Willie McLaren has been an Aberdeen-Angus breeder all his life and is very passionate about our great breed. Willie has been kind enough to provide his thoughts on why Angus breeders in the UK should strive to attend the World Angus Forum this summer:

‘In June this year, Angus breeders from all over the world will flock to the UK to take part in the 2017 World Angus Forum, which is returning to the original home of the breed for the first time in some forty years.

Having been an Angus breeder for the majority of my adult life, I’ve attended a total of ten World Angus Forums which are held every four years, or Mini Forums which are held in the period between the main Forums. In my experience, these events have been exceptionally enjoyable. The gathering of breeders from all over the world is a very rewarding opportunity, where you get to exchange knowledge and practices and always come home with some fresh ideas on the breeding or management of your herd.

When you travel the world, you get to see many different types of Angus cattle and meet so many other breeders who share in your passion and love of the breed. The welcome you receive is always a warm one, where people are delighted and excited to share their breeding policies and make friends at the same time, and I would encourage the UK breeders to come out in their numbers and extend the same warm welcome to our friends from overseas.

The Forum will involve so many magnificent tours and occasions, including the Highland Show and National Show, and two valuable days spent with some of the world’s top beef experts to learn about what the future holds for our breed. On top of that, the World Forum always has a magnificent social side to it, where hundreds of likeminded breeders love to join in the fun.

I would urge the UK breeders to come along and meet up with our overseas guests when the tours are in your area. You will find that those who have travelled so far are very keen to hear about your breeding policy and share their own experiences with you, so please do come along and help make this year’s World Angus Forum a great one.’

Further information on the World Angus Forum 2017 and the overall schedule can be found at: http://worldangusforum2017.com/.