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BUZZ ABOUT SMARTag
PROGRAM |
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Buzz has been building about the SMARTag
program since the first of the year and continues with each
passing day in both the purebred and commercial worlds. The
program now has a website (www.smartagonline.com)
with general information, FAQs, tag overviews and pricing.
In a few short weeks, tag buyers will be invited to
profile their tagged herds for sale on the website. This
is just the first step. In the near future additional
services will be added to enable current tag holders and
eventually feeders and processors to enter data on a tagged
herds to assess an animal’s or herds’ life-span performance,
making SMARTag an invaluable herd management tool for
ranchers/farmers to monitor and improve on their herd’s
performance with real time data.
All animal ID tags purchased through
SMARTag are CCIA approved. In the future, our data program
will have an interface with CCIA, meaning you do NOT have to
enter Age Verification data twice. At that time, when you
enter your birth date information (or we do on your behalf) on
the SMARTag system that information is automatically sent to
CCIA.
Key for
purebred breeders is SMARTag's incorporation of DNA profiles
with data collection to create an advanced system of
information tracking and easy-to-interpret report generating
for the beef cattle industry. Merial Canada is currently
working with the SMARTag program to gather DNA profiles on all
breeding sires through their Igenity tests.
CSA
has a made a commitment to the
program by covering the costs of the DNA profiles for all
sires enrolled on the Total Herd Enrolment program.
To read more about DNA profiles and SMARTag,
click here.
This is a great opportunity – don’t miss out! Call the
SMARTag office today at 1-866-999-6385 (toll-free) to get your
bulls done and have the results back in time for your spring
bull sales. |
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INTERACTIVE BREED PRODUCTION WORKSHOPS: Alberta and Ontario |
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Are you interested in value-adding and
moving your cattle marketing beyond the farm gate?
If so, this one-day comprehensive workshop on
value chains in the beef industry is for you and a great
opportunity to extend an invitation to some of your clients.
We will explore topics related to traceability, carcass
grading, genetics and financials with a focus on value chains.
This introduction
will provide an interactive learning experience designed to
provide a background that can assist you in exploring
value-added opportunities for your own operation. Speakers
will be Sean McGrath, Beef Improvement Co-ordinator for the
Canadian Limousin and Simmental Associations and Sean Firth, a
beef consultant with AgraPoint.
Session dates and
information is as follows:
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March 20th
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Capri Centre,
Boardroom #2 |
Red Deer,
Alberta |
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March 22nd |
Holiday Inn,
Waterloo Room C |
Kitchener,
Ontario |
The sessions run
from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM. There is no fee and a working
lunch is provided. Please note that seats are limited to 30
attendees per session. Register now to secure your seat by
calling 1-866-860-6051 (toll-free). Pre-registration is
required. |
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CSA SIRE
SUMMARY 2007 NOW POSTED ON LINE |
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The CSA Sire
Summary has been updated for 2007 and posted online with
accompanying documents.
Click here to be redirected to the information |
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MARKETING
UPDATE: NOTES FROM THE ROAD |
The CSA booth is
making the rounds! January and February are full of
commercial industry events that the CSA is attending and also
setting up the CSA tradeshow booth to market and promote
Simmental. Some of the events CSA has attended and will be
attending over the next few weeks are: Ontario Cattle Feeders
Association convention, Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders
Association convention, Camrose Bull Congress, Feeder
Associations of Alberta convention, and the Alberta Beef
Industry Conference.
Plans are also underway for the March Board and Committee
meetings where Alana will meet with the Marketing committee to
review marketing and promotion initiatives for the CSA. We
are pleased to be bringing in commercial industry beef
producers to help us in determining our best means of
advertising and promoting the breed to the commercial beef
industry. |
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DO
YOU HAVE A SIMMENTAL COUNTRY IN YOUR MAILBOX? |
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The February
Simmental Country was off to the printer in late January and
should be arriving in mail boxes the first week of February.
This is a big issue – 120 pages with lots of ads and also the
AGM summary and an excellent interview with CSA President
Murray Jacobson. This issue also outlines CSA deadlines,
contract options and new issue formats. Simmental
Country is your best way to stay connected to your industry,
association and learn what's happening with other breeders and
sale information.
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Business Card Ad =
Free Subscription |
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Did you know
that when you purchase a business card size ad in
Simmental Country for $365 (that's only $1/day!) you receive a free subscription to the
magazine. How can you go wrong? Marketing to 1,750
subscribers ten times a year + staying abreast of all
Simmental happenings!
Click here for more info |
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CSA PROGENCY TESTING
PROGRAM |
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CSA members are
encouraged to participate on the CSA Progeny Testing Program
by enrolling a sire! This program is designed to provide you
valuable feeding and carcass data on your herd sires. There
is room for more bulls to be entered in the program this
spring. All bulls are randomly mated to selected commercial
cow herds and the resulting progeny are followed through the
feeding and processing stages. The results from the progeny
test provide you with proven EPDs on your bull and also the
actual data as well as assistance from the CSA in utilizing
this data in your breeding and selection decisions. Please
call the CSA office for more information or to sign your herd
bull up on the program. |
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GOOD BYES AND HELLOS |
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After two years of
valuable service we are sorry to advise that Amanda Sheehan as
decided to leave the opportunities at CSA and will be
relocating to B.C. and entering the financial world of
business Amanda offered tremendous value to the Simmental
membership through her leadership with the World Simmental
Congress and coaching our youth to new accomplishments as part
of their YCSA journey. Our best wishes go with Amanda as she
continues another chapter in her life. On a positive note, we
are also encouraged to report the hiring of Katelin Wildeman,
who will assume Amanda’s responsibilities. Katelin has most
recently been with the Canadian Hereford Association as an
Industry Liaison Coordinator and we look forward to her
engagement in the Simmental world. Welcome Katelin! |
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NEW MEMBER NEWSMAKERS
COLUMN |
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We want to provide
a forum for members to let each other know significant
milestones, celebrations and any other exciting news.
Please
e-mail us and we'll publish it in upcoming issues of this
e-newsletter.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS/SALES |
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February 15 |
14th Annual Janzen Ranches
Bull Sale, Brooks, AB |
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February 16 |
Genetic Edge/Anchor D Ranch
Bull Sale, Rimbey, AB |
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February 19 |
Fleming Stock Farm & Guest
Bull Sale, Fort Macleod, AB |
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Power Pak Bull Sale, Fort
Macleod, AB |
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February 20 |
Kopp Farms 3rd Annual
Simmental Bull Sale, Neepawa, MB |
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February 21 |
Bull Fest Sale, Camrose, AB |
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Open Barn Silent Auction Bull
Sale, Bar 15 Simmental, Pincher Creek, AB |
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BOOKING DEADLINE FOR APRIL/MAY
SIMMENTAL COUNTRY |
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February 22 |
Cutting Edge 2nd Annual Bull
Sale & Lockhart Valley Simmental Production Sale, Rimbey,
AB |
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Robb Farms/Hoegl Farms/C & D
Simmental Sale, Lloydminster, SK/AB |
More here |
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IMPORTANT MEMBER DATES |
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Just a note to let
members know the Board of Directors will be meeting in Calgary
March 8-10th. Look for information about the meeting in
the next e-news. |
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH |
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The world of achievement has always belonged to the
optimist. J. Harold Wilkins |
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