As winter has bitten again around the UK this week and calving and lambing in full swing. Today marks the first of the bi-weekly updates aiming to bring the membership a more inclusive and valuable round up of news and content over the last two weeks. The staff at Pedigree House have all seen the start of the seasonal uplift in registrations and Pedigree Cattle Services are as always busy bees in their department!
Here is your round up of the latest news and activity from in and about the society over the last 14 days.
Committee meetings and Full Council in March
March sees the first full Council and committee meetings of the year and it is also a bit of a changing of the guard where as per our constitution and to keep fresh ideas coming in a series of council members come to the end of their term of office and we welcome some new faces to Council. The new Council members were welcomed on board and each of them made valid contributions to the debate throughout the two days. Many existing initiatives were progressed and also many new initiatives tabled at the meeting. Council this year has a really great spread of people and businesses and offers a well balanced reflection of the membership who are all in the breed for different reasons, they are all able to offer an alternative view in representing the members in their respective areas. Don’t forget that your council area representative is in office to represent your views so make sure that your voice is heard and contact them with your ideas, suggestions or any concerns.
GDPR – This is a massive task to ensure that we can carry on working together
We’ve been doing more of the necessary planning for the Society with regards to the implementation of GDPR which comes into play as of 25th May 2018. With its introduction, we require some member actions which will involve the completion of a short form to provide your consent for us to include your personal information on our member database and website. We will be doing this through the mailing out of a form for completion and return in the next two to three weeks and we will provide regular updates and reminders regarding this subject. Many thanks in advance for your co-operation with this administrative task that we must undertake.
Please don’t discard or ignore the form, send it straight back without delay.
Youth Development Programme Returns
Our Youth Development Programme workshops for 2018 kick-off this coming weekend in Somerset after a greatly successful 2017 programme. Our programme gives youngsters the chance to try their hand at all the necessary skills for working in the cattle breeding industry, from handling and washing the cattle to showing them in the ring itself. We shared a piece where we got the chance to speak to trainer William Haire on his experience as a trainer and why he thinks the programme is so successful and beneficial to youngsters. Click the link below to find out more:
The Summer Show season 2018
We have had a number of marketing meetings to update the material that we have and give all the shows a bit of a makeover in terms of material and stand equipment. We are in the final throws of completing this with some brand new messages to go out that will appeal to all sectors of our industry and promote the breed in a number of different ways. There are some great reasons to keep Aberdeen Angus cattle as is demonstrated by the varied reasons that our existing membership keep them. We hope to reach out to other sectors of the beef industry and make sure that we have enough cattle out there to meet the increasing demand which in turn will create demand for breeding stock and extra sales for our pedigree members.
North Devon Show 2018 – Stand Alone Angus Classes!
The North Devon Show takes place on the 1st August 2018, where they will be holding specific breed classes for Aberdeen-Angus. The Show society are keen to attract new faces and continue to make the competition as strong as possible, and are aware that there are a lot of Aberdeen Angus breeders in the area they are keen to encourage any interested members to get in touch. It would be good if the classes were well supported and the opportunity to show off the best of our breed and make the show a spectacle for the showgoers of North Devon. The event will take place at Umberleigh Barton Farm, Umberleigh, North Devon EX37 9DX, and for this year it will be a single day show. If you would like to find out any more information, then click the link below:
http://www.aberdeen-angus.co.uk/news/north-devon-show-2018/
The South West Aberdeen-Angus Club AGM, Saturday
The President, CEO and three Council members all attended the South West Club’s AGM on Saturday. Special credit goes to Oliver Edwards who battled through the snow to be there! Terry Ives and SVP Paul Jeenes also attended along with Gayle Bersey who does a great job for the Society running our YDP, offering their support by attending the AGM which was held in Exeter. The president was asked to speak about what the Newcairnie herd was all about, with the emphasis on the commercial aspect of cost of production and easy care for a high value return. A very interesting set of figures with a strong message that Aberdeen Angus delivers a return time and time again. The CEO then delivered an update in where the society was and where he hoped to be going over the next few months and years to come. This was then followed by a lively debate with various topics brought to the attention of the members which was accompanied by a good meal, some friendly banter and a good evening was enjoyed by all.
The Penwac Aberdeen Angus Club AGM, on Sunday 26th March
Following an early start for the president and CEO after the Exeter rendezvous with the South West Breeders the re arranged Penwac AGM meeting was held at Garstang near Preston in Lancashire. Tough call to be there for 11.00am with 320 miles in front of us but we made it given a warm welcome by the members. In support from Council and committees were Andrew Shufflebotham and Owen Tunney. The president and CEO again presented the views of the society and the plans going forward for the future. This was followed by really good and proactive question and answer session and an excellent lunch with lively debate at the tables. The action-packed AGM was wound up with a meeting about the Summer National show.
Summer National at The Westmoreland
The Westmoreland show is the venue for this year’s summer National Show and we were joined to have a talk through the plans for that by representatives of the show society who are full of enthusiasm and ideas to ensure we have a terrific show. Date for your diary is 13th September, but more details will follow.
Sale Report – Store cattle at Thainstone, ANM
We brought you the results from the Aberdeen-Angus show and sale at Thainstone which can be viewed on the website at: http://aberdeen-angus.co.uk/news/show-news/show-and-sale-of-aberdeen-angus-at-thainstone-results/. Alternatively, you can view the full report featured in the Scottish Farmer at: www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/business_sales/16137636.Electric_trade_for_Aberdeen_Angus_cattle_at_Thainstone/, or look on page 33 in this week’s paper!
Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association: Entry form for Premier Spring Show & Sale
The Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association will hold its annual Premier Spring Show and Sale of pedigree bulls on Wednesday, May 2nd at Nenagh Mart. To enter, please print and complete entry form and return to the Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association Office, Main Street, Mohill, Co. Leitrim before April 6th. You can access the entry form by clicking the link below:
http://www.irishaberdeenangus.com/assets/2018/Copy-of-Nenagh-Bull-Show-Entry-Form.pdf
Hayley Bruce returns from Sydney after winning the Aberdeen-Angus Scotch Beef Award
Hayley Bruce was the winner of the Aberdeen-Angus Scotch Beef Award through our cookery competition that we held in conjunction with QMS as part of our World Angus Forum. The competition aimed to give young chefs from around the country the chance to test their skills in front of some of the most renowned names in the cooking world here in Scotland. Having won a trip to work in a Michelin starred restaurant in Sydney, we caught up with Hayley to learn more about her experiences and what she got up to! If you missed it the first time round, you can hear from Hayley at:
Crown Aberdeen-Angus Herd production sale
The Crown Aberdeen-Angus Herd owned by Jim Thompson of Woodhouse Estate in Co. Waterford in Ireland will hold its first ever production sale of pedigree Aberdeen-Angus bulls on Saturday, April 14th at their home farm in Stradbally. To find out more about the sale and the herd itself, head over to: http://www.aberdeen-angus.co.uk/news/crown-aberdeen-angus-herd-production-sale/
Worcester Show and Sale
The Worcester Show and Sale takes place on 13th April, you can view the catalogue on our website:
http://aberdeen-angus.co.uk/assets/2018/Aberdeen-Angus-Sale-Catalogue-13-04-18.pdf
Stock for Sale
We’ve continued to receive some great opportunities from the membership with regards to stock for sale. Make sure to head to the stock for sale section on our homepage for all opportunities, and don’t forget to get in touch with us if you’re looking to sell so we can help out with promoting the stock available. We also heard from Leo from Lisduff Exports Ltd who is looking to purchase pedigree Aberdeen-Angus cows and heifers, so if you want to find out more and think you could help, head over to: http://www.aberdeen-angus.co.uk/news/stock-wanted-cows-and-heifers/
Merchandise
We’re going to be looking at including some special offers on the range of Society merchandise that we have available for purchase. Firstly, with Spring arriving and there still being some faint signs of snow and rain, make sure to purchase one of our exclusive Aberdeen-Angus umbrellas!! For a limited time only, you can receive the following special offer:
– Buy an Aberdeen-Angus umbrella and receive a free limited edition World Angus Forum baseball cap
If you would like to purchase one then contact the society directly on: +44 (0) 1738 622 477, or head to the merchandise section on the website to view the full rage at: http://www.aberdeen-angus.co.uk/assets/2018/Merchandise-poster-2018-web.pdf
Have a great weekend!