OLDS — Sean Thompson, manager of the Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production, is amazed how quickly the college’s first-ever herd of Red Angus cattle have acclimatized to their new surroundings.
Ten Red Angus heifers were donated to the college by the Canadian Red Angus Promotion Society in mid-October.
Specifically, the heifers were donated by the Shiloh Cattle Company, Circle G Angus, Wraz Red Angus, Fraser Farms, Triple S Red Angus, KC Stock Farm Ltd., the Anderson Cattle Company, Brylor Ranch, Matejka Farms and the Diamond T Cattle Co.
“We got some good quality animals from the donators and we’re very happy with them,” Thompson said during an interview. “They’ve adjusted well," he added, noting they went on a feeding trial after only being at the college for 10 days.
“To get animals here and then quarantine them and then have them immediately start a trial soon after is pretty rare. But that was always our plan, was to get these involved in applied research as quickly as we could and start making use of this donation.”
Thompson said the donation is “unprecedented” in that the college has never had a purebred cattle herd before.
Until now, the college herd had consisted of about 120 commercial cattle of various other breeds.
“Typically we’ll receive animals throughout the year for research on consignment. They’ll come here for various testing services and then they’ll go back home to their owners,” he said.
“This is unique because they were donated. They’re now Olds College cattle and we’ll start incorporating them into research and academics immediately.
“We’ve had Angus influence into our commercial herd, but never pure Red Angus.”
The plan is to incorporate the herd into applied research projects that focus on production efficiency, animal health and welfare and environmental sustainability.
Genetics and performance will be studied as well with a view to measuring changes over time.
The herd will also be a teaching opportunity for students.
Through an agreement, the college will be able to access service bulls or donated semen to allow greater access to superior Red Angus genetics from across Canada, thereby improving the college’s own breeding program.
Thompson is excited by the donation.
“The Angus breed is the most influential and prominent, especially in terms of producers and cattle numbers in Canada and North America as a whole,” he said.
"It represents the most prolific breed in Canada and well established with their own breed traits, both maternal and production-wise.”
“We are very excited to be involved in this new partnership with Olds College,” Darnell Fornwald of First Class Cattle Marketing said in a news release.
“We feel this is a great way to not only showcase Red Angus cattle but also promote the entire purebred beef industry in youth across the country.”
