fact and fiction THE TRUTH ABOUT EPDS
breeding exam PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
tips and tricks
SEARCHING THE REGISTRY
VOL 8 , ISSUE 1
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editorial A NOTE FROM YOUR EDITOR
Thank you, so much, to all the advertisers who have made this the largest issue to date. To those who’ve supported all eleven issues, our sincere gratitude for being such an integral part of The Speckle Park Journal’s growth, and the breed’s success. In the seven short years since we started the magazine, Speckle Park have experienced exponential increases in the number of cattle registered and sold annually, the quantity of genetics exported to an evergrowing number of countries, and tremendous commercial acceptance here in Canada. It’s also exciting to welcome many new advertisers to this issue, from a total of five countries. Your enthusiasm for the breed is contagious, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning about your breeding programs and goals. In January, the Canadian Speckle Park Association launched its data collection effort, with the goal of increasing information on file to support a genetic analysis and breed improvement program for Speckle Park. This issue features two editorial pieces that describe how Expected Progeny Differences can be used effectively (p.20) and debunk some common misconceptions about EPDs (p.12). For breeders beginning to consider how best to manage cattle and collect measurements to ensure accurate comparison, there were some great tips on pages 16-19 of the March 2017 Journal. You’ll notice this “Breeding Book” is missing something… the International Semen Directory published here in the past is now going online. Check out www.speckleparksires.com for an ever-growing catalogue of AI sires from around the globe. This new format will allow for bulls to be added year-round, and information to remain current. To advertise sires, email bulls@speckleparksires.com. Best wishes to all those marketing genetics and hosting sales in the first half of the year! Sincerely, Laura Bodell
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T H E
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EX P E C T E D
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VO LUM E 8, I SSUE 1
EDITOR
Laura Bodell C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R
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The Speckle Park Journal is the official publication of the Canadian Speckle Park Association, owned and published twice annually by Bella Spur Innovative Media Inc. of Canmore, Alberta, Canada, and distributed by the CSPA. The Journal is for the purposes of promoting the growth and development of the Speckle Park breed, publicising the news and successes of CSPA members, and printing educational articles and information of interest to them. The Speckle Park Journal hereby expressly limits its liability resulting from any and all misprints, errors and/ or all inaccuracies whatsoever in the advertisement and editorial content published by The Speckle Park Journal and its said liability is here by limited to the refund of the customer or its payment for the said advertisement, the running of a corrected advertisement, or editorial notice. Notification by the customer of any errors must be made in writing within 30 days of distribution of the magazine. Advertising copy received after deadline will not be returned for proofing. Changes to advertising copy made after deadline date will be allowed only if time permits, and will incur the appropriate charges according to time and materials involved in the changes. The opinions or views expressed in all editorials are those of the writer or persons interviewed and not The Speckle Park Journal. The Speckle Park Journal does however reserve the right to edit or refuse all material which might be objectable in content. No material or part thereof may be reproduced or used out of context without prior, specific approval by Bella Spur Innovative Media Inc. and with proper credit to The Speckle Park Journal and Bella Spur Innovative Media Inc.
C S PA
C O R N E R
What an exciting time to be involved with the Speckle Park breed! As we go forward into the new year, it is a time to reflect on the positive strides we made within the industry in 2018, and what we can look forward to in the coming months. Last year was one of significant growth for Speckle Park in Canada; 1,203 new animal registrations were completed and 53 new members joined the association. The National Show and Sale at Canadian Western Agribition was a huge success with 125 head entered and a sale average of $13,524.39. The association rolled out the CSPA Performance Program for EPD entry data on the CLRC website. This will be a valuable tool to help us develop long-term accuracy within the EPD program. You can find PDF instructions on how to use the EPD data entry system in the Member Centre section of the CSPA website. As we continue to develop this tool, feedback is welcome to help make improvements to fine-tune the programming options. For 2019, the directors would like to focus efforts on increasing brand awareness and developing a focused marketing strategy to leverage the continued growth of our breed. It is important to acknowledge the impact of all stakeholders on the current markets which influence supply and demand. From
Whitney Signature
farm to table, we want Canadian Speckle Park to be words associated with “quality” and “Canadian pride.” As we continue to refine our goals for the upcoming year, we will soon be releasing more value-added services for our membership to increase the efficiencies of individual programs and the association itself. We are dedicated to our youth programs and will be rolling out new incentives for the 2019 year. Please plan to join us at the annual general meeting in Lloydminster from June 14-16, 2019. Activities planned will include guest speakers, farm tours and a youth heifer show. Cesar Chavez once said “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” Whether you are a long-standing CSPA member or embarking on a new chapter with Speckle Park, we appreciate the time and dedication each individual puts into their program. It’s the collective efforts of all of us that continue to drive growth and fuel the forward momentum required to succeed. From all of us at the CSPA, we extend best wishes to everyone in the upcoming calving and bull sales season.
Whitney de Decker, General Manager CAN ADI AN SP EC KLE PAR K ASSO C I ATI O N
cspa
directors PRESIDENT
Andrew Metcalfe VICE PRESIDENT
Ken Friesen DIRECTORS
Josh Vogel, Cory Ducherer, Wade Meakin, Curtis McAleer A N D M E M B E R A T L A R G E Heather Brundige
CANADIAN SPECKLE PARK ASSOCIATION
57 Garden Crescent Paris, ON N3L 3V6
t 519-500-8930 e info@canadianspecklepark.ca
w www.canadianspecklepark.ca BUSINESS MANAGER
Whitney de Decker
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L E C O I N D E L’A S S O C I A T I O N La race Speckle Park est dans une phase très excitante! C’est en reflétant sur les faits saillants de 2018 qu’on prend connaissance de l’avancement que la race a prise l’année dernière. Tout d’abord, elle a connu une croissance importante au Canada avec 1 203 nouveaux enregistrements d’animaux et 53 nouveaux membres qui ont adhéré à l’Association. Le concours et la vente nationaux qui ont eu lieu à la Canadian Western Agribition, ont atteint un succès sans pareil avec 125 inscriptions et une moyenne de vente de $13 524,39. L’ A s s o c i at i o n a d é p l oy é s o n programme de performance pour les données d’entrée EPD sur le site Web de la Société Canadienne d’Enregistrement des Animaux (SCEA). Ce sera un outil précieux pour nous aider à développer la précision à long terme dans le cadre du programme EPD. Vous pouvez trouver des instructions sur la façon d’utiliser le système de saisie des données EPD, dans la section des membres du site web de l’Association Speckle Park. Alors que nous continuons à développer cet outil, vos commentaires sont bienvenus pour améliorer l’affinement des options de programmation. Cette année, les administrateurs aimeraient concentrer leurs efforts sur l’accroissement de la notoriété de la marque et développer une stratégie de marketing ciblée pour tirer parti de la croissance continue de notre race. Il est important de reconnaître l’impact de toutes les parties prenantes sur les marchés actuels qui influencent l’offre et la demande.
De la ferme à la table, nous voulons que le Speckle Park canadien soit associé à la «qualité» et à la «fierté canadienne». Alors que nous continuons à affiner nos objectifs pour l’année à venir, nous libérerons bientôt plus de services à valeur ajoutée pour nos membres afin d’accroître l’efficacité des programmes individuels et de l’Association ellemême. Nous sommes dédiés à nos programmes pour les jeunes et nous allons déployer de nouvelles incitations pour l’année 2019. Veuillez-vous joindre à nous pour l’Assemblée générale annuelle qui se tiendra à Lloydminster du 1416 juin, 2019. Les activités prévues comprendront des conférenciers invités, des visites de ferme et un concours de génisses pour les juniors. «Nous ne pouvons pas chercher des réalisations pour nous-mêmes et oublier le progrès et la prospérité de notre communauté... Nos ambitions doivent être assez larges pour inclure les aspirations et les besoins des autres, pour leur bien et pour le nôtre. “-Cesar Chavez Que vous soyez un membre de longue date de l’ACSP ou que vous embarquez dans un nouveau chapitre avec la race, nous apprécions le temps et le dévouement que chaque individu investit dans son programme. Ce sont les efforts collectifs de chacun d’entre nous qui continuent à stimuler la croissance et à alimenter l’élan avant requis pour réussir. De nous tous à l’association, nous vous souhaitons une bonne saison de vente de taureaux et de vêlage.
Whitney Signature
Whitney de Decker, Directrice générale ASSO CIAT ION CANAD IE N N E SPE CK LE PARK
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embryos and semen available exclusively at the 2019 summit 3 sale
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EPDMYTHBUSTING
YT
mythbusting THE TRUTH ABOUT EPDs . B Y
S E A N
M C G R A T H ,
R A N C H I N G R E P R I N T E D
S Y S T E M S ,
C O U R T E S T Y
O F
I N C
G R A I N E W S
Many of the same myths What is an EPD? This is the first question and the sort of and challenges continue to myth that often comes to the forefront. prevail during a period of Expected Progeny Difference is nothing unprecedented technological more than a prediction of an animal’s merit relative to other cattle in change and advancement genetic the population. It is calculated using in the field of evaluation. all the available information on that once we have done some quality We can’t tackle every myth, animal control on the information. If we can but we can review some objectively measure differences in a trait animals, then we can calculate basics and address the most between what portion of that difference is due prevalent mistruths. to genetics. The genetic portion of the
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difference is what can then be passed on to offspring. EPDs are usually expressed in the units we use to measure the trait. There are a variety of EPDs published, but a simple example to explain how they work would be to look at birthweight and weaning weight EPDs for two bulls, see Table 1 (opposite page, top). If we used these bulls across a similar group of cows we would expect calves from Bull A to be 5 lb lighter at birth than those from Bull B. We would expect calves from Bull B to be 20 lb heavier on average at weaning than those from Bull A. At my house that might mean calves would be 65 and 70 lb at birth respectively, and your house they may be 90 and 95 lb, but they will be on average 5 lb different between the two sires. Additionally, some
calves from Bull A might be heavier than some calves from Bull B, but on average they will be lighter. At weaning, again we would expect an average difference of 20 lb between calves from these bulls, maybe 480500 lb at my place and 780-800 lb at yours.
MYTH #1 EPDs are wrecking good cattle.
Probably the major challenge that I deal with is that EPDs are somehow ruining cattle. In reality, it takes people to do that, and we were creating trends long before EPDs were on the scene. Remember the belt buckle cattle of the 1950s? This change and the swing back to the monsters of the 90s was well underway before EPDs came on the beef cattle scene in Canada. EPDs describe genetic differences between cattle based on the information available on those cattle, and often breeders tend to select for bigger and bigger numbers. EPDs could just as easily be used to select for cattle that are smaller or cattle that are in the middle of the population. We have horsepower numbers on tractors, but most people do not have a 600-hp loader tractor. EPDs are no different than a horsepower or fuel efficiency rating, and often somewhere in the middle is the ideal for functionality. The best tip is that if you have cattle that have worked well, look up the sire on the relevant association website and buy more cattle with EPDs like that.
MYTH #2 You can’t compare with your neighbour’s.
This myth is a bit more complex than just leaning over the fence to see how your neighbour farms, and it is common knowledge that we can all run our neighbour’s place better than our own. Because of the way that EPDs are calculated, people comparing performance of cattle managed in the same groups are often confused that their cattle are being directly compared to others. This is absolutely NOT the case. In fact, cattle performance is only ever directly compared to animals in the same contemporary group and then only after we have made several adjustments for age, breed composition, sex, and prior management. Once cattle that have been managed together and have their genetic component... [ C O N T I NUE D O N PAG E 1 4 ]
TABLE 1. SAMPLE BIRTHWEIGHT AND WEANING WEIGHT EPD AND ACCURACY VALUES FOR BULL A AND BULL B. BIRTHWEIGHT
BULL A
BULL B
DIFFERENCE
WEANING WEIGHT
EPD
ACC
EPD
ACC
0 5 5
0.35 0.45
35 55 20
0.33 0.44
Sean McGrath “One of the main areas that I have worked on in my consulting business is genetic selection and the development and use of genetic evaluation technologies. In the more than 20 years I have been working in the field, it is interesting many of the same myths and challenges continue to prevail, during a period of unprecedented technological change and advancement in the field of evaluation.” Sean McGrath is developing and implementing a performance program for the Canadian Speckle Park Association, in conjunction with Canadian Livestock Records Council. Through his company, Ranching Systems Inc., McGrath provides consulting services to the beef industry, focusing primarily on livestock genetics, and ranch and range management. He also writes for several beef industry publications. McGrath is a 5th generation rancher who, together with wife Tanya and their family, manages a 112-year-old operation that breeds approximately 300 females each year and custom grazes an additional 200 pairs in the summer. The ranch markets purebred and commercial cattle, as well as grassfinished beef, and is structured around grazing. In 2014, the ranch was recognized at both the provincial and national levels with The Environmental Stewardship Award. SPJ T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
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EPDMYTHBUSTING
...teased out, we can compare the relative genetic merit across herds. In other words, we remove management effects by only making direct comparisons of cattle that have the same management. So the truth is that we can’t compare your operation to your neighbour, and in fact we don’t compare you to your neighbour, or your bull supplier to other bull suppliers. [ CO NTI NUE D FR O M PAGE 13]
MYTH #3 EPDs aren’t accurate.
“When buying a herd sire, it is important to remember we are not purchasing the performance of the herd sire. We are, in fact, purchasing the DNA he will pass on to his offspring.”
IN PREDICTING F U TU RE PE RFOR M ANCE OF OFFS PRIN G, A LO W-ACCURACY E PD IS MUCH BETTER TH A N A N A C TUAL PERFORM A N C E ME A SU RE FOR THE TR A IT O N TH E B U LL WE ARE LOOKIN G AT.
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I often run into bull sellers who tell their customers that the EPDs aren’t accurate and that you should not trust the numbers. “Just use the actual birthweight” is a common way of phrasing this argument. First, when buying a herd sire, it is important (and sometimes difficult) to remember we are not purchasing the performance of the herd sire. We are in fact purchasing the DNA he will pass on to his offspring. In other words, we are buying the future performance of his offspring. Part of what may fuel this myth is that EPDs do come with an associated accuracy value, but this does not reflect how accurate they are. In predicting future performance of offspring, a lowaccuracy EPD is much better than an actual performance measure for the trait on the bull we are looking at. For example, let’s look back at Bull A. His WW EPD of 35 has an accuracy value of 0.33. This is a reflection of how much information we have available to include in calculating his EPD. Bull B with an accuracy of 0.44 has more information available for the calculation of his WW EPD than Bull A does. Rather than just his own weaning weight and/or index, Bull A will likely have his pedigree information, his birthweight information and weaning weight information within his contemporary group (is he heavier or lighter than average) and will have information from his relatives in other herds contributing to his EPD. This is much more powerful than just having his actual or adjusted weaning weight, when we try to predict the DNA that he carries to pass on to his offspring. A lot of the new technologies have come on the scene directly examine the animal’s DNA and include that information in the EPD prediction as well. If we look at Bull B we can see he has higher accuracy values than Bull A. This could be due to directly measuring his DNA through a DNA test and including that information in the calculation as well. We are trying
to determine what DNA the sire has that he can pass on, not how well he was managed himself.
MYTH #4 EPDs don’t work.
There is a lot of research out there that shows EPDs can aid in selection, and selecting for a trait using an EPD instead of an adjusted phenotype is up to nine times more effective. This power is further enhanced with the addition of genomics. To give a more understandable example, if we were concerned about birthweight and selected bulls based on their reported birthweight (eg: 75 lb) versus selecting bulls for our herd using birthweight EPD, we will change birthweight nine times faster using the EPD. This means that they do work, but we need to be aware of what we are trying to build. It is like using an air nailer vs. a regular hammer. Both can drive nails, but we better have a plan when we upgrade to the air nailer. Some of the confusion I have seen in the popular press of late about the effectiveness of EPDs seems to stem from the fact a lot of breeds have EPDs that can’t be directly compared with other breeds or that EPDs are not calculated on crossbred populations. In some cases this is true, however the use of crossbred data in calculation of EPDs is growing. In fact, several of the major Canadian breeds participate in a multi-breed evaluation that includes millions of records from crossbred and purebred cattle and many of the EPDs can be directly compared. Additionally, certain breeds excel at certain aspects of beef production. Using the EPDs from the breed you have chosen will still result in changes (hopefully improvements) to your cowherd. You are trying to select DNA from within the breed of your choice to reach the specific goals of your cowherd. For the commercial industry, ideally this will be in a planned crossbreeding system.
The future.
Because EPDs are continually getting better at describing the DNA of potential seedstock, it is more important than ever to have some clear goals of what you want to accomplish in your cowherd. Do I need more performance? Lower-maintenance cows? More yield? Increased marbling? Tighter udders? Am I happy where I am at? EPDs are a tool that is available for use in genetic selection of beef cattle, but the application of the tool is up to the craftsman who is building the cowherd. SPJ
2019 SALE SATURDAY 19th OCTOBER
OUR BEST ON OFFER Dale Humphries: 0429 360 419 | dale@wattlegrovespecklepark.com.au www.wattlegrovespecklepark.com.au T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
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EPDs defined: Expected Progeny Differences are
estimates of an animal’s genetic merit as a parent. EPDs are the difference between the predicted average performance of an animal’s future progeny and the average progeny performance of another animal whose EPD is zero, assuming that the bulls are mated to similar cows, or vice versa. For example, if Bull A has a birthweight EPD of +9.0 lb and Bull B has a birthweight EPD of +3.0 lb, this means that Bull A’s calves will have birthweights that are 6 lb heavier than whatever the birthweight of Bull B’s calves are, on average. To compensate for differences in environment and management, contemporary groupings are used. Contemporary groups are animals of the same age and sex raised under the same management conditions. Once these factors are accounted for, the genetic component is the part that remains, and that is what EPDs predict. Information used in computing EPDs includes pedigree and performance of the individual animal, all relatives, and progeny. It is often assumed that EPDs are calculated in much the same way as 205 day adjusted weights, but this is not the case. To correctly 20
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calculate EPDs, millions of equations must be solved simultaneously. Many different EPDs exist, from calving ease and weaning weight, to ribeye area and marbling, to cow weight and stayability. EPDs are generally reported in the same units as the traits they measure (pounds for weight traits, square inches for ribeye, etc.).
Differences between breeds
Each breed association publishes various EPDs and indexes, and they are not comparable to each other, as EPDs for each breed have specific breed variations in the way they are calculated. A Speckle Park weaning weight EPD of 72 lb does not mean the same thing as an Angus weaning weight EPD of 72 lb. In addition, breed average EPDs are not necessarily zero, so an EPD above zero may not mean above average. This is why it’s important to know what the breed average numbers are for the breed you are interested in. Some breed associations have genetic evaluations that span multiple countries, in order to compare genetics across borders easily. There
are some organizations that produce across-breed EPDs (e.g. Beef Improvement Opportunities), which may be useful in certain situations when bulls of different breeds need to be compared.
Abstract values
It is important to realize that EPDs do not predict individual animal performance, nor do they correspond to any specific value for a particular trait. A weaning weight EPD of 46.6 lb does not equal an actual weaning weight of 650 lb for that animal’s progeny. A weaning weight EPD of 46.6 lb means, on average, that animal’s progeny will weigh 46.6 lb more than the progeny of a different animal with a weaning weight EPD of 0 lb (or 20 lb more than the progeny of a different animal with a weaning weight EPD of 26.6 lb). A bull with impressive EPDs does not guarantee a superior calf crop. A common producer complaint about EPDs is that they do not seem to reflect actual data. Because EPDs rely on information provided by the producer, it is critical that the accurate information is submitted. This means reporting all performance data measured on all animals in the herd, and correctly identifying contemporary groups under different management (like creep feed). In addition, billions of genetically different
progeny are possible from just a single mating! There are plenty of genetic differences between full siblings. Because EPDs predict average progeny performance, it is quite common to have a calf or two that doesn’t fit in with the rest. This is where accuracy comes in.
Accuracy of predictions
Accuracy is a value between 0 and 1 that reflects how close the prediction (EPD) is to the true genetic merit (breeding value) of the animal. Accuracy values increase as the amount of information known on an animal increases. Adding data on an animal’s own performance, the performance of its relatives, and performance of its progeny will increase accuracy. As accuracy gets higher, an EPD is less likely to change a substantially. Breed associations have possible change tables, which indicate how much an EPD may change (either up or down) with the addition of new information. Young animals generally have low accuracy, because the association doesn’t have any progeny information recorded yet, while A.I. sires with lots of progeny generally have quite high accuracies, indicating more confidence in EPD values. Some breed associations are incorporating genomic data into their EPD evaluations. By merging DNA test results with the traditional EPDs, more information can be added T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
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BY THE NUMBERS
at a younger age, increasing the accuracy (and confidence) in that animal’s EPDs. For traits with high heritability, adding genomic data can increase accuracy by the same amount as adding data from 7-20 progeny, if the original animal only has pedigree data. Heritability: the proportion of variation in a particular trait that can be attributed to inherited genetic factors as opposed to environmental factors. Reproductive traits tend to be lowly heritable, while weight and carcass traits are more heritable. The difference in the two bull’s weaning weight EPDs is 4.3 lb, which is very close to the difference between the average adjusted weaning weights of their calves in the example. Even though Bull A has the calf with the highest weaning weight, the rest of his calves show that his EPD should be lower than Bull B’s EPD. Large contemporary groupings and large numbers of progeny in general (or genomic data in some cases) will result in an EPD that reflects actual data much more closely.
CALF #1 CALF #2 CALF #3 CALF #3
BULL A
BULL B
700 600 605 610
625 615 650 640
IN LB
AVERAGE ADJUSTED WEANING WEIGHT .
628.8 632.5 SIRE WEANING WEIGHT EPD
51.7
56.0
0.75
0.75
ACCURACY
A balanced approach
One last important point is to avoid single trait selection! Although all these numbers can get confusing, selection based upon a single trait can often lead to undesired consequences. For example, selecting only for weaning weight in a production system where heifers are retained, will lead to larger mature cows, potential calving difficulties, and perhaps decreased fertility. A balanced selection approach focusing on optimizing traits for your environment and production system works much better than trying to maximize a single trait. Many breeds produce indexes to reflect a certain production system (i.e. terminal vs. maternal) that combine the economically relevant EPDs for that production system into one number. EPDs are the best tool we have for estimating genetic merit of an animal. On younger animals with low accuracy, they can be used to narrow down the possible herdbull choices by eliminating the bulls with the poorest EPDs, or deciding between a few favourite bulls. On higher accuracy animals, like A.I. sires, where visual appraisal is often not possible, they can be used with a reasonable amount of confidence. SPJ 22
T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
Contact us for information about bulls and embryos available
Andrew & Christine Metcalfe THAMESFORD, ONTARIO telephone 519-285-3675 cell 519-521-8761 email andchrisfarms@hotmail.com
David Lloyd
GER A WIL SIMMENTALS
CAR M A R T HEN , UNI T ED KI NG D OM
Heiko Grob K E F E N RO D , G E RMAN Y U w e Ri e b e n s a h m RE I C H E L SH E I M, G E RMAN Y
THIS IS A NEW COUNTRY FOR SPECKLE PARK GENETICS
Mike Fallis
FALLIS LAND & CATTLE
SELWYN, ONTA R I O
Andrew Van der Drift
BLACK DIAMOND SPECKLE PARKS
Brian Kem p RENFREW, ONTA R I O
VI C T O RI A, AU ST RA L IA
KEN FRIESEN 604-854-0361 ken@fcltd.ca
JOHN CARTWRIGHT 403-507-3319 john.kfcfarms@gmail.com
W W W. K F C FA R M S . C O M
3 1 4 3 3 R A N G E R O A D 1 3 , D I D S B U R Y, A L B E R TA , C A N A D A
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T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
25
T H E B E L L S • D U B U C , S A S K AT C H E WA N • W W W. B E L M O R A L A N G U S . C A DON
CELL
306-877-2014
b.jella@sasktel.net • DARRELL
janiceh@maxies.ca 306-260-6200
CELL
306-877-4402
dj.bell@sasktel.net
robh@maxies.ca 306-290-7040
C A N / U S A / A U S / N Z q U A l i f i e d S e m e N . f o r d e t A i l S e m A i l , C A l l o r C h e C k o U t o U r w e b S i t e A t www.inccattleco.ca
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T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
UNDERHILL SPECS SEMEN PACKAGE ORDER FORM
2017 MODEL!
RIVER HILL SMOKESHACK 252E 7223-PB BORN: FEBRUARY 3 2017 BIRTHWEIGHT: 83 LB
POLLED • HOMOZYGOUS BLACK SINGLE MYOSTATIN CARRIER
2016 MODEL!
UNDERHILL ALL OUT 1D 5951-PB BORN: FEBRUARY 8 2016 BIRTHWEIGHT: 81 LB
POLLED • HOMOZYGOUS BLACK SINGLE MYOSTATIN CARRIER
2015 MODEL!
NOTTA 151A CAUSE N EFFECT 309C 5383-PB BORN: MARCH 21 2015 BIRTHWEIGHT: 85 LB
POLLED • HOMOZYGOUS BLACK MYOSTATIN NON-CARRIER
SELECT A STUD! PECS
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SEMEN PACKAGES - PLEASE CHECK ONE (X) 9 straws of RIVER HILL SMOKESHACK 252E 9 straws of UNDERHILL ALL OUT 1D
*
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6 straws of RIVER HILL SMOKESHACK 252E 6 straws of UNDERHILL ALL OUT 1D 6 straws of NOTTA 151A CAUSE N EFFECT 309C
CONTACT INFORMATION FARM/RANCH NAME
$2,280 $2,000
*package available in North America ONLY
PAYMENT NAME ON CARD
CONTACT NAME ADDRESS
MASTERCARD VISA
/
EXP: MM
YY
CVD
Buyer pays shipping from EastGen/Semex in Ontario, Canada PHONE EMAIL
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:
Jordon Underhill 519-760-0892
T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L uspecs@roievents.ca
/Underhill SPECS
27
CLRC SEARCH
S E A R C H I N G
T H E
R E G I S T R Y
tips& tricks F O R S O U RC I N G I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T C A N A D I A N S P E C K L E PA R K A N I M A L S THROUGH THE ONLINE REGISTRY
B Y
R O D
R E M I N
The most exciting advance on the Canadian Livestock Record Corporation’s new website is the sophistication and utility of the search engine for “Finding a Member” and “Finding an Animal.” Searching the registry for CSPA members and animals is accessible at www.clrc.ca /search-registry
“Search the Registry” can also be accessed from the other buttons, such as, “Manage My Account” and from “Associations.” “Search the Registry” is an open search engine.Anyone can search for members and animals of any of the member associations of CLRC. For this reason, the user must always identify the breed or species to be searched, in this case, Speckle Park.
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T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
Find a Member only searches the database for current CSPA members and those whose membership has lapsed less than three years. Searching members in not the same as searching owners. Find an Animal searches the complete database of every Speckle Park assigned a CSPA registration number. Cow #1 was born in 1961.
FINDING A MEMBER Finding a member is very simple; of the eight search parameters, only one is mandatory. Use the drop-down menu to identify the association, namely Speckle Park. Only one other parameter is required for a search – no need to fill in all the boxes. Of course, the more used, the more specific the search.
CLRC SEARCH Searching by name is very flexible. From the drop-down menu under Member Name or under Member Surname, select “contains” and you can search by partial names, even just the first few letters. A member’s surname can be searched for as a member’s name; vice versa is not always as successful. Also beware that some members have their membership in their personal names and others in their farm name, which will affect the ability to find the member. When searching for a member by name, by selecting other parameters such as City and/or Prov/State, you can further limit your search. In fact, a search by City or by Prov/State without specifying any name will provide you with a list of members claiming those as their address. So, how many members does CSPA have in Lloydminster or Neilburg, or the provinces of British Columbia or Ontario? Six, thirteen, twelve and forty six respectively. The results of any search are presented as a list immediately following the search parameters. The number of results reported per page has a default of five, but can be increased up to 50 per page. The number of results displayed and the total number of results is reported immediately above box for Association. Click on member’s line in the column’s
Member ID, the “page and arrow” icon or Name in order to view the details of the member’s contact information, herd name, assigned tattoo letters, and a list of all the active animals the member owns. By using the “page and arrow” icon or simply the Member ID, the member’s information will open in a new tab on your browser with some benefit when viewing a large number of files. Though there is no specific provision for searching tattoo combinations, a given tattoo combination may be entered in Member Name field with “contains” in order to determine to whom it has been assigned. This works because CLRC has placed in the database, at the end of every member’s name, their tattoo combination in brackets. Tattoo combinations assigned to members no longer active cannot be identified in this way. Though few will ever search using the Member ID field, someday there will be the ability to search for a herd or farm name. Right now, herd or farm names, and even tattoo prefixes, can be indirectly searched for within the capabilities of “Find an Animal.” Any added value of the general membership and the public having the ability to search the historical CSPA membership data needs to be assessed before seeking implementation.
A simple search by Tattoo Year Letter will net all the animals registered as born for that year, 2017. There were 1,079 Speckle Park registered with the CSPA as born in that year.
T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
29
CLRC SEARCH
FINDING AN ANIMAL There are a lot of similarities between “Find a Member” and “Find an Animal.” Be sure to identify the “Association*” before proceeding to find an animal. This is the only required field. If the association is not identified, searches will consistently return “no results.” A search may be performed by any one of or any combination of the available fields: animal’s name, registration number, national ear tag number (CCIA RFID tag), tattoo letters, tattoo number, or tattoo year letter. Users are offered Microchip ID as a searchable field, but
this field only applies to some other species. The national ear tag number is so named because some species have national systems as opposed to CCIA tags used with cattle and sheep. The power of the searching tool is very useful in individual fields and by its ability to search combinations of fields. Here are some examples: Search Animal Name, select “contains,” and you can search by complete name, herd name alone, just one word of the name, or even a part of one word. A search for just the number and year letter at the end of every name will probably net more results than useful. The one letter search, e.g. the letter r, will net 7,245 animals – obviously too many to be useful. Punctuation in a herd name can make a difference. Searches for P.A.R. and PAR, Hwy. 4 and Hwy 4, even Remin’s and 30
T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
Remin will return different results. For every search performed, right above the field “Association*,” is a summary of how many items are displayed out of the total number of items found. Any given search may combine multiple searchable fields. By using the name field to search for a particular herd name and combining this the tattoo year letter field by itself, the user can determine how many animals were registered for any given calving year by one breeder. This is a very efficient way for any breeder to develop a list of how many animals they registered for any given year. The same results can be arrived at by a search using the Tattoo Letters and the Tattoo Year Letter alone. A simple search by Tattoo Year Letter will net all the animals registered as born for that year, 2017. There were 1,079 Speckle Park registered as born in that year, even if not registered in that year. This number will increase as breeders finish registering their animals born in that year. To view any given animal’s record, simply click on the animal’s registration number, animal name or the “page and arrow” icon. If the icon is not visible, the box is still active. Clicking on the registration number or the icon will open the animal’s records in a new tab on your browser. An animal’s progeny can be viewed by following the link “View Progeny” at the end of any animal’s record. At this point in the animal’s record, another tool called “Virtual Mating” is available to calculate inbreeding coefficients and an extended pedigree for the progeny from a potential future mating. Simply click on the proposed mate to access an extended pedigree and the list of ancestors. The purpose of this search engine is “Find an Animal,” and it does it well, yet we may be left wanting more. There are many details on an animal’s page that cannot be searched for at this time. Sex, colour and pattern, horn status,
CLRC SEARCH Also, as with Find a Member results, there is always the ability to highlight, copy, and paste the results list or details of an animal’s records to Word or Excel files for future and off-line use.
AB OUT TH E A U TH O R
Rod Remin is the owner of Remin’s Speckle Park and a former board member of the Canadian Livestock Record Corporation
percentage of inbreeding, and birth weight are among them, even though they are recorded on every individual animal’s page. All of these and other performance details such as weaning
weight, yearling weight, genetic and genomic results and ultra sound carcass data will come in good time as Speckle Park record the data for developing Expected Progeny Differences. SPJ
Search the registry at www.clrc.ca T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
31
Ken & Judy Johnston 1859 Chimney Lake Road, Williams Lake, B.C. V2G 4W2 tel 250-392-3658
www.kjspeckleparks .ca
hŶŝƚLJ͕ ^ĂƐŬĂƚĐŚĞǁĂŶ ^ƉĞĐŬůĞƐ ͘ ͘D͘ ŽƚƐ ZĂŶĐŚ ƵƌƚŝƐ Θ dĞƌƌŝ D ůĞĞƌ Ε ƵƐƚŝŶ Θ ƌŝƚƚĂŶLJ D ůĞĞƌ ϯϬϲ ϮϮϴ ϵϰϬϮ ϯϬϲ ϮϮϴ ϭϰϵϴ
FULLY LOADED 42F ROS E HILL SP E CK LE PA R K S TUD • ALEX PATEMAN & NATALIE MERZ “TEBRADDEN” BOWLES LANE RYLSTONE, 2849, NSW, AUSTRALIA
Tel: (02) 6379 0700 Cell: 0428791972 rosehillspecklepark@gmail.com
www.rosehillspecklepark.com
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T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
^ĞůůƐ Ɖƌŝů ϭϮƚŚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ dŽƉ Ƶƚ ^ƉĞĐŬůĞ WĂƌŬ ^ĂůĞ Ε sĞƚĞƌĂŶ͕ ĂůŽŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƌĞƐƚ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ƵůůƐ Θ &ĞŵĂůĞƐ
[ C A N ] 6 2 7 2 - P B B i rt h w e ig h t: 8 4 l B
Semen available, $50/straw Q u a lif ie d for C anad a, USA and Aust ra li a Volu me dis cou nts, cont ac t us for det ai ls
Phillip and glynis watson
519-240-0007
Peter and elizabeth watson
tom and Ann watson
519-242-0933
519-240-0666
emily, earl, hannah and tobiah
Kade, rhett and Jase
petemar162@gmail.com T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
33
Hugh & Paula MacNeil
322 BURT ROAD, ST. GEORGE, ON N3T 5M8 tel 519-861-2722 • farm manager Dan Boers 226-934-8548 EMBRYOS & CATTLE FOR SALE. SEE SEMEN OFFERING ON PAGE 40
When did you purchase your first Speckle Park?
I purchased my first Speckle Park in 2006 through the sale at Agribition.
Why did you choose this breed?
I chose the breed because of the thickness, depth, and muscling I saw across all the cattle at the shows that year. I could see lots of potential in the breed.
Which animal has been the most influential on your program, and why?
get to
know Max Graham MX RANCH
N E I L B U R G , S A S K AT C H E WA N
34
T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
PAR Throttle 66T has definitely had the most influence on my herd. He raised so many powerful females that are still producing great. Throttle is the only bull to sire back to back First Lady Classic champions at the Canadian Western Agribition. Throttle passed on his performance, smoothness, and structural soundness to all his calves.
What makes you most excited about the future of Speckle Park?
The expansion of the breed and seeing the cattle keep getting better and better is what makes me most excited about the breed. It’s great going through the barns at shows, and through people’s farms, and seeing all cattle that I would like to take home.
Where do you get your agricultural news?
I get agricultural news from lots of different places. The Speckle Park Journal is excellent for breed-specific news. Otherwise, there are bits and pieces from everywhere.
What is your favorite cut of beef?
My favourite cut is a T-bone steak – that’s what Dad always barbecued when we were growing up. SPJ
get to
know Denis Roberts A A A S P E C K L E PA R K
K I N G A R O Y, Q U E E N S L A N D , A U S T R A L I A
When did you purchase your first Speckle Park? Back in 2012.
Why did you choose this breed? It was clear that if the
information was correct, given its traits, it was common sense that there is a huge potential for all parts on the beef business to be more profitable. Last but no lest, the taste of the meat is amazing and when more retail customers are exposed, Speckle Park branded beef the world will be our oyster.
Which animal has been the most influential on your program, and why? Up until now it has been
AAA J7 Moses, who has the extra length and structural correctness. He is the sire of M9 and M17, who have been outstanding females and both qualified for the Miss World competition, with M17 taking Reserve Miss Asia. AAA M24 is our up-and-coming sire that will complement Moses.
What makes you most excited about the future of Speckle Park? The unlimited potential and excitement of a breeding program, and seeing your successes and failures; At AAA, we look at every female and see what I need to bring her to the next level.
What is one of the most important tools to your operation, and how does it improve your efficiency or success? I would have to say feed and nutrition has GARRY & DONNA BERTING AND FAMILY MIDDLE LAKE, SK | 306-231-7567 G A R RY @ R AV E N W O RT H . C O M
WWW.RAVENWORTH.COM RAISING SPECKLE PARK SINCE 2009 L I K E
U S
O N
FA C E B O O K
been one of my biggest weaknesses, lack of experience and limited land and weather conditions. Our new farm is 500 acres with the potential to have 250 acres of irrigation and crop the rest. The ability to grow all our own feed requirements for the cattle and never fear running will help our success greatly.
Where do you get your agricultural news? Country Life newspaper.
What is your favorite cut of beef? Eye fillet. SPJ T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
35
NEWSBYTES
Speckle Park highlights a
FARM to TABLE
EVENT In January, The Canadian Speckle Park Association had the opportunity to collaborate with two Toronto businesses that promote and utilize local food ingredients – The Packing House Inc. and Marben restaurant – to offer a true farm-to-table experience. Jeremy Losier, co-owner of The Packing House, contacted the CSPA to express interest in the breed following his experience with a Speckle Park carcass.The association coordinated a tour of Speckle Park programs around Western Ontario, which allowed him to see the merits of the breed on hoof, complimenting his positive butchering experience.
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T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
The Packing House supplies GTA restaurants with high-quality, consistent meats sourced from within Ontario, and saw a great fit in their business for Speckle Park beef. After the tour, The Packing House selected a steer from long-time Speckle Park breeders, Watson Land & Livestock, of Branchton, Ont. The CSPA was invited to join a private event hosted by Marben in the heart of downtown Toronto, which showcased Speckle Park as the feature ingredient for the night’s menu. The event’s guests included food critics, restaurant marketing agencies, and promotional companies.
NEWSBYTES
newsBYTES november 20, 2018 // lloydminster, sask.
november 30, 2018 // lloydminster, sask.
November 20, 2018, saw 523 head of Speckle Park-influenced calves sell through Northern Livestock Sales at Lloydminster, Sask., at their annual pre-sort sale. Both the steers and heifers sold higher than the average in almost every weight class. A pen of 27 Speckle heifers topped the 550-weights by nearly 25 cents. A total of 2,624 feeder calves sold this day.
More than 250 calves were consigned to Saskatoon Livestock Sales’ first Speckle Park-influenced feeder presort sale on Nov. 30, 2018. SLS Manager Mike Fleury was pleased with this inaugural event, “For the first year we felt the Speckle Park commercial producers certainly showed great support to the sale offering. Overall, the market demand for the speckled calves was strong; the heifers certainly experienced premium pricing.” Speckle Park-influenced heifers topped the market by 10-12 cents per pound in the same weight category, regardless of breed. Some of the sale highlights were: • 28 speckled steers averaging 424 lb sold for $224.50 • 38 speckled steers averaging 533 lb sold for $208.25 • 46 speckled steers averaging 626 lb sold for $192.00 • 28 speckled heifers averaging 388 lb sold for $200.50 • 35 speckled heifers averaging 506 lb sold for $190.00 • 25 speckled heifers averaging 599 lb sold for $185.00 Plans are well underway at Saskatoon Livestock Sales to host another Speckle Park pre-sort sale in the fall of 2019.
northern livestock sales saskatoon livestock sales
N O. OF HEAD
TYPE
DE SCRIPT ION
AVER AGE WEIGHT (LB)
PRI C E
54 105 71 278 99 303 73 381 14 111
Steers Steers Steers Steers Steers Steers Steers Steers Steers Steers
Speckle Black, Continental Speckle Black, Continental Speckle Black, Continental Speckle Black, Continental Speckle Black, Continental
464 455 526 519 574 585 635 630 735 736
$2.38 $2.35* $2.24 $2.00* $2.05 $2.00* $1.92 $1.94* $1.89 $1.88*
87 108 78 216 27 98
Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers Heifers
Speckle Black, Continental Speckle Black, Continental Speckle Black, Continental
449 464 544 525 583 586
$1.95 $1.91* $1.88 $1.83* $2.09 $1.74*
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
*denotes average between breeds
The event kicked off with a welcome from Chef Chris Locke to explain the night’s events, and CSPA General Manager Whitney de Decker represented the association, sharing history, characteristics, and the vision for Speckle Park breed development. Upon arrival, Marben’s bartenders welcomed everyone in with the Speckle Park cocktail, featuring bourbon that had been washed with Speckle Park beef fat for five days. The fat gave the drink a buttery texture and smooth flavour, making it ideal for sipping throughout the evening. Guests were then introduced to a seven-course menu, with the focus for each being Speckle Park beef or fat.
Chef Chris created dishes that were visually creative and appealing to the palate, choosing ingredients that subtly enhanced the beef. The flavours of the meat were truly the focus of each course, allowing everyone to enjoy the unique taste Speckle Park beef has to offer. The desserts all used Speckle Park beef fat, and had a natural richness. Wine pairings to compliment each course were provided by Rosewood Estates Winery and Apiary. “The event at Marben gave us an incredible opportunity to see chefs in action, cooking with amazing ingredients, from farmers who we’ve had the privilege of working... [C ON T IN U ED ON PAGE 38]
“At the center of the event was the Speckle Park breed. From the starter all the way to the dessert...”
T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
37
NEWSBYTES
[ C O N T I N U E D FR O M PAG E 3 7 ]
...with,” said Losier. “At the center of the event was the Speckle Park breed. From the starter all the way to the dessert, Chef Chris Locke used Speckle Park beef as a staple in his dishes.” De Decker said she enjoyed the rare opportunity hear critiques from the consumer perspective. “Listening to restaurant experts’ opinions on the colour, smell, taste, marbling, and texture of Speckle Park beef is a humbling experience,” shared de Decker. “It’s a reminder that to truly realize the potential of our breed, we must grow organically, creating demand in all market sectors, one step at a time.” “The opportunities for Speckle Park are plentiful,” de Decker believes. “We are on an upward ascent establishing ourselves as a key player in the beef sector within each market niche. Each has its own unique relationship that ties into a starting point with cattle we whole-heartedly manage on a daily basis. As we continue to grow, it is important we remember that the only thing constant is change and how we respond to the needs of each market will be crucial to our long-term success. Let us continue to look forward and appreciate all aspects of our wonderful breed from farm to table.” The Packing House is also enthusiastic about the potential of Speckle Park beef in their program. “We look forward to working with the CSPA on more events such as these, as well as expanding the Speckle Park portfolio in the city,” said Losier. “The marbling on grassbased rations, combined with its smaller frame, makes it an ideal breed for both restaurants and butcher shops.” SPJ
2019 CANADIAN BULL CONGRESS
Reserve Champion Mature Bull O V E R A L L BRE ED S
OWNED BY
Codiak Geaza 105D
River Hill Farm, NEILBURG, SASK. & Codiak Acres, ARDROSSAN, ALTA. SIRE: RIVER
38
HILL YAGER 99Y UNIQUE 8R
DAM: CODIAK T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
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www.wolflakespecklepark.com T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
39
get to know Jordon Underhill UNDERHILL SPECS G U E L P H , O N TA R I O
When did you purchase your first Speckle Park? [CAN]7255-PB • born FEBRUARY 19, 2017 • WHITE
MYOSTATIN NON CARRIER | HOMO BLACK | HOMO POLLED | PMHC AA
UPTO SPECS ULYSSES 25U x LEGACY UNITY 51X Semen CAD$100/straw, 5 straw minimum SILVERTIP SPECKLE PARK • ST GEORGE, ONTARIO, CANADA Hugh & Paula MacNeil 519-861-2722 Dan Boers 226-934-8548 FLEETWOOD SPECKLE PARK • IONA STATION, ONTARIO, CANADA Dave McKillop davemckillop@hotmail.com 519-319-8483 BLACK DIAMOND SPECKLE PARK • MACARONA, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA Murray Van der Drift murray.vanderdrift@outlook.com ANIWANIWA SPECKLE PARK • GORE, NEW ZEALAND Mark & Lesley Tiller missdaisy@yrless.co.nz
We purchased our first load of commercial Speckle Park cows from a dispersing Ontario breeder back in 2012. We purchased our first purebred cow in 2015 out of one of the original herds – Prairie Hill Rachel 88R.
Why did you choose this breed? Raising breeding stock
as our primary commodity, the number one reason for choosing Speckle Park is cow and udder longevity. We sell based on cows having the potential to go into 12-16 lifetime lactations, twice that of other breeds. This single factor adds mass incremental value to Speckle Park breeding stock.
Which animal has been the most influential on your program, and why? Without a doubt, Underhill All Out
1D. All Out was the first Speckle Park bull to be shown in both Eastern and Western Canada, and go undefeated against any same age bull for two years. We give credit to both River Hill and Spots ‘N Sprouts for his genetic contributions. The bull now has offspring on the ground in Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, and soon, Brazil.
What makes you most excited about the future of Speckle Park? We feel strongly that the future of the
breed is supply and quality control, and if we can achieve this, we can all be excited for generations to come. We’re all cow crazy but we also need to turn a profit. A closed herd book is a form of supply management and a good start, but it’s only half of the breed sustainability equation and breed business model. The other half of the equation is quality management. Set a ‘true type model’ for the structurally perfect Speckle Park female and bull, and have a classifier(s) that does not allow breeders to registered the bottom percentage of the breed quality standard. Yes, controversial; yes, expensive, BUT yes, possible. Embrace the opportunity!
What is one of the most important tools to your operation, and how does it improve your efficiency or success? Facebook for marketing, live feed barn video for cow surveillance, CattleMax software for financial management, and credit card machine for customer transaction ease and management of two Herd Builder sales per year. The final phase of our herd development was just completed, renovating a barn and new, insulated barn/barn office to create a modern cow housing facility.
Where do you get your agricultural news? Ontario
HEART ROCK RANCH – MATT & STARLA HOFFE 40 3.8 99. 9353 / 40 3.8 63.70 2 0 orders@heartrockranch.ca
www.heartrockranch.ca
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T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
Farmer, Western Producer, The Globe and Mail, Farms.com, Facebook, and, of course, The Speckle Park Journal.
What is your favorite cut of beef? Brisket, 100%. Considered one of ‘poorer cuts’ of beef, if you cook it low and slow, the flavour is hard to top. We smoke brisket typically for 12 hours at about 110 degrees and thin slice on a bun with salt, pepper, and a little mustard – heaven! SPJ
Homo Polled Homo Black Myostatin Normal Leptin: CT PMCH: AA IGF2: CT CRH:CG BW: 72 ACTWW: 840 lbs.
2018 Lloydminster Stockade Junior Champion Bull SPOTS AND SPROUTS DYNAMITE 23T ASPEN ACRES T.N.T. 4Y ASPEN ACRES 4U
JOHNER_SPJ_winter2019_wallstreet.indd 1
REDNECK RANCH’S TEDDY 5T REDNECK WHISKEY 7W REDNECK RANCH’S SCARLET 1S
1/30/2019 1:12:47 PM
When did you purchase your first Speckle Park?
We purchased our first female the fall of 2009 along with 30 cows early that winter.
Why did you choose this breed? We have been around
Speckle Park for a number of years, as they were developed only miles away from Johner Stock Farm. We knew what they were and how they looked and performed so it was a good fit with the type of cattle we were raising.
Which animal has been the most influential on your program, and why? There has been multiple females and
bulls that have influenced our and many programs over the past 10 years. As we strive to maintain and improve genetic matings there should be many more females and bulls that will have their own impact in years to come.
get to
know Justin Johner J O H N E R S T O C K FA R M
M A I D S T O N E , S A S K AT C H E WA N
What makes you most excited about the future of Speckle Park? There is so much potential in the
commercial and feedlot sectors that we haven’t even begun to make an impact on. As the breed grows we will need to make an influence into these markets.
What is one of the most important tools to your operation, and how does it improve your efficiency or success? “Always strive to be better and stay humble.”
Where do you get your agricultural news? We receive our news everywhere. Keep your eyes and ears open – sometimes the best news you get is by listening to all the different producers out there.
What is your favorite cut of beef? All of it. Speckle
Park is one of the best you will eat. You don’t even have to be good on a barbeque to make it taste good. SPJ T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
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PETEMAR SPECIAL EDITION 2D
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Big genetic diversity from a small operation We are excited to have calves coming from these eight proven sires in 2019! Watch our Facebook page for embryo and semen opportunities.
DESERT ACRES Tracey Foster-Duriez
FORT ST JOHN, B.C., CANADA
1-250-264-8676 leggs123@outlook.com
STEELE FRONT RUNNER 5E
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T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
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SECOND CHANCE SPECKLE PARK www.SECONDCHANCESPECKLEPARK.COm PRAIRIE BELL SPECKLE PARK Darla Sauter FAIRlIGHt, sAskAtcHewAn kat Sauter tel 306-646-7794 Select private treaty females available on farm tel 306-646-7994 T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
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HERDCONSULT
A persistent frenulum, before, during and after surgery. BELOW:
Warts near the tip of the penis.
penileproblems Breeding season and breeding soundness testing of young bulls is just around the corner. Semen is not the only thing we check for on young yearling bulls, and we want to ensure we are selecting or selling bulls that reach a minimum standard. Murphy’s Law of semen evaluation inevitably means any issues will happen to the most expensive, sought-after bulls. Take heed, and always ensure yearling bulls are semen evaluated, as many problems can be identified and are fixable. When examining young bulls for the first time, we as veterinarians watch for many conditions that may affect breeding ability aside from semen quality. Some of these conditions can be corrected, while others will result in bulls being eliminated from the gene pool. Young bulls are more commonly found to exhibit seminal vesiculitis or other infections involving the secondary sex organs than mature bulls. This is detected upon palpation rectally and the veterinarian will decide then whether treatment, time, or culling is the best option, based on the severity of the infection. Seminal vesiculitis often results from being ridden excessively, or from old infections such as navel infection, which may seed out into this area. Pus is then discharged in the semen, which reduces fertility. The penis may exhibit several common conditions when protruded. A persistent frenulum is a ligamentous attachment between the sheath and penis, which causes the penis to bend upon full erection. This will make intromission to accomplish breeding very difficult. It can also be the cause of a broken penis if not corrected, should the already-bent penis become suddenly bent over upon impacting the back of the cow. To correct the condition, the frenulum can be identified and incised after the semen sample is collected. Sexual rest is necessary until this heals and should be re-checked to ensure scarring has not occurred. Occasionally, two will be present on the same bull. If not detected, attempted breeding may also result 44
T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
in ripping the ligament, causing bleeding. Blood is very detrimental to semen quality and causes fertility to suffer. If a rip occurs undetected during breeding season, the bull will not get rest to allow the rip to heal. With each erection, the bleeding continues. Persistent frenulums are highly heritable, so purebred breeders should closely scrutinize breeding forms when purchasing their herd sires. Hair rings strangulating the penis occur from bulls mounting others, and having the hair from the back form a tight ring around the penis. Most are easily removed, but the worst case I’ve seen showed the tip of the penis half cut off from a constricting hair ring. This rendered a potentially good bull useless as a breeder. Warts near the tip of the penis also allow the hair to more easily wrap around. Warts are another commonly encountered condition on bulls’ penises. They have determined that the two types of warts are caused by slight variations of the papova virus. Warts are invariably rough textured and can rip or tear during breeding, causing bleeding. Again, fertility is impaired. Very large warts near the tip of the penis can impair nerve supply, making it impossible for bulls to “hit the mark” during copulation. Often the wart can be surgically removed, as long as they are not involving the vital structures on the tip of the penis. Veterinarians may remove, cauterize the bleeding if necessary, suture
Physical examination of the penis is critical during a bull’s BSE. where appropriate, and re-check later for reoccurrence. Two to three weeks is generally enough time for most wart removals to completely heal. I have not tried making an attenuated wart vaccine on herds with a high incidence, but have been tempted to. There seems to not be a high correlation between body warts and penile warts. Most bulls I’ve encountered with penile warts have no evidence of warts on other locations. Cuts and abrasions are easy to diagnose upon visual examination of the penis. Treatment may be necessary, but in most cases, rest for varying lengths of time solves these conditions. In the case of severe cuts, scarring may occur whereby full penile extension becomes impossible. This is a definite cull candidate. In young, pre-puberty bulls, the prepuce is tightly adherent to the penis. This prepuce pulls away as the young bull’s erections progress. With this comes some bleeding, and any time there is blood, fertility may be impaired. If we see this adherence at evaluation time, it tells us the bull may be immature and has never become completely erect. We must ensure this occurs before allowing the young bull out into the breeding herd. All the above problems clearly identify the need for veterinarians to fully examine the extended penis of the bull during semen evaluation. Most problems found here can be treated, provided adequate time is available before the breeding season. Almost all purebred breeders now have semen evaluations performed, so any of these abnormalities can be detected ahead of time. SPJ
Dr. Roy Lewis, DVM
practiced as a large animal veterinarian specializing in beef cattle for more than 30 years at Westlock, Alta. He now works part time as a technical services veterinarian for Merck Animal Health.
PETER GORDON
399 RIDGLEY HWY MOOREVILLE, TASMANIA 7321 TEL +61 428522119 EMAIL pigeonhill@bigpond.com
A D V E R T I S E R ’ S
I N D E X
4 4 4 RA NCH
47 47 19 22 40 47 47 26 40, 42 47 46 OBC 32 25, 41 42 40 43 47 39 40 47 26 17, 41 23 32 38 24 22 18 32 48 10 47 48 45 43 47 6 47 35 17 1 9 32 43 34, 40 49 39 17 IFC 11 16 27 33 33 15 39
4 C CAT T LE CO. A A A SPECKLE PA RK A NDCHRIS FA RM S A N I WA NIWA SPECKLE PA RK B AW BAW SPECKLE PA RK B E E F L A M ING T ON SPECKLE PA RK BELM ORA L FA RM S B L A C K D IA M OND SPECKLE PA RK BOVA T ECH LT D. C A N A D I A N SP E C KLE PA RK A SSOCIAT ION CODIA K A CRES COLESDA LE FA RM S COLG A N’S CAT T LE CO. DESERT A CRES F L E ET WOOD SPECKLE PA RK G RA ND SPECS G R EEN HILLS LIVEST OCK G U NN LA KE SPECKLE PA RK HEA RT ROCK RA NCH H I GHM A RK SPECKLE PA RK INC CAT T LE COM PA NY J OHNER ST OCK FA RM KFC FA RM S LT D. KJ SPECKLE PA RK L A DIES OF T HE FA LL SA LE LEA DING EDG E SA LE L ONG A SH SPECKLE PA RK M A U NG A HINA SPECKLE PA RK M CA LEER RA NCHING M X RA NCH NOT TA RA NCH OUT BA CK ST OCK FA RM S P.A .R. RA NCH P I G E ON HILL SPECKLE PA RK P R A I RIE BELL SPECKLE PA RK P R A I R IE HILL SPECKLE PA RK PREST WOULD PA RKE RA NG ELA ND A CRES RAVENWORT H CAT T LE R E D M A PLE SPECKLE PA RK REM IN RA NCH R I V ER HILL SPECKLE PA RK R OSE HILL SPECKLE PA RK SE C O N D CHA NCE SPECKLE PA RK SI LV ER T IP SPECKLE PA RK SOURCE SA LE, T HE SPECKLEPA RKSIRES.COM SPRING COULEE ENT. SUM M IT 3 SA LE SUPREM E SA LE, T HE T OP CUT SA LE UNDERHILL SPECS WA RATA H SPECKLE PA RK WAT SO N LA ND & LIV EST OCK INC. WAT T L E G ROV E SPECKLE PA RK W O L F LA KE SPECKLE PA RK
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T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
cover postage HELP THE CSPA
OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE RATES HAVE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. To help offset the mailing cost for the association to send The Speckle Park Journal to international addresses, the CSPA is introducing an international mailing fee for non-members* of $30/year (two issues). * CSPA MEMBERS WITH INTERNATIONAL ADDRESSES WILL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THE JOURNAL AS A BENEFIT OF MEMBERSHIP WITHOUT PAYING THE MAILING FEE.
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[ c a n ] 70 47 - p b
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JanUarY 20, 2017
coDIaK KooL cHarLIE 76b x praIrIE HILL caprIcE 5c bw
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in tHe source saLe on aPriL 5, in LLoydminster, sask. Chip & Wanda Chibri nEILBuRg, SASkAtchEwAn AVAILABLE EMBRYOS • BuLLS ALSO AVAILABLE BY pRIVAtE tREAtY At thE fARM tEL 306-823-4228 cELL 780-870-5668 ContaCt us for more information email cchibri@sasktel.net
444 RANCH
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NEUDORF, SK 403-880-7516 dualjem@icloud.com www.444ranch.com
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SPECKLE PARK AND SHORTHORN
1 SAND PIT RD. YARRAGON, VIC 3823
Registered Black Angus & Speckle Park M i t c h e l l & ta n n i s c h i b r i & Fa M i ly 780.205.7145 • 780.870.8238 • neilburg, saskatchewan
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info@bova-tech.com www.bova-tech.com
Green Hills LIVESTOCK
Glen & Barb Zerebeski
BLAINE LAKE, SASKATCHEWAN
greenhillslivestock@hotmail.com [t] 306-497-2808 [c] 306-497-7721 COMMERCIAL & REGISTERED SPECKLE PARK
Highmark SPECKLE PARK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purebred & Commercial Speckle Park Cattle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harv & Fran Fehr
Hague, Saskatchewan
306.290.6780 306.229.0092 E: highmark.hf@gmail.com
OOUTBACK
STOCK FARMS
0439 858 569 Michael 0429 186 961 Meg Sales@BeefLamington.com.au Beef Lamington Speckle Park Theodore, QLD
Wayne & Linda Meakin
STURGEON COUNTY, ALBERTA, CANADA TEL 780-446-2011 EMAIL waytec@mcsnet.ca
George & Gudrun Delange TEL 306-764-4517 CELL 306-930-9277 RR4 SITE 7 COMP10, PRINCE ALBERT, SK S6V 5R2
www.rangelandacres.com /
Two quality yearling bulls for sale this spring REGISTERED & COMMERCIAL SPECKLE PARK T H E S P E C K L E PA R K J O U R N A L
47
MX RANCH
MAX GRAHAM AND FAMILY
NEILBURG SASKATCHEWAN CANADA
TEL 306-823-7209 EMAIL MXRANCH@LIVE.CA WWW.MXRANCH.CA SEMEN AVAILABLE ON MX BIG GUN AND P.A.R. THROTTLE
Top qualiTy and funcTional bulls and heifers on offer in The source sale on april 5, 2019. Roland, Faith & Torrie Chibri [c] 780-205-1668 rchibri@rife.com
Dale & Lynda Chibri [t] 306-825-5554 [c] 780-205-0719 par.ranch@sasktel.net
Offering
35 Yearling Bulls 4 Two Year Old Bulls 20 Replacement Heifers Exportable Embryos Semen
Presented by:
P.A.R Ranch
Dale & Lynda Chibri 780-205-0719 Roland, Faith & Torrie Chibri 780-205-1668
MX Ranch
Max Graham 306-823-7209
Uneeda Farm
Wilf & Ruth Sunderland 780-214-1024
MX Dirty Deeds 43D
Little Acres
Tyler Spence 306-823-3677
Prairie Hill Ranch
Chip & Wanda Chibri 306-823-4228 MX El Guopo 103E
plus Guests
RR 4 - Site 7 - Box 28 - Olds, AB T4H 1T8 bohrsonmarketing@gmail.com / www.bohrson.com
Prairie Hill Loaded Up 5E