From the Gate Post
By Bruce Holmquist General Manager, Canadian Simmental Association
Simmental on the Move Although many of you are now in the thick of discovering new prospects in the calving barn I would like to target this article as a summary of the busy fall of 2013. Along with the usual fall activities there were numerous events and meetings that your staff and Board of Directors attended and supported in several provinces. The busiest period had to be the mid-October to mid-November time frame with the Livestock Gentec meetings followed by our own CSA Board and Committee meetings in Calgary in October; this was then followed by several major livestock shows across Canada of which I had the pleasure of attending three of as unfortunately some overlap and travel budget does not allow attendance at every event every year. The Royal Agriculture Winter Fair in Toronto was the first stop where it was once again very clear that “the Country had come to the City” once again. As usual the Royal along with its partners and all the exhibitors did an exceptional job of showcasing their products as well as providing the venue to educate consumers on agriculture; what we do and why we do it. The Simmental show capably organized by the Ontario Simmental Association was once again first class. One of the highlights for many was the YCSA show along with the main show Champion Simmental Bull being a traditional colored animal; dispelling the notion that they all have to be red or black to come to town and compete in the show-ring; when the quality is there it will still be recognized regardless of color. During the show Ron and Carla Nolan were inducted to the Canadian Simmental Hall of Fame. A multi-breed sale was held at the Royal with a strong Simmental presence being felt. It was unfortunate that the schedule for the Royal overlapped with the Manitoba Livestock Exhibition (MLE) in Brandon as from all reports MLE was an excellent event as well and attended by a large crowd including several CSA Directors. Next on the list of major events was the Canadian National Simmental Show hosted by the Alberta Simmental Association in the tremendous facilities at Northlands Farm Fair in Edmonton. The cattle and enthusiasm in the barns was second to none and there were many favorable comments as to the Simmental breed’s successes and current acceptance in the beef herds across the country. At the banquet following the show the Maxwell Family were introduced as the newest members of the Canadian Simmental Hall of Fame. The multi-breed sale was a success with Simmental consignments
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being some of the features. One of the notable successes at FarmFair this year had to be the International guests that were there to do business. Canadian Simmental was host to Mr. Manuel Blanco, General Manager of the Colombian Simmental Association as well as had the opportunity to talk Simmental with groups from Mexico and Kazakhstan. There was business conducted by some of the international buyers and all were impressed with the quality of our Canadian cattle. The final stop on the show circuit was Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) in Regina. This year Agribition followed right on the heels of Farm Fair as it was moved ahead due to the Grey Cup being held in Regina. As usual CWA was a flurry of activity with meetings, shows and other events that filled the week’s timeframe. The Simmental show and sale featured cattle from several provinces and strong interest was realized. During the show Barry Labatte and Earl Ballard were also inducted to the Canadian Simmental Hall of Fame rounding out the four very deserving inductees for 2013. One important highlight of the week to note was the auctioning of a Keith Shologan signed Saskatchewan Roughrider jersey with the proceeds going to S.T.A.R.S. Saskatchewan. This item was purchased at the GSSF auction this summer by Bouchard Livestock and Lewis Farms who generously donated it to be resold in Regina. S.T.A.R.S. is near and dear to the Simmental community as this air ambulance service has been used by two of our members over the past year and it was very rewarding to see the jersey raise $10,200 when the hammer fell. During the week Canadian Simmental was also well represented at other activities including the Canada/US producer roundtable and Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Genomics update session. As usual the week finished with the popular CWA commercial cattle show and sale which saw Simmental genetics figure prominently throughout. The show road is an expensive one and is not a marketing avenue that all breeders choose yet it is important that we maintain these events where we can to showcase Simmental across the nation. As highlighted above, it is often more than a show as it also provides the marketplace for us all to conduct business and network with our partners both domestically and internationally. Hats off to those who attended and especially exhibited at the shows in Olds, Victoriaville, Lloydminster, Brandon, Toronto, Edmonton and Regina; your promotion of the breed is appreciated!