President’s Report

by John Eccles, CMSS President

Greetings to all you Milking Shorthorn friends on behalf of the CMSS Board of Directors. Another year has passed and we are well into the year 2022. Across the country things seem to be opening up and restrictions loosening. I pray that this year brings you all health, happiness and prosperity.

As dairy breeders, we are well aware of the need to plan and invest in the future. Most of our breeding decisions take years to show results. Although some of us may grumble about this and that, we are all optimistic to some degree about the future. Why else would we take the time to select the sire that is just right, get the estrus cycle timing right, care daily for that cow, double check her when getting close up (although most of mine calve unassisted), take the extra time and patience to get that first colostrum in, stay out late with that rare sick calf to get it going again, raise it to breeding age and then start over again? We are always investing in the long term.

In the past year the society has made great progress in investing in our breed’s future. Our Embryo Expansion Program had its first applicants and, as I write this, our second group of successful applicants are being selected. There has also been substantial progress in developing a genomic database with many samples going for analysis and some funding acquired to help out with the cost of this project.

Thank you to all our members who work to promote and grow the breed. You have made an investment in a bright future for our beloved Canadian Milking Shorthorn. Together we can spread the news of how good it is to own the Red, White and Roan!