100 range commonplace. And as the calves start coming in from the pastures the question many are posing, what to do... sell all of the calves now while the price is good and buy back in the new-year, or sell the heaviest calves now and buy back in the new-year. Should I trade my heifers now or wait until February? The speculation is that good quality bred heifers are going to trade in the $1,700 range? So, most definitely the decisions are going to be challenge, but at least they are going to be more pleasurable ones. Continuing on, analysts with the Cattle Network Drovers newsletter claim that in the U.S. – cattle futures rose to an all time high and hold potential to climb further in 2012 amid strong beef demand and shrinking animal inventories.

Switching up to Charolais business, having been in conversation with many breeders recently all indicators are that bull sales, specifically next spring’s Charolais bull sales are going to surpass anything we have experienced before. This will pose the next important choice for many breeders as they contemplate how many heifers are going to be retained, as the prospects for selling bulls look good for some time to come.

And as you would have heard me repeat many times before, my colleague Jack Black from Bridge Lake Charolais, Bridge Lake, BC always informs me...Neil things are starting to look-up!

From the Registry Desk of Judy Cummer

The weaning deadline for both “online” members and those that submit their weights on paper is October 31st, 2011, if you want to have them included in the Fall EPD Evaluation. Your calving information must be in the office prior to submission of your weaning weights. If you haven’t yet enrolled your “W” heifers, you have until December 31st, 2011, to do so. Any “W” enrolments received after December 31st, 2011, will be assessed the late fee of $25 plus GST on top of the regular enrolment fee of $25 plus GST. For our “online” members this cannot be done online, you have to contact the office to have them enrolled. We don’t want to bill late fees on these heifers so please get them in prior to the deadline. The two CCA Scholarships and the Dale Norheim Memorial Scholarship application deadlines have been extended to October 31st, 2011. All three scholarships can be applied for on the same scholarship form which is available on our web page www.charolais.com. Just click on the 2011 CCA Scholarship and Dale Norheim link on the front page of the web page on the right hand side and then click on the application form. All three scholarships are in the amount of $1000 each. Please fill these out and send all pertinent documents to email address jcummer@charolais.com or fax them into the office at (403) 291-9324 prior to the deadline.