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Angus Newsletter Spring 2009

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Sample Articles from The Spring 2009 edition:

PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE

Throughout this newsletter you will find a recurring theme of membership and involvement. By the time you have finished reading it, I am sure you will recognise that you are part of an organisation that has risen to a new level of achievement and diversification.

Our fellow beef breed associations are currently motionless with awe at the advance of Angus and the programs we have implemented, yet this is exactly the time we must all step up – there is but one way to go when you are on top. With achievement also comes expectation.

For some, this newsletter will be the first you have seen of the new branding. Rebranding is all about two things, you are a major part of it. This new look newsletter however may not stay long in this hardcopy format – enews is just so much more efficient.

With the rebranding also comes a new website and domain name – AngusNZ.com – launching soon, we hope you like it.

In the last newsletter you were introduced to the paradigms of business. I would like to elaborate on this theme as it relates to our governance structure, because I am supporting the call for change as initiated by previous presidents. The current governance structure of a President and Ward Councilors was valid when our association had in excess of seven hundred breeding members (currently 196) and the paradigms of business represented a different era. Those days are now gone.

The issues that demand our attention around the council table are now more business and technically orientated, plus we have a completely different culture with excellent communication and representation channels. We need a governance structure that reflects the current paradigm, one that allows the best candidates onto a smaller board for a longer term. Prior to the next AGM when this will be put to a vote, you will be sent a prospectus allowing full evaluation of what we propose.

Please give it objective consideration. Recently, I was privileged to be asked to help select three potential National Bull Sale candidates for an old and proud Wairarapa herd. In formulating the rebranding introduction, I was reminded of the strength within our membership, of the special people and stories that exist and the untapped potential.

We found three bulls that reflected this, bulls perfect for the times – they had type, they had objective merit and high environmental suitability.

Our National bull sale, in its current format, is on the cusp of death – your pragmatic council has indicated this. It will die if it continues as a commercial sale. We lose bucket loads of money on it. It requires your direct support (supporting the BEU is not necessarily supporting the National), therefore be prepared to receive a phone call from me if you are a private sale vendor, because I want your support.

Praise and thanks to those who sent in their client lists for the AngusPure members club, your response is heartening. We now have a good database of 2500 clients with which to progress our partnerships with Anzco and SFF on the Mc- Donalds program, but please continue to forward new clients to Jenny at PBB for inclusion. As you are well aware, the McDonalds initiative has been a monumental boost for us that will continue to underpin demand, and for this we must all commend and applaud the efforts of Tim Brittain. His dedication, ability and effort are an inspiration to us all, and yet he is just warming up! There is more to come with the official launch of AP Source and Trace at the Christchurch Royal Show (further to the late September announcement to AP club members), plus continuing expansions to the AP program. Well done and thank you Tim.

AP Source and Trace is an exciting development that should provide real value to all partners in the AngusPure business. If your clients are not in the AP members club, both they and we are going to miss out on value adding. It is a partnership between AP, PBBnz, HerdMaster software and Allflex that will give confidence to all in the supply chain and will be driven through the members club.

The Kiwi contingent at the July World Forum in Canada represented us well and made quite an impression in their Line7 uniforms. The following quotes are from John Bayly, Nuhaka, “I was certainly proud of NZ Angus and the considerable effort that had been made”. Again, Tim Brittain comes in for special praise “His representation on behalf of New Zealand was in my opinion excellent. His presentation was well organized and very strongly delivered in a commanding voice and with great personal presence” as does Rob “Rob Wylie was impressive, helpful and knowledgeable. He proved to be a strong and respected advocate”. Well done team. Our formal invitation speech and video presentation were professionally crafted by Beef & Lamb new zealand, and can be seen on our forum website worldangus.com.

Planning for our hosting of the forum in 2013 and 150 year celebration is now cranking up. A debrief of the Canadian forum has occurred and portfolio’s have been assigned. We have a list of forty five potential sponsors who will be targeted in a very professional manner for major amounts of money (forum 013 is a $1.56M exercise!), but the need for cash is an immediate priority and it is highly likely you will be asked to participate in a calf/ stock rearing scheme (probably co-coordinated by Jen Herries) in order to raise about $400K over the next three and a half years. I’m sure we can do it. As part of our planning for success, an early invitation request to a member of the Royal family has been made.

The proposal of John Turner at the Oamaru AGM for a commemorative book celebrating 150 years of Angus in NZ has been declined by council. While not disputing the merit and historical value of such a publication, the financial risk in light of the recent Australian and Turihaua experiences, in addition to our WAF commitments, could not be carried.

Dick Jolly is progressing a version of his own. There will be a CPI increase in your cow fees next year. Of course these are never popular but rather than hitting you with a five year increase as happened last time, it makes sense to do a cpi increase more frequently. Our fees remain the lowest amongst all international Angus societies, and consider the very invidious job Bruce Alexander and Richard Martin do as treasurers.

Because I will hold this position as your President for just one year, I would like to use this limited opportunity to challenge your thinking. No matter what we do in life, there is a model of what we think things should be, by which we judge our position, and there is a logic by which we solve problems and execute our actions.

The model is essentially our standards, and the logic is essentially our science. While not wanting to question our standards at this point, our science must always be questioned because it is a pernicious servant. As we leave the age of reasoning and enter the age of consciousness, perhaps the things that we thought were important are not and the things we have forgotten have become very important.

Each of us has our own part to play, but the one thing that we must not compromise is a cow that is low maintenance and highly productive in our environment. Are we doing this?

Will MacFarlane
06 874 8762
will@waiterenui.co.nz

FROM COUNCIL

Fee Increase

There will be a $1.00 + GST increase in “Cow Fees” for both registered and PRAC animals to take effect from the 1st January 2010.

FMG Bull Evaluation Unit (FMG BEU)

The decision by Council to reverse their decision to remove 2 yr bulls from the National Sale has meant that the FMG BEU will continue subject to the discussions with members that will take place on the 3rd November at the FMG BEU Open day.

The best of the group that are there at present will of course follow previous groups and be sold at the National Sale in their own classes. Any decision will be well documented to all members regarding the FMG BEU ‘s future.

Merial/ Ancare “Cashback”

For a number of years Merial/ Ancare has been offering members the opportunity to win ‘cash-back’ for their purchases of their animal health products for cattle.

This has been taken up by some members but overall the up-take has been very disappointing. Recognizing this and also recognizing the huge opportunity that has been offered to individual breeders and the Association to increase the sponsorship offered by Merial/Ancare, changes are being made to make the programme more attractive.

Cash will be paid out monthly. While doing your accounts each month, all you need to do is put aside the correct invoices and just fax or send your them in to the office (06 323 3878), highlighting the individual ‘cash-back’ products.

Merial/Ancare has given an assurance that once they receive them they will instigate the payment. It is really as simple as picking $20 notes up off the ground and at the same time giving the Association the chance to gain further sponsorship dollars from Merial/Ancare.

PLEASE get in behind this initiative; it seems like money for jam!!!!!

AM and NH

It can be finally reported that the AM & NH DNA testing programme and co-operative arrangement with Angus Australia in sharing results is all in place and working well. As of the 9th October this has allowed both organizations full access to NH & AM results on each others databases, allowing rapid exchange of data at weekly intervals.

It means that all animals tested in Australia, information they have gained from the USA and our own results contribute every week to the individual status of animals on the New Zealand and Australian databases.

Only a few older New Zealand sires remain on the ‘higher impact, current un-tested sire list’ and this is being worked through at present.

Unfortunately because of their age and because of the un-availability of genetic material to test them, the results from these few will always remain AMS% or NHS% and will influence their progeny in the same way until they (the progeny) are tested.

The ‘Geneprobe Probability Test’ is run on the Friday of each week (at this stage), bringing in all the new results since last week and ‘Internet Solutions’ is up-dated with this information every Sunday so individual animal’s status can be viewed on that site following that. If anybody has problems or wants help in these areas please don’t hesitate to contact the office.

 

NATIONAL SALE 2010

 

2yr olds were out, now they’re back in again!

Due to the loss making nature of the National Sale, a review by Council agreed that this could not be tolerated for any longer. The format was up for review, but then, due to pressure from the wider membership the National Sale is now going to continue – but be very aware that if there is not strong support for this event from both large and small breeders it will go under the microscope again.

The ball is in the member’s court, the National Angus Sale has been costing the association money for some time, the quality of the bulls entered is slipping and the numbers are also falling away, - all the negative ingredients needed to force Councillors to question the present structure of this historic event.

Council are therefore saying; “if the membership want a National Sale, it is up to them to make it happen by getting in behind it and supporting it with entries”!!

Also Council feel that it needs to be predominantly a Stud Sale, a high performance event that shows off the best that we as a breed have, be they 2 year old bulls, aged stud sires, donor cows, females, embryos or semen this should be recognized as the No 1 place to sell them.

We are looking for members to commit to growing the image of our New Zealand Angus breed through the National Angus Sale by using this event to present to fellow breeders and overseas buyers the very best genetics they have on offer, at a central venue. There would be no argument that having the top bull from half the Angus studs in New Zealand on show and for sale under the one roof would make a pretty impressive line-up, so this is your chance to do that and to take the national Sale back to where it used to be or risk losing it forever.

To enable the sale to cater with heavily in-calf females, older sires and older donor cows (those animals that would probably not make the trip), a video option to cater with such entries will be available at the 2010 Sale. By taking a video of the animal/s in question so that

 

WORLD FORUM 2009 REPORT

25 members of the New Zealand Angus Association travelled to Calgary in Alberta, Canada for the 2009 World Forum from 13th – 17th July.

Read full report on the Angus NZ World Forum main page

 

ANGUS YOUTH

The Angus Youth section has been updated with news about Trans Tasman Exchange Nicky Smith, the 2009 Pinot Noir & 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Angus Youth Wine, and news about The current (2009) Summitcrest scholarship winner, Kate Fisher.

Read more about Angus youth here