Source: Olds College
Thanks to the generous donation of 10 Red Angus heifer calves from the Canadian Red Angus PromotionSociety, Olds College will now be home to a purebred Red Angus Herd. The purebred herd will be managed by the College’s Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production (TAC) who provide resources and services to move the livestock industry’s technological needs forward.
“We are very pleased to have a Red Angus purebred herd at Olds College,” comments Sean Thompson, Manager, Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production. “We intend to immediately incorporate these donated animals into applied research projects that focus on production efficiency, animal health and welfare, and environmental sustainability. There will also be an initial focus specifically on benchmarking genetics and performance so that we can measure progress with time. Academic integration will follow shortly, and students will be involved in the herd activities through class and student club participation.”
Through the 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 to improve the College’s own breeding program.
“We are very excited to be involved in this new partnership with Olds College,” comments Darnell Fornwald, First Class Cattle Marketing. “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. By giving the College access to some of the best Red Angus genetics in the country, students attending Olds College will now have limitless opportunities to succeed in numerous areas of the beef industry. We will be watching this brand new herd with great interest for years to come.”
The Red Angus Promotion Society is an organized group consisting of 275 Red Angus beef cattle breeders from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan working together to promote the Red color of the Angus breed across Canada. Olds College would like to thank the following members for their donation to the purebred herd at Olds College:
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