Pulyk
was born and raised on the family farm near Mannville, in central Alberta, about 22 kilometres west of Vermilion and 170 kilometres east of Edmonton. He and his wife Rena, along with their son Lyndon and his wife Krystal and their three children run a large herd of crossbred Simmental cows.
But for almost 40 years, he’s also been involved with the livestock market industry. Pulyk worked 34 years for what is now the Vermilion Livestock Exchange at Vermilion, and for the past five years has been with Northern Livestock Sales at Lloydminster, SK.
Over the years he’s held a number of positions. Today, he says livestock fieldman best describes his role as he works with both commercial and purebred beef producers in marketing their cattle.
That job title might be a bit limiting, since along with helping to market cattle, he also does livestock judging, serves as a ringman at different purebred sales, and as an order buyer he does help source bulls for customers each year, he enjoys working with youth organizations such as the 4-H and the youth committees of different breed associations, and he volunteers his time with the Vermilion Agricultural Society helping to organize beef show events. He keeps busy with the beef industry.
14, 24 VET’S ADVICE — THE STIFLED COW OR BULL 18 WHAT’S HAPPENING 58
“I have just loved cows since day one, since I could walk,” says Pulyk. “And over the years I have realized that cattle are the commodity, but really it is people that make this industry. I get to work with some tremendous people. That old proverb is true for me at least, — choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
Pulyk, 65, was recognized early this year at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado with a Cattleman’s Leadership Award - Canada, recognizing his contribution to the beef industry. “It is nice to be recognized,” says Pulyk. “But I’m not in this for the attention. I just love being around the industry.”
As Pulyk was growing up, his dad ran a herd of about 300 head of mixed breed cattle. Jim was the only one of a family of 15 children who carried on in the ranching business. As a young married couple in the late 1970s, he and Rena began building their own beef operation starting with purebred Charolais.
“We started with Charolais and then in 1984 I began working at the auction mart in Vermilion,” says Pulyk. “I soon realized that working full time and trying to raise purebred cattle was too big a workload, so we switched to a commercial operation.”
In early 1990’s they began to introduce Simmental cattle to the commercial operation. As a teenager, son Lyndon was also helping out with the cattle. Later as a married couple, he and Krystal began to increase herd numbers. Today the farm runs a herd of about 600 head of Simmental-cross cows mostly bred to Charolais bulls to produce terminal cross calves. About three-quarters of the herd are red cattle with a blaze face or red baldies with the other quarter being black baldies.
“We farm jointly but I really can’t take much credit for the day-to-day operation,” says Pulyk. “It is the third generation, Lyndon and Krystal who do most of the work and I help out where I can. Now we have the fourth generation coming along as well.”
As a market fieldman, Pulyk says he remains objective when it comes to dealing with producers raising various breeds of cattle. “The Simmental/Charolais cattle have worked for us, but all breeds are good,” says Pulyk. “In this part of Alberta and Saskatchewan we see as much as 75 per cent of cattle with the Simmental influence. There are some excellent Simmental breeders in the area, but when it comes to beef breeds it really comes down to personal preference and what appeals to each producer.”
continued on page 8
DOUBLE BAR D FARMS GRENFELL, SK
KEN: 306-697-7204
kenshau@yourlink.ca
doublebardfarms.com
CSA EXECUTIVE President
Shane Williams East Garafraxa, ON
P: 519-787-1323
C: 519-938-1220 jetslivestock@aol.com
First Vice-President
Jennie Mutch
Vernon, PEI
C: (902) 388-1613 jenniemutch@gmail.com
Second Vice-President
Scott Mathews
Cookshire-Eaton, QC
C: (819) 993-5187 scottmathews01@gmail.com
CSA DIRECTORS
Barclay Smith
Cherhill, AB
P: (780) 305-6716 barclay.sibl@hotmail.com
Ben Farrant
Lousana, AB
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Blair McIntosh
Maymont, SK
C: (306) 441-7755 mcintoshlivestock@hotmail.com
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Randy Noble Lloydminster, AB
P: (306) 821-0113
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Neil Carson Rossburn, MB, C: (204) 859-0105 neilcarson1973@gmail.com
Byron Johnson Amisk, AB
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C: (780) 806-3560 johnsonranching@gmail.com
PROVINCIAL ASSOCIATIONS
British Columbia Chet Jans President
Groundbirch, BC
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Saskatchewan President
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The Pulyk herd begins calving in early April on open fields and then moves out to pasture for the summer. The calves are usually weaned in late October.
“We usually pre-sell all our calves and I help our customers if they plan to pre-sell as well,” says Pulyk. Travelling throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan, which involves a visit to individual farms to look at the cattle and collecting photographs and making videos of the animals to be sold. Northern Livestock Sales works with DLMS (Direct Livestock Marketing Systems) to market cattle through the on-line auction service.
“We pre-sell at different times,” he says. “Last year we pre-sold our calves in September as part of a 12,000 head sale, for delivery to feedlots in November.”
For their own farm, with Simmental-cross cows bred to a terminal cross Charolais, the Pulyks buy all their replacement heifers. “I’m in a good position at the auction mart to see what cattle are available,” says Jim. For example, there will be about 2,000 head of bred replacement heifers on offer at a sale this fall, with another special heifer consignment sale in the spring.
“Those sales are an excellent opportunity to find some good quality cattle to serve as replacements,” he says.
The maternal traits of Simmental cattle have been the main feature that appealed to the Pulyk farm over the years. They like a moderate size cow in the 1350 to 1550 pound range, which has good mothering ability and is a good milk producer. “Seldom do you run into a Simmental cow that can’t feed her calf,” he says.
“The perception that you can’t keep Simmental cattle on dryland pasture in Alberta is really a 40 or 50 year old myth,” says Pulyk. “The Simmental breeders have done an excellent job over the years in producing quality cattle that work in our environment. What I consider as moderate size cattle work well for us. And really with any breed you can’t use the word “big”, what it comes down to is the “type” of cattle. You can have a 1,500-pound animal that is six feet tall, and narrow and it’s not going to perform. But these cattle are bred today with good muscling, and a thicker body producing a well-fleshed carcass. In crossbreeding, the Simmental has proved very successful. It provides good growth, a large frame and better beef yield to its crossbred progeny.”
Pulyk says he enjoys meeting and working with beef producers in a wide range of capacities. Over the years through the auction services, he’s been involved in selling cattle to producers in every province except for Newfoundland Labrador.
He’s worked with commercial beef producers in all parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan. He also helps as a ringman at some purebred beef sales. “And I have some customers who ask me to be on the look out for breeding bulls,” he says. “They may be running 100 to 200 head of cattle, I know what kind of breeding program they have, so depending on the year I may buy 50 to 100 head of bulls for these different operations.”
He’s also quite involved each year helping to organize the commercial beef pen show at the Vermilion agricultural fair. Area beef producers can select either three heifers or cow/calf pairs for the show. “We usually have about 50 pens of cattle, either heifers or cow/calf pairs,” he says. “The support is really impressive, with 50 pens being as big or bigger than you’d find at other larger exhibitions.” These are commercial cattle that aren’t groomed, or halter broken. Animals are judged with prizes presented in different categories.
Pulyk particularly enjoys working with young people in the beef industry. “I was in 4-H when I was a kid and it is great to see them involved today, whether it be in 4-H or the Young Canadian Simmental Association, or the youth programs of other breed associations,” he says. His grandchildren are involved in 4-H as well.
Northern Livestock Sales often provides support to youth programs and shows and sales, and Pulyk is often asked to be a judge. “I’m a bit careful about judging too close to home because it is difficult to be a judge when you know everyone involved,” he says. “So, I prefer taking on judging duties a little further afield. But I really love the youth part of the industry. These young people are the next generation coming along so I do what I can to help out and be supportive.”
Gatepost
By Bruce Holmquist General Manager, Canadian Simmental AssociationCanadian Simmental Association
2023 Convention Highlights
Simmental breeders from across Canada gathered in Ancaster, Ontario August third to sixth for the 2023 Canadian Simmental Association Convention. The Ontario Simmental Association and the Ontario Young Canadian Simmental Association pulled out all the stops and did a fantastic job of hosting the event at the Ancaster Fairgrounds and surrounding area. The facilities and barns are truly impressive and will measure up with any in Canada.
The event began with a tour on Thursday with the first stop at Ontario Livestock Exchange (OLEX). OLEX is the largest Auction market in Ontario selling approximately 150,000 cattle, 100,000 sheep, lambs and goats, along with 1500 horses annually. Larry Witzel is OLEX President, and he is also a past President of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada and serves on many industry committees. The St. Jacobs Farmers market located right beside OLEX was a huge attraction as well as it is Canada’s largest year-round outdoor farmer’s market, and during peak season attracts over 40,000 people each week.
The next stop on the tour was the Elora Beef Research Centre (EBRC) which is part of the University of Guelph. Past YCSA member Dr. Katie Wood was one of our tour guides and showed us through the tremendous facility and explained some of the research initiatives that are being conducted. EBRC is a collaboration between the Ontario Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs and the University of Guelph and Agriculture industry stakeholders. EBRC has 300 acres if pasture, barns and feed space to accommodate over 400 cattle, four laboratories including one for genomics research. Areas of research include animal health and welfare, feed, nutrition, genetics and genomics, management and technology, reproduction, behavior and performance.
The afternoon started with a stop at Jetstream Livestock at East Garafraxa where CSA President Shane Willaims, Joanne Handley and family showed us their impressive herd. Joining them was
Todd Campbell of Destiny Simmentals who had the 2023 FCSF charity heifer on display. The next stop on the tour was Dwayann Simmentals at Arthur, Ontario owned by Dwayne and Andrea Horst and family. They currently run a herd of 65 Fleckvieh influenced cows.
The final stop was at Drost Cattle Inc. on the outskirts of Fergus where they produce crops on 1500 acres and have a feedlot capacity of 2500 head, with approximately half being beef on dairy animals and the other half Simmental, Charolais and Angus-cross. Their management program involves the latest in technology with chute-side scanning and traceability as well as performance beef TMR software that operates within the SiloKing self-propelled TMR unit.
FCSF and CSA board meetings were held as well as a panel discussion consisting of Ken Lewis, Marlin LeBlanc, Kerwin Delong and Ivan Matthews and moderated by Dan Skeels. Many memories and thoughtful discussions were provided and are now on video as part of the CSA’s Legacy project.
Saturday consisted of the CSA and FCSF Annual General meetings and wrapped up with the CSA banquet and FCSF auction. Through the generosity of the many donators, bidders and buyers $132,470 was raised for the Foundations programming.
The week-end ended with the Young Canadian Simmental Association’s National show. Approximately 150 head were shown by youth from across Canada. The excitement and enthusiasm that these Junior members bring to our breed is amazing.
Congratulations and Thank you to all who were involved in organizing this year’s convention. It was a memorable weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone in Alberta next year!
Breed IMPROVEMENT
By Sean McGrath Breed Improvement Coordinator for the Canadian Simmental AssociationSimple Traits in a Complex World
There has been a lot of interest in the inheritance of some simple types of traits in Simmental Cattle. By simple, I mean traits that are controlled by very few genes, such as colour or horned/polled. There are currently several DNA tests that can be ordered through the CSA to identify what gene combinations animals carry for these simple traits. Ideally, these tests are selected as an add on to a high density DNA test that also helps to improve our knowledge of several more complex traits.
All genes are inherited simply. Each animal gets one copy of a gene from their sire and one copy from their dam. In the case of simple traits, the expression is controlled by a single or very few genes. You may hear the terms homozygous or homo and heterozygous or hetero when we talk about these simple traits. For example, Homo Black, this means that the animal in question got 2 copies of the black gene (one from dad, one from mom) and thus cannot pass on a red gene since they do not have one.
If an animal is hetero, it means that they carry two different copies of the gene in question, although we may not be able to easily see it. For example, if an animal is Hetero Polled it means that they carry 1 horned gene and 1 polled gene. Because the polled gene is dominant, the animal will appear polled, but they have a 50% chance of passing a horned gene on to their offspring. If the calf receives a horn gene from both parents the calf will develop horns. The fact that a single copy of the polled gene, renders the animal polled means that it is what we term dominant. Black is similar in that it is dominant to red, so a Black animal may have 2 black genes or 1 black and 1 red gene and it will still appear black. Any horned animal has 2 copies of the horn gene and a red animal has 2 copies of the red gene.
Let’s look at some of the basic inheritance patterns that breeders are testing for. To do this we will use a Punnet square. This square basically shows the two potential genes of the sire on the top (Blue) and the two potential genes of the dam on the side (Red) and the resulting potential genetic combinations that can occur. The Phenotype of the calf is shown in black below the gene combination.
complicate things a bit. Two examples of this are Scurs and Red Charlie.
Scurs
Scurs are loosely attached small horn buds that are controlled by a gene that is separate from the regular polled/horn gene. When 2 copies of the recessive scur gene are present, it “modifies” the expression of horned and polled. For Scurs to be expressed the animal must first be heterozygous polled (one copy of the polled gene, one copy of the horned gene). The gene is also impacted by the sex of the animal. If the animal is heterozygous for the polled gene and homozygous for the scur gene it will express scurs, however if the animal is heterozygous for both polled and scurs, only the male calves will express scurs. This is an example of a “sex-linked” gene.
You can see from the examples that two homo polled parents can only pass on polled genes and thus all calves are homo polled or have 2 copies of the polled gene. If the sire and dam were DNA tested homo polled, we could designate their calves as homo polled by pedigree simply through a parent verification test as we know that neither parent contains a polled gene they could pass on. The second example shows what happens when we mate a heterozygous parent to a homozygous parent. In the example all of the calves are polled, but ½ of the calves contain a horned gene. For this reason, we require a horn/poll test to verify that the calves are homo polled. In the last example, we have a mating of two heterozygous parents. Both parents are polled, but each has one copy of the horned gene. In this case, ¼ of the offspring would be expected to be homo polled, half are hetero polled and ¼ are horned.
This works the same way with Black and Red, with Black being the dominant gene.
We also have a few additional genes in Simmental cattle that are not very prevalent but can
Red Charlie
Red Charlie is an example of another colour gene that is in a slightly different location than the basic Red/Black colour genes. An animal that is tested homozygous Black but is a Red Charlie Carrier will behave as if it is heterozygous Black. If we looked at a Punnet Square example it might appear as follows:
B Bc
B BB Black BcB Black
B BB Black BcB Black
B Bc
B BB Black BBc Black
r rB Black rBc Red
The DNA test for Homo Black detects 2 copies of the B gene in the carrier sire and would indicate that he is “Homo Black”, however the Red Charlie Test will find the c gene the sire is carrying which will influence the mating outcomes in the same way as if the sire was hetero black. For this reason, Red Charlie carriers are noted as Hetero Black on the CSA website even if they are tested Homo Black.
Conclusion
All genes are inherited simply. Every animal carries 2 copies of each gene, one from the sire and one from the dam. Some traits are the result of hundreds of genes interacting such as weaning weight. Others are simpler such as colour or horn/poll, however even these simple traits can have a wrinkle thrown in through gene interplay such as the case with scurs and their sex-linked expression or the Red Charlie gene which can result in heterozygous behaviour from homozygous parent stock. One of the best ways to better understand the genes at work in your breeding program is to invest in parentage DNA testing, but also to consider high density and individual trait testing as important add-ons to an investment in DNA technology. These can help us to better understand, not only these simple traits, but also the more complex parts of our animal’s inheritance.
Stanley Martins MAJOR HERD REDUCTION SALE
Saturday, November 18, 2023, Decorah, Iowa
Selling these, along with other cows that have built our herd, in addition to 15 high-quality Fleckvieh bred heifers.
We will have a trailer coming to Brandon, MB, after the sale, cost not to exceed $300/head.
STANLEY MARTINS FARMS
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Vets ADVICE
By Roy Lewis, DVMTHE STIFLED COW OR BULL
This condition is more commonly seen in older cows and with injuries in bulls. Many of these lameness’s are probably diagnosed incorrectly and in many cases treated inappropriately and in others kept too long. It is a condition we as veterinarians don’t get asked as to the course of action or in some cases where maybe a few of these injuries can be avoided.
When we talk about a cow or bull stifled we are referring to the ligaments and surrounding the knee joint (stifle joint) which is the first joint below the hips on the hind leg. This injury is very common in dogs and can be a sports injury in football players and other athletes when we have damage most commonly to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). With these two species surgery carries a very good prognosis. With cattle surgery especially on mature animals would be extremely guarded and I have only heard of it being attempted on possibly a young valuable purebred calf. This article will deal more with recognition and management.
More often than not a traumatic twisting event causing stretching or partially/ complete tearing of this ligament. Most often in my experience it is with older cows especially around breeding season or falling or on ice. Bulls fighting any time but I think especially being hit by another bull when in the process of breeding causes them in our herd sires. Much like a cross block in football.
Initially there may be quite a bit of swelling around the stifle but with time this goes away. When looking at a lame animal and we all look around the foot and evidence of swelling yes or no. If “no” we work our way up the leg. The importance here is no amount of antibiotics on a damaged stile is going to help it. Antibiotics also have a withdrawal but we want to be prudent of our usage of antibiotics on the farm. If we find these injuries later on in their course the limp is pretty distinct with the leg held as a peg leg and the foot being placed out to the side with a quick jerk forward when walking.
To me many decisions are made when we encounter one. If found acutely painkiller and anti-inflammatory may help the bull or cow to be more comfortable plus if a stretch or partial tear recovery may be more rapid. They can recover completely and I have seen real athletic cattle such as bucking bulls twist when bucking injures themselves yet make a complete recovery by just resting them. Obviously getting these cattle to a position where they don’t have to walk far for feed and water or compete with others in the herd is a real plus. You can then watch their progress and decide if further treatment is actually necessary or is doing any good.
In the convalescence area we need to be patient as recovery, if going to happen may take a few weeks. Here you as a producer need to balance several things if there is no improvement in spite of rest and time. The further direction will be balancing animal welfare needs, the value of the animal reproductively, age, etc and I will try and clarify some of these outcomes.
Clinically over time these cases have lots of muscle atrophy (shrinking over time) so the hindquarter will look really shriveled indicating it has been going on for a long time. These visuals we want to avoid especially if they have been running with the herd and have been identified for a time. Sometimes earlier decisions of slaughter for salvage are good ones but we have to be sure they can make the trip otherwise butchering on farm may be the answer. Transportation is very hard on these as they are essentially bearing all their weight spread over three legs. Please keep this in mind.
Bulls because of their massive weight can be even more critical and emergency slaughter from inability to rise has happened with stifle injuries on bulls. With younger very valuable bulls on farm semen collection is a way to preserve the genetics at least. Their natural breeding days are most likely over as need two sound back legs to breed cows.
Females to me it depends on where in the reproductive cycle they are. If heavily bred I have seen producers feed them individually in a small pen until they calve and then orphan the calf off and ship the cow. If we have a pair already carrying them until weaning so it is easier on the calf may be the way to go. Every case is an individual and you are weighing degree of lameness, ability to convalesce and reproductive wishes. I know of valuable donor cows where an additional flush was possible and the outcome very good with appropriate pain management. The important thing to remember is in most cases is seeing even a little muscle loss unless there is a good reason butchering or shipping is the best option.
Culling older cows will definitely decrease the incidence and I think footing has lots to do with it as when being bred or bulls when breeding slippery ground could definitely lead to stifle injuries or worse. Also with these unusual lameness if you don’t know for sure contact your veterinarian as one doesn’t want to misdiagnose a fractured tibia or femur where convalescence is not an option and treatment out of the question. Sole abscesses can be very lame as well but treatment often results in a complete recovery. The size of cattle makes recovery from stifle injuries rare and often some type of salvage becomes the end result. Follow the cattle code of practice and recognize these cattle are in a fair bit of pain just as we would be.
LLOYDMINSTER, SK
Saturday, Nov 18th – Open Consignment Bred
Cow & Heifer Sale
Saturday, Nov 25th - Open Consignment Bred
Cow & Heifer Sale featuring 200 Simmental Influenced heifers to start calving Jan 10th from KV Anderson Farms of Athabasca, AB
Thursday, Nov 30th – In conjunction with the regular sale Justamere Farms is selling 100 breds at 2PM
Saturday, Dec 2nd - Open Consignment Bred
Cow & Heifer Sale featuring two complete herd dispersal of Simmental Angus X cows
Monday, Dec 4th – Westman Farms Annual Bred Heifer Sale on the Farm featuring 450 Simmental Influenced Heifers. Majority to calve in January & February
Saturday, Dec 9th – Saturday Select Bred Cow & Heifer Sale featuring MC Quantock, Roach Ranching, Louis & Sue Dechaine & Bar Crossroads Ranch, majority of the heifers will be Simmental Influenced
Monday, Dec 11th – Open Consignment Bred
Cow & Heifer Sale featuring 375 Red, Red Baldies & RWF Simmental Influenced Heifers from Dusty Rose Ranch to start calving March
1 – April 10
Saturday, Dec 16th – Open Consignment Bred
Cow & Heifer Sale
Wednesday, Dec 20th – Werstroh Farms LTD. Complete Dispersal, Simmental Cattle
Every Thursday starting September 7
Presort Internet Calf sales at 9AM, Regular sales at 1PM
Mondays starting October 16 - November
27 Presort Internet Calf sales at 1PM, Regular sales at 9AM
Bred Cow & Heifer Sales starting at 1PM
All Bred Sales will be listed on DLMS
www.dlms.ca
Visit www.northernlivestocksales.ca for more details on all NLS sale listings!
CONTACT:
Office
Brody Brooks
Jim Pulyk
Kyle Soderberg
Brent Brooks
306-825-8831
306-240-6504
780-787-0646
306-883-7374
306-240-5340
780-207-0290 (Bonnyville Area)
Brian Romanowicz
Wayne Woodman
Ryan Noble
306-821-6310
306-839-7949
780-853-0069 (Mannville)
Blair Jackson
Larry Anderson
(Minburn)
780-853-0525
For more information call DLMS: Mark Shologan: 780.699.5082 or DLMS Purebred Team: 780.991.3025 Saturday, Dec 9th – Featuring MC Quantock, Roach Ranching, Louis & Sue Dechaine & Bar Crossroads RanchDu Poste
DE porte
Par Bruce Holmquist Dirécteur général - Association Simmental du CanadaFaits saillants de la convention 2023 de l’Association Simmental du Canada
Les éleveurs Simmental de partout au Canada se sont réunis à Ancaster, en Ontario, du 3 au 6 août dernier pour la convention 2023 de l’Association Simmental du Canada (ASC). L’Association Simmental de l’Ontario et l’Association des jeunes éleveurs Simmental du Canada ont fait tout ce qui était en leur pouvoir pour organiser l’événement au parc des expositions d’Ancaster et dans les environs. Les installations et les étables étaient vraiment impressionnantes et d’un niveau comparable avec d’autres sites partout au Canada.
La convention a commencé par une visite le jeudi avec le premier arrêt à “Ontario Livestock Exchange (OLEX)”. OLEX est le plus grand marché aux enchères en Ontario, où sont vendus environ 150 000 bovins, 100 000 moutons, agneaux et chèvres, ainsi que 1 500 chevaux par année. Larry Witzel est président d’OLEX, et il a également été président de l’Association canadienne des marchés de bétail, en plus de siéger à de nombreux comités de l’industrie. Le marché des agriculteurs de St-Jacobs, situé juste à côté d’OLEX, a également été une attraction énorme. Il s’agit du plus grand marché agricole extérieur ouvert toute l’année au Canada et qui, en haute saison, attire plus de 40 000 personnes chaque semaine.
Le prochain arrêt de nos visites fût le Centre de recherches bovines d’Elora, lequel fait partie de l’Université de Guelph. Une ancienne membre des Jeunes éleveurs Simmental du Canada, dr. Katie Wood, était l’une de nos guides pour l’occasion. Elle nous a fait visiter l’extraordinaire installation et nous a expliqué certaines des initiatives de recherche qui y sont présentement menées. Le centre d’Elora constitue un partenariat entre le ministère de l’Alimentation et des Affaires rurales de l’Ontario, l’Université de Guelph et d’autres intervenants de l’industrie agricole. Le Centre dispose de 300 acres de pâturages, d’étables et d’espaces d’alimentation pour accueillir plus de 400 bovins, avec quatre laboratoires dont un pour la recherche en génomique. Les domaines de recherche comprennent la santé et le bien-être animal, l’alimentation, la nutrition, la génétique et la génomique, la gestion et la technologie, la reproduction, le comportement et la performance.
L’après-midi a commencé par un arrêt à « Jetstream Livestock » à East Garafraxa, en Ontario, où le président de l’Association Simmental du Canada, Shane Williams, Joanne Handley et sa famille nous ont montré leur impressionnant troupeau. Todd Campbell de Destiny Simmental s’était joint à eux et il avait
exposé la génisse donnée pour l’encan de charité 2023 de la Fondation des amis de la race Simmental du Canada (FARSC). Le prochain arrêt de notre tournée était Dwayann Simmental à Arthur, en Ontario, propriété de Dwayne et Andrea Horst et de leur famille. Ils possèdent actuellement un troupeau de 65 vaches d’influence Fleckvieh.
Le dernier arrêt a eu lieu chez Drost Cattle Inc, à proximité de Fergus, où cette entreprise produit des cultures sur 1 500 acres et a une capacité d’engraissement de 2 500 têtes, dont environ la moitié est constituée de bovins laitiers croisés avec races de boucherie et l’autre moitié de bovins Simmental, Charolais et croisés Angus. La gestion de leurs opérations implique les dernières technologies en matière de numérisation et de traçabilité directement à la cage de contention, ainsi que l’utilisation du logiciel de performance TMR qui fonctionne dans l’unité TMR automotrice SiloKing.
Des réunions du conseil d’administration de la FARCF et de l’ASC ont également eu lieu, ainsi qu’une table ronde composée de Ken Lewis, Marlin LeBlanc, Kerwin Delong et Ivan Matthews et animée par Dan Skeels. De nombreux souvenirs et discussions précieuses ont été présentés et sont maintenant en vidéo dans le cadre du projet Héritage de l’ASC.
Samedi, les assemblées générales annuelles de l’ASC et de la FARCF se sont terminées par le banquet de l’ASC et la vente aux enchères de la FARCF. Grâce à la générosité des nombreux donateurs, soumissionnaires et acheteurs, 132 470 $ ont été amassés pour les programmes de la Fondation.
La fin de semaine s’est terminée avec le jugement national de l’Association des jeunes éleveurs Simmental du Canada. Environ 150 têtes ont été présentées par des jeunes de partout au Canada. L’excitation et l’enthousiasme que ces membres juniors apportent à notre race est incroyable.
Félicitations et merci à tous ceux qui ont participé à l’organisation de la convention de cette année. Ce fut un week-end mémorable, et nous avons hâte de voir tout le monde en Alberta l’année prochaine!
Amelioration de la Race
Par Sean McGrath Coordonnateur des programmes d’amélioration de la race, Association Simmental du CanadaDes caractères simples dans un monde complexe
Il y a eu beaucoup d’intérêt envers la transmission génétique de certains caractères simples dans l’élevage bovin Simmental. Par le mot simple, j’entends par là des caractères qui sont contrôlés par très peu de gènes, tels que la couleur ou avec cornes / acère. Il existe actuellement plusieurs tests d’ADN qui peuvent être commandés auprès de l’ASC pour identifier les combinaisons de gènes que les animaux possèdent pour ces caractères simples. Idéalement, ces tests sont sélectionnés comme un ajout à un test d’ADN de haute densité qui aide également à améliorer notre connaissance de plusieurs caractères plus complexes.
Tous les gènes sont transmis simplement. Chaque animal reçoit une copie d’un gène de son père et une copie de sa mère. Dans le cas de caractères simples, leur expression est contrôlée par un seul ou quelques gènes. Vous pouvez entendre les termes homozygotes (ou homo) et hétérozygotes (ou hétéro) lorsque nous parlons de ces caractères simples. Par exemple, Homo Noir, cela signifie que l’animal en question a obtenu deux copies du gène noir (une de son père et une de sa mère) et qu’il ne peut donc pas transmettre un gène rouge puisqu’ils n’en n’ont pas.
Si un animal est hétéro, cela signifie qu’il porte deux copies différentes du gène considéré, bien que nous ne puissions pas le voir facilement. Par exemple, si un animal est Acère Hétéro, cela signifie qu’il porte un gène avec cornes et un gène sans cornes ou acère. Parce que le gène acère est dominant, l’animal apparaîtra acère, mais il a 50% de chance de transmettre un gène avec cornes à sa progéniture. Si le veau reçoit un gène avec cornes des deux parents, il développera donc des cornes. Le fait qu’un animal acère en ayant reçu une seule copie du gène acère signifie que la transmission du caractère est selon un mode de dominance. La transmission de la couleur noire est similaire en ce qu’elle est dominante avec la couleur rouge, donc un animal noir peut avoir deux gènes noirs ou un noir et un gène rouge et il apparaîtra toujours noir. Tout animal à cornes possède deux copies du gène de la corne, et un animal rouge a deux copies du gène rouge.
Examinons maintenant certains des modèles de base de transmission que les éleveurs font tester. Pour ce faire, nous utiliserons un carré Punnett. Ce carré montre essentiellement les deux gènes potentiels du père sur la ligne du haut (bleu) et les deux gènes potentiels de la mère sur le côté (rouge), et les combinaisons génétiques potentielles qui peuvent se produire. Le phénotype du veau est indiqué en noir sous la combinaison de gènes.
Pere et Mere Acère Homozygote P P
P PP Acère PP Acère
P PP Acère PP Acère
Pere Acère Hétérozygote, Mere Acère Homozygote P h
P PP Acère Ph Acère
P PP Acère Ph Acère
Pere et Mere Acère Hétérozygote P h
P PP Acère Ph Acère
h Ph Acère hh À cornes
Vous pouvez voir à partir des exemples que deux parents acères homo ne peuvent transmettre que des gènes acères et donc tous les veaux sont acères homo ou ont deux copies du gène acère. Si le père et la mère étaient confirmés par un test d’ADN comme étant acère homo, nous pourrions désigner leurs veaux acères homo à partir du pedigree simplement par un test de vérification des parents car nous ne savons qu’aucun des deux parents ne possède un gène à cornes qu’ils pourraient transmettre.
Le deuxième exemple montre ce qui se passe lorsque nous accouplons un parent hétérozygote à un parent homozygote. Dans l’exemple, tous les veaux sont acères, mais la moitié des veaux contiennent un gène des cornes. Pour cette raison, nous avons besoin d’un test pour les cornes / acère pour vérifier que les veaux sont acères homo. Dans le dernier exemple, nous avons un accouplement de deux parents hétérozygotes. Les deux parents sont acères, mais chacun a une copie du gène avec cornes. Dans ce cas, on s’attend à ce que le quart de la progéniture soit acère homo, que la moitié soit acère hétéro et que le quart soit avec cornes.
Cela fonctionne de la même manière avec le noir et le rouge, le noir étant le gène dominant.
Nous avons également quelques gènes supplémentaires chez les bovins Simmental qui ne sont pas très répandus mais qui peuvent compliquer un peu les choses. Les gènes des cornillons et de la couleur “Red Charlie” en sont deux exemples.
Cornillons
Les cornillons sont des bourgeons de petite corne lâchement attachés qui sont contrôlés par un gène qui est séparé du gène régulier acère / avec cornes. Lorsqu’il y a deux copies du gène récessif des cornillons, cela « modifie » l’expression du gène acère et des cornes. Pour que les cornillons puissent s’exprimer, l’animal doit d’abord être hétérozygote (une copie du gène acère, une copie du gène des cornes). Ce gène est également influencé par le sexe de l’animal. Si l’animal est hétérozygote pour le gène acère et homozygote pour le gène des cornillons, il possédera des cornillons. Mais si l’animal est hétérozygote à la fois pour le gène acère et des cornillons, seuls les veaux mâles posséderont des cornillons. Voici un exemple de gène « lié au sexe ».
Acère Hétérozygote Hétérozygote pour Cornillons
Femelle M
Ph Ss Acère Ph Ss Cornillons
Gène “Red Charlie”
Acère Hétérozygote Homozygote pour Cornillons
Femelle Male
Ph ss
Cornillons Ph ss Cornillons
Le gène Red Charlie est un exemple d’un autre gène de couleur qui se trouve à un endroit légèrement différent des gènes de couleur de base Rouge/Noire. Un animal qui est testé homozygote noir mais qui est un porteur du gène Red Charlie se comportera comme s’il était hétérozygote noir. Si nous regardons cet autre exemple d’un carré de Punnett, cela peut nous donner le résultat suivant :
Père Homozygote Noir (Red Charlie) et Mère Homozygote Noire
B Bc
B BB Noir BcB Noir
B BB Noir BcB Noir
Père Homozygote Noir (Red Charlie) et Mère Hétérozygote Noire
B Bc
B BB Noir BBc Noir
r rB Noir rBc Rouge
Le test d’ADN pour Homo Noir détecte deux copies du gène B chez le père porteur et indiquerait qu’il est « Homo Noir ». Cependant, le test Red Charlie confirmera que le père porte le gène c qui influencera les résultats de l’accouplement de la même manière que si le père était hétéro noir. Pour cette raison, les porteurs du gène Red Charlie sont identifiés comme Hétéro Noir sur le site Web de l’ASC même s’ils sont testés Homo Noir.
Conclusion
Tous les gènes sont transmis simplement. Chaque animal reçoit une copie d’un gène de son père et une copie de sa mère. Certains caractères sont le résultat de centaines de gènes interagissant tels que le poids de sevrage ou la résistance aux maladies. D’autres sont plus simples, comme la couleur ou le gène acère/à cornes, mais même ces caractères simples peuvent avoir une variante dans l’interaction génétique, comme le cas des cornillons et de leur expression liée au sexe, ou bien le gène Red Charlie qui peut entraîner un comportement hétérozygote avec des parents homozygotes. L’une des meilleures façons de mieux comprendre les gènes à l’œuvre dans votre programme de sélection est d’investir dans les tests d’ADN sur la parenté, mais aussi de considérer les analyses de haute densité et de caractères individuels comme des ajouts importants à un investissement dans la technologie de l’ADN. Ceux-ci peuvent nous aider à mieux comprendre, non seulement ces caractères simples, mais aussi les parties plus complexes de la transmission génétique chez notre animal.
High Sellers
BLCC
Sired by Twin Brae Western Frontier 8F Purchased by Mindale Farms, Severn, ON BLCC Miss Frontier 266J Sired by Wheatland Affinity 8196F Purchased by Lee Shologan, Westlock, AB Sired by Twin Brae Western Frontier 8F Purchased by Kindred Spirit Cattle, Lumsden, SK Miss Affinity 22JTUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 | AT THE RANCH, CARIEVALE, SK
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For 2023, every single bred heifer will sell. 55 years in the seedstock business of multiplying our top cow families. For the first time in our ranch’s history the untouchable will be offered for sale out of our most elite herdbull raising cow families. A one time buying opportunity for 2023!
Lee: (306) 928-4820 C: (306) 483-8067
Dave: C: (306) 483-8660
Jim: (306) 928-4636 C: (306) 483-7986
Sale Barn: (306) 928-2011
F: (306) 928-2027
E: mrl@sasktel.net
WWW.MRLRANCH.COM
Uncertainty is often the common thread that unites us – and this summer is no different with adverse weather hitting cattle producers across the country. Perseverance and hard work are not new to us, but sometimes we need support to get through the tough times.
This was a message that I carried with me to the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial (FPT) Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting in Fredericton, New Brunswick in mid-July. Wildfires, consecutive years of drought throughout the prairies and extremely wet conditions in Atlantic Canada have elevated the urgency of support needed by producers. At the FPT meeting, I emphasized the need to move ahead with Agri-Recovery as soon as possible. It was positive to see Ministers recommit to providing drought relief to producers in western Canada by working across governments to share data and complete the AgriRecovery assessment in a timely manner.
Progress was also made on important discussions concerning establishing a Livestock Price Insurance (LPI) program for producers in the Maritime region. The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) was pleased to see Minister Bibeau and her Maritime counterparts make a commitment to move forward with discussions on LPI to bring this important risk management tool into the Maritimes. While there are still details that need to be worked out at the provincial level, this announcement is a step in the right direction. We will continue to advocate for cost-shared premiums for all cattle producers across the country who choose to use LPI. This will bring us into equity with crop producers and our counterparts in the United States.
Additionally, the FPT meeting saw Ministers reaffirm their commitment to continuous improvements of the Business Risk Management (BRM) program and agreed to implement a new optional model for AgriStability to help ensure timeliness, simplicity, and predictability. This is positive news for cattle producers as we continue to navigate risks related to adverse weather, the markets, and the economic climate.
But access to government programs isn’t the only way that we weather storms. Producers across the country are continually incorporating progressive stewardship practices into their operations which not only results in positive environmental benefits, but also makes good economic sense and has proved beneficial as we’ve experienced periods of extreme weather over the last number of years.
When I look to the recipient of this year’s national Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA), Wray Ranch located in Alberta, it is very evident how responsible farming practices can go hand in hand with success and play an important role in navigating challenging years of extreme weather conditions.
Wray Ranch is owned and operated by Doug and Linda Wray, in partnership with their nephew, Tim and his wife, Joanne. They have been recognized for their commitment to sustainable cattle production with a focus on practices that enhance soil health and reduce erosion.
The ranch was established in 1910 as a mixed farming operation and for the first 80 years produced both annual crops and livestock. That continued until about 1998 when Doug and Linda, as the third generation, transformed the operation. The Wrays moved 1,000 acres of cropland to high-percentage legume pasture, which enabled year-round grazing.
Their land base today includes about 1,700 acres of deeded land with 320 acres in cereals for swath grazing and feed, and the rest dedicated to perennial forages including 350 acres of native grass. The Wrays also manage about 700 acres of rented pasture.
The Wrays recognize the value of applying proper grazing management to their native and tame grass pastures and when needed, make tough decisions to help support the viability and long-term health of their cow-calf and yearling operation. For example, with drier than average growing seasons in recent years, the Wrays have sold cattle, rented pasture, and contracted custom grazing to reduce grazing pressure on their ranch. This has helped keep their pasture in good shape despite consecutive years of hot, dry weather.
Over the last 27 years, CCA has been proud to recognize cattle producers from across the country, who exemplify what it means to be stewards of the land through TESA. Congratulations to the Wray family and all of this year’s extraordinary TESA nominees for sharing your sustainability stories with us and all Canadians. You have much to be proud of!
Before signing off, I’d like to take a moment to recognize Minister Bibeau as she moves from the agriculture and agri-food portfolio to national revenue. She worked hard to advance the key policy priorities of Canadian beef producers and was always willing to listen and learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing our sector. We wish her the best in her new role. We also welcome back Minister MacAulay to agriculture - we are getting to work right away to make sure he’s up to speed on key files that will support a vibrant future for our industry, such as addressing trade barriers into markets like the United Kingdom.
Nathan Phinney CCA PresidentDECEMBER 12, 2023
ONLINE WITH FARMGATE TIMED AUCTIONS
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Entering into one of my busiest months as Miss Rodeo Canada, June was a month packed full of rodeo action. I started off my travels up north in Grande Prairie for the Grande Prairie Stompede. One of my favorite things about Grande Prairie was that I was able to help out with the Classroom in the Dirt program. Casey, Ricky and the other royalty and I helped teach the kids how to rope, ride a bucking dummy, the kids also got to see some rodeo action behind the chutes and even got to go on a wagon ride! I am so thankful for unique programs like these that help connect our youth to agriculture and the western way of life. During my time up north I was reconnected with an incredible little girl named Naveh who I had the privilege of meeting last year as Miss Ponoka Stampede. Naveh’s story inspired me so much last year that I wanted to do something special for her. As Miss Rodeo Canada I get to work with incredible companies like Montana Silversmiths and was able to choose Naveh for one of my Montana Moments where I was able to give her one of my Montana Silversmiths necklaces. From there I headed to Bashaw for the Camrose district 4-H club show and sale. It's always a pleasure to be a part of 4-H achievement days and get to cheer on the kids that worked so hard on their projects. After the 4-H show, I attended the Evacuation to Celebration event Drayton Valley put on, and I was excited to take part in all of the festivities the Drayton Valley event had to offer. From there, I attended the Lea Park Rodeo, and was able to demonstrate my professional wild pony racing skills with my fellow sash sisters. Then I made my way to the Gunners Bronc Battle where watched some of Canada’s best saddle bronc riders.
Later on in my month I attended the Daines Pro Rodeo Cowboy’s Dinner before attending the rodeo later on in the month. In Innisfail I went to my first parade as Miss Rodeo Canada, and then “Stickers” the truck and I made a stop at Innisfail Chrysler for a visit with the staff at the dealership. Rain or shine the Daines Ranch Pro Rodeo is always one I love attending. On my way down to High River for the Guy Weadick Days Rodeo I made a quick stop in Blackfalds for the Gord Bamford Foundation Golf Auction. I am so thankful I was able to attend this event once again! At High River I was able to strut some of my best retro attire and had the opportunity to wear my The Creative Daughter riding skirt. I even got to meet the beautiful Lenore McLean who rides in Flores
La Due’s saddle at 85 years old! I was also pleasantly surprised in High River to receive my custom Tod Slone saddle sponsored by C5 Rodeo. Thank you so much to Vern and the C5 team for all you do for me and the Miss Rodeo Canada Program.
Nearing the end of my month it was a pleasure to attend the 43rd annual Sundre Pro Rodeo. This rodeo is one I hold close to my heart as a past Miss Rodeo Sundre in 2019, it is always nice to attend Go Wild Go West at my home away from home. From there I headed home to the Ponoka Stampede where it was such an honor to bring back the title of Miss Rodeo Canada to the rodeo I represented last year, and the rodeo I grew up at that made me fall in love with our incredible sport. From 13 performances including the evening chuckwagon performances, 3 concerts and a PBR the Ponoka Stampede was action packed day and night, and no better place to spend my birthday! It was wonderful to catch up with sponsors Like CVS Controls, ATB and G&T Custom Farming. In addition, my dog Cheddar even got to take part of the fun festivities at stampede by participating in the parade with me by co-piloting Jac as we rode downtown Ponoka. My July started by wrapping up my “hometown” rodeo, the Ponoka Stampede. It’s always a special rodeo and we were able to make one dream come true for a Make a Wish recipient Darby Sullivan, who also happens to be a fellow Simmental breeder. When the Ponoka Stampede ended, I made my way to the greatest outdoor show on earth, the Calgary Stampede. During my time in Calgary I was a part of the famous parade downtown Calgary, visited Elbow River Camp as well as watched the chuckwagon performance along with the evening stage show on day one. Saturday was bright and early as we headed to two different pancake breakfasts to celebrate 100 years of pancake breakfasts. The first pancake breakfast was held on the back of a chuckwagon to help promote the chuckwagon performances at the Calgary Stampede. From there the chuckwagons and the pancake breakfasts grew so much in popularity resulting in us celebrating 100 years of chuckwagons and pancake breakfasts this year. After breakfast we put on our dancing shoes and went square dancing. For
rides to round out our day. During my final two days at the Calgary Stampede I attended the giddy up grits event, and was able to meet a beautiful Make a Wish recipient named Elly whose wish was to be a Stampede Princess. I am so honored that I was able to be a part of her magical day at the Calgary Stampede, and that I was able to present this beautiful cowgirl with one of my Montana Moments from Montana Silversmiths.
From Calgary my travels took me north to the Teepee Creek Stampede where I spent four days in the wild! During my time in Teepee Creek they crowned the new Miss Teepee Creek Stampede Queen Ria Mulligan, who is going to do a wonderful job representing this year! Congratulations on a year well done to your outgoing Teepee Creek Queen Olivia MacLennan. In addition to the rodeo, I toured Sorkenville, a historical sight at Teepee Creek. I always love learning about the history of the places that I get to travel to this year.
From there I jumped on a plane and headed to the “Daddy of em All” in Cheyenne at the Cheyenne Frontier Days. It was so wonderful to catch up with some of my American sash sisters this week. First thing on my agenda in Wyoming was a queens brunch celebrating the Cheyenne Frontier Days royalty. From there I led the charge at the parade, and had the opportunity to do two fly by’s during the performances, along with VIP box visits and a tour of the chutes. On one of the mornings we flipped pancakes on the VIP wagon before departing for the cowgirls of the west brunch. During the pancake breakfast they had all of the visiting royalty introduce themselves and say one fun fact about their state. I decided that my fun fact about Canada would be that our country is bilingual. Putting my grade 9 French to use I was able to say “Bonjour, je m’appelle Mackenzie, Hello my name is Mackenzie and Canada is a bilingual country.” Well, my French must have been very convincing as after a French Canadian came up to talk
to me in French, and to her disappointment, unfortunately I don't actually speak French… as she discovered lol. Later on that evening I attended the Old Dominion and Chase Rice night show concerts before packing my bags and heading back to Canada. When I made it back to the homeland I drove south to the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede where I met up with some of my fellow Canadian sash sisters. We toured Pioneer Village, met some four legged friends at the petting zoo, and had a full city tour on the Medicine Hat trolley. Before heading to a hosted tour of some midway rides we got to watch the night show concert featuring Dean Brody and Tyler Joe Miller. Thursday I got up bright and early to head over to the parade starting area and attend one of the best pancake breakfast of my year, before heading back to the rodeo grounds for the rodeo performance that evening. Friday morning I visited Dr Don Smith Chiropractic to get an adjustment before heading back over to the park to help with the Kiddies Day activities, and to participate in the celebrity watermelon eating contest. Before the end of the month, I made a stop at the Alberta Young Canadian Simmental show to watch before heading home. With July coming to a close, I am so thankful for all of the wonderful places and people I have got to meet along my journey and I can not wait to see what next month has in store for me!
With Gratitude,
Skeels
2023 YCSA National Classic August 3-6 Ancaster, ON
Champion Com. Female Jordan Phillips
J-47 R&R JESSIE
Res. Champion Com. Female Ben Rhodes
KADES KOWGIRL 14K
Champion Purebred Female
Katie Elmhirst
ERIXON DARLIN 2.0
Champion Purebred Bull Briden Coulter
Res. Champion Purebred Female Regan Stewart
Res. Champion Purebred Bull BlairMcGlashan
CLARKE WHISKEY GIRL 16JYOU Thank
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Kingfield Farms
Klassen Simmentals
Knollside Farm
Kotowich Evergreen Farms
Kunta Simmental Farm
LA Ranch Labatte Farms Ltd
Labatte Simmentals
Lacombe Farms
Leahy Simmentals
Lee Shologan
Lesley Handley
Levi Hartley
Lewis Farms
Lindy Kroetsch
Lisa Reich
Little H Cattle Co
Littleman Connections
LJ Welding
Lockhart Valley Simmentals
Locust Hill Farms
Lone Stone Farms
Loval Farms
Lucy Dykstra
Luvnit Cattle Co
Lynda Leafloor
Lyseng Land & Cattle
M&J Farms
Mader Ranches
Makayla Dew
Maple Falls Simmentals
Maplehurst Farms
Mark Land & Cattle Corp
Martin Cattle Services
Masterloc Simmentals
Mavstar Photography
Max Burris
Maxwell Simmentals
McIntosh Livestock
McMillen Ranching
Melanie Delong
Mike Stewart
Millington Ranch
Mackenzie Skeel
Mud Butte Simmentals
Mutch Farms
Nate Toronchuk
Northern Lights Simmentals
Neogen Canada
NJM Simmentals
Northern Livestock Sales
Norwood Family
OJ’s Cattle
Oberle Farms
Outback Acres Farm
Parview Stock Farms
Peak Veterinary Health
Pearson Simmentals
Pine Creek Simmentals
Polar Farms
Prairie Wind Farms
Premier Livestock
Quinn Hoegl
R Plus Simmentals
Rancier Farms
RBA Financial Group
Red Ribbon Livestock
Red Top Livestock
Renlim Farms
Retired Roper
Rex Crawford
Rich-Mc Simmentals
Rick-Sha Farms
Ridgeline Cattle Co
Ridgeview Cattle Co
Riverside Farm
Robson Acres
Ron & Donna Morano
Ron Nolan
Rosemead Farms
Rosewood Simmentals
Roy Lewis Vet Services
Russell Moore
Rusylvia Cattle Co
Sanmar Simmentals
Sarah Hagman
Shelly Reisch
Shologan Cattle
SIBL Simmentals
Silverlake Farms
Simmental Country
Simmental Forever Ranch
Simon Johnson
Sjogren Farms
Skywest Simmentals
Simmgen Land & Cattle Co
Snider Simmentals
Snowdame Farms
South Bristol Cattle Co
South Seven Farms
Spruce View Acres
St. John Simmentals
Step-N-Stone Simmentals
Stone Acre Farm & Cattle Co
Stout Bros Simmentals
Sullivan Simmentals
Sunny Valley Simmentals
T Bar C Cattle Co (2013) Ltd
Talbot Marketing
Taylor Richards
Tim McVicar
Timberlind Auctions
Timberwood Farms
Time View Farms
Todd Simmental
Tonette Farms
Townline Cattle Co
Townview Farms
Triangle K Simmentals
Trinity Martin Photography
Tulsa Smith
Tyler Bauer
Valley Creek Simmentals
Twin Meadow Livestock Farm
V5 Simmentals
Barb Vance
Walk’n M Ranch
Vold, Jones & Vold Auction Co
Walnut Ridge Simmentals
Waydamar Farms
Webster Farms
Westbrook Ventures
Westman Farms
Westway Farms Ltd
Wheatland Cattle Co.
Whiskey Jack Simmentals
WindGap Farms
Windy Knoll Farm
OLDS FALL CLASSIC
September 28 - October 1, Olds, AB
ANCHOR D INFLUENCED CALF SALE
October 3, Rimbey, AB
ANCHOR D INFLUENCED CALF SALE
October 4, Ponoka, AB
ANCHOR D INFLUENCED CALF SALE
October 5, Westlock, AB
ANCHOR D “PASTURE TREASURES” FEMALE SALE
October 13, Rimbey, AB
MADER RANCHES LADIES NIGHT 2023 EDITION
October 19, Carstairs, AB
FARMFAIR INTERNATIONAL
November 8 - 11, Edmonton, AB
LONE STONE FARMS INVITATIONAL FEMALE SALE
November 24, Westlock, AB
CAMROSE COUNTRY CLASSIC 12TH ANNIVERSARY SALE
November 29, Viking, AB
LEWIS FARMS LEADING LADIES FEMALE SALE
November 30, Spruce Grove, AB
SIMPOWER 8TH ANNUAL FEMALE SALE
December 1, Olds, AB
TRANSCON’S WESTERN HARVEST 10TH ANNUAL SIMMENTAL BRED HEIFER SALE
Dec 2, Innisfail, AB
SOUTHERN ALBERTA SIMMENTAL ROUND UP 30TH ANNUAL BULL & FEMALE SALE
Dec 12, Stavely, AB
CANADIAN DONORS PRODUCTION SALE
December 13, Olds, AB
MAVV FARMS BULL & FEMALE EVENT
December 14, Okotoks, AB
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 12TH ANNIVERSARY SIMMENTAL SALE
Dec 15, Olds, AB
TRANSCON’S NATIONAL TRUST - ON ICE SALE
December 16, Red Deer, AB
TRANSCON’S FLECKVIEH EQUATION FULLBLOOD SIMMENTAL SALE
Dec 17, Red Deer, AB
TRANSCON’S ULTIMATE RED & BLACK XXVI SIMMENTAL SALE
Dec 17, Red Deer, AB
NEW YEARS RESOLUTION SALE
December 31, Edmonton, AB
$2000 Bull Promo Draw Winner! GRIP FAST FARMS LTD
Watrous, SK
Steve & Allan Leslie were selected from a buyer’s draw of over 1400 bulls sold and transferred by Saskatchewan Simmental Association members. They purchased a bull from Forden Fairview Farm of Punnichy, SK. Steve & Allan will recieve a $2000 sale credit to purchase a bull or female from public auction or private treaty from a current SSA member.
Breeders
Sweepstake$
6 PM :: Nov. 22, 2023 :: Agribition, Simmental Barn
~ Nominate your farm for only $250!
~ $10,000 in Sale Credit(s) to purchase an animal(s) from any of the nominated farms!
~ Nominations open to any CSA members!
~ Sale credit to be drawn for at Agribition on Nov. 22, 2023!
~ Contact Carolyn or any of the SSA Directors to nominate your farm! :: Silver memberships only $100!
For a chance to win...
~ $10,000 Sale Credit(s) to purchase an animal from any of the nominated farms!
~ Secondary prizes drawn throughout the night!
~ Silver memberships can be purchased in advance!
Fall Show & Sales
Edam Fall Fair
October 28
contact
John Grant 306-441-7984
Yorkton Harvest Showdown
November 1 - 4
Lloydminster Stockade Roundup
November 1 - 4
Canadian Western Agribition
November 22
9 AM Simmental Show
6 PM Breeder’s Sweepstakes
November 24
10 PM Commercial Show
November 25
10 AM Bull Pen Alley
12 PM Commercial Sale
November 4th
Cherry Creek Farms Online Bull & Female Sale
FarmGateTimedAuctions.ca
November 14th
Rainbow River Simmentals Online Sale
FarmGateTimedAuctions.ca
November 16th
Pembina Triangle Simmental Assoc. 43rd Annual Sale
Cypress River, Manitoba
November 20th
Maple Lake Stock Farms Fall Bred Heifer Sale
FarmGateTimedAuctions.ca
November 23rd
Associate Invitational Simmental Sale
FarmGateTimedAuctions.ca
December 3rd
Queens of the Heartland Production Sale
McAuley, Manitoba
December 4th
Northern Light Bred Heifer & 2 Year Old Bull Sale
Rossburn, Manitoba
December 5th
Keystone Konnection 45th Annual Sale
Brandon, Manitoba
December 5th
Cream of the Crop Simmental Sale
FarmGateTimedAuctions.ca
December 9th
Transcon’s Season Wrap Up Bull & Female Sale
Neepawa, Manitoba
December 10th
Bonchuk Farms Female Production Sale
McAuley, Manitoba
December 13th
Steppler Farms Female Sale
Miami, Manitoba
December 14th
Mar Mac Farms New Generation Female Sale
FarmGateTimedAuctions.ca
President: Donovan Hickson 204-570-1862
Secretary: Sandra Brigden 403-638-7741
sandra.mbsimmental@gmail.com
Upcoming Events / Événements à venir
September 23rd / 23 Septembre - Select 10th Edition Female Sale
Shawinigan, QC
September 30th / 30 Septembre - Ferme Gagnon & Guests 26th Annual Production Sale
Chénéville, QC
September 30th / 30 Septembre - Eastern Harvest Simmental Heifer Sale
Chénéville, QC
October 7th / 7 Octobre Expo Boeuf Simmental Show
Victoriaville, QC
October 21st / 21 Octobre - Quebec Elite Sale
Shefford, QC
October 22nd / 22 Octobre - SANE Female Sale
St-Césaire, QC
Contact Us / Contactez-nous
Président - Pat Sullivan 819-334-2409
Vice Président - Vincent Rodrique 418-333-4308 Email
PRE-BOOK CALF SALES
PRE-BOOK CALF SALES
Every Monday & Wednesday at 10:00 AM from October 11th to November 13th
LAST CHANCE | PRE-BOOK CALF SALE December 11th at 10:00 AM
BRED SALES
BRED COW & HEIFER SALES
Every Saturday at 12:00 PM from November 11th to December 16th BSSA SPECIAL BRED COW & HEIFER SALE
2nd at 12:00 PM
Diane Van Essen, Manager: 403.915.7156
Erik Christensen, Asst. Manager: 403.363.9942
Lachie McKinnon, Field Rep: 403.362.1825
Sam McKinnon, Field Rep: 403.793.1731
Colter Ellefson, Field Rep: 403.376.7024
Justin Hok: 403.866.3867
All cattle booked, bull sales & sale details are kept up to date at www.bowslope.com
2023 FALL SALE CALENDAR
OCTOBER
Saturday, October 21 The Reba "Fancy" Gathering Angus Sale Olds, AB
Saturday, October 21 Angus Frozen Genetics / Junior Fundraiser Olds, AB
Sunday, October 22 Red, Black and Purple Angus Extravaganza Olds, AB
NOVEMBER
Sunday, November 19 Lakeview Simmentals Annual Production Sale Meacham, SK
Friday, November 24 Lone Stone Farms Invitational Female Sale Westlock, AB
DECEMBER
Friday, December 1 Brylor Ranch 53rd Annual Red Angus Bull Sale & Fort MacLeod, AB the "No Surprises" Commercial Bred Heifer Sale
Saturday, December 2 Transcon's Western Harvest 10th Annual Simmental Bred Heifer Sale Innisfail, AB
Monday, December 4 Northern Light Simmentals Bred Heifer & 2 Year-Old Bull Sale Rossburn, MB
Thursday, December 7 Transcon's Simmsational 46th Annual Simmental Sale Moose Jaw, SK
Saturday, December 9 Transcon's Season Wrap-Up Simmental Bull & Female Sale Neepawa, MB
Tuesday, December 12 Southern Alberta Simmental Round Up 30th Annual Bull & Female Sale Stavely, AB
Saturday, December 16 *NEW* Transcon's White Gold Charolais Sale Red Deer, AB
Saturday, December 16 Transcon's National Trust - On Ice Sale Red Deer, AB Exclusively Simmental & Charolais Genetics
Sunday, December 17 Transcon's Fleckvieh Equation Fullblood Simmental Sale Red Deer, AB
Sunday, December 17 Transcon's Ultimate Red & Black XXVI Simmental Sale Red Deer, AB