With the clocks officially gone back and Guy Fawkes night just around the corner, the colder and darker nights have well and truly settled in across the country! It’s been a busy few weeks here at Pedigree House with the October Stirling Bull Sales taking place last Monday and Agri Expo today. Take a look at what’s been happening in and around the Society over the last two weeks!

News Roundup

The Stirling show and sale of Aberdeen-Angus bulls and females took place on Sunday 20th and Monday 21st October 2019. The sale which took place on Monday saw Aberdeen-Angus sell to a top price of 12,000gns in the general sale with prices peaking at 16,000gns in the total herd sale of the Liley herd of Marden Farms. The sale saw an 66% clearance rate reached with 58 bulls selling to an average of £4,596.

Selling for the top price of 12,000gns in the main sale on Monday 21st October was the Junior Champion from Brailes Lovestock, May 2018 born Brailes Fabulous by Gretnahouse Blacksmith and out of Gretnahouse Fleur. This one was the Calf Champion at Perth Show 2018, whilst his dam was a 1st prize winner at Perth Show at the Aberdeen-Angus National Show 2018. Fabulous was purchased by Mr D Whiteford.

The Cornwall Pedigree Beef Calf Show took place on Sunday the 28th of October, at the Royal Cornwall Showground. Taking the Native Interbreed Championship and Reserve Supreme Champion of the Show was Grace Denning with her October 2018 born heifer Temple Janey Erica. 13-year-old Grace also won Intermediate Young Handler and went on to take the Overall Young Handlers Championship, beating her more senior competitors.

The Winter Stock Festival will be held at Peterborough East of England Showground where it will be once again holding a pedigree calf show for Aberdeen-Angus. Entries close on Friday the 25th of October 2019. If any of the regional clubs would like to get involved please get in touch with Kerry Buttriss at kerry@eastofengland.org.uk.

A reminder for members and businesses alike to get your booking forms in to Natalie at natalie.cormack@btconnect.com for this years 2020 Aberdeen-Angus review! Make sure to get in early to guarantee your place in this year’s review. You can also book online by clicking here.

We would like to thank everyone for taking part in the Aberdeen-Angus Winter photo competition, we received over 140 entries with some amazing photography being sent in. We’ve whittled it down to our top 3 images so keep your eyes peeled as we announce the winners next week!

A reminder that the Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association Premier Autumn sale which was due to take place at The Showgrounds, Carrick-On-Shannon, Co Leitrim on Saturday, November 16th has been cancelled.

Reminder for all members that we have a stock for sale section on our website. If you would like something to be posted on this page, please get in touch with the Society office directly via amy@breedplan.co.uk. Please note that for bulls advertised for sale, a minimum price of £2,000 applies in line with Official Society sales requirements. We only publish adverts for pedigree Aberdeen-Angus stock. 

To keep up with all other news from the Society as well as all the latest updates from shows, sales and other events, just head over to the appropriate sections on our website.

News and Features

Shows & Sales News

News and Notices from the CEO

• The first thing to do is congratulate David Johnstone on his judging at the October Bull sale, the feedback from that has been nothing but positive so a huge thank you from us all.
• The team at UA at Stirling, from inspection through to the sale couldn’t have been more helpful and the auctioneers David Brown on the bulls and Ross Fotheringham on the females are to be congratulated on their performance.
• Many thanks as always to Caroline and Fiona for their efforts at the show to keep everything right and recording the results. A thanks also has to go to our master videographer Amy for bringing the live coverage of the Show and Sale.
• There were a few comments at the Stirling Bull Sales about the amount of Myostatin results to be announced at the sale being very high, and when previewing the animals in the catalogue, this was an issue. If you have bulls for February and may not have yet entered them then please let Caroline know the tag numbers so that we can get the samples tested and if any re-tests are required have plenty of time to process and include in the catalogue.
• It’s the 1^st of November and the UK is still part of the EU and will be until 31st January 2020, the amount of work and man hours that have gone into preparing for our exit to maintain our trading relationships with Europe is staggering.
• From a society perspective this is reflected in the preparation that we have had to do with DEFRA and the Scottish government to ensure we maintain our approved status as a member or a third country!
• With the Cud being distributed to you all, we hope that you all found it interesting as an interim publication. Thank you to all the contributors to the Cud, now on to the Review which is well underway and is taking a great deal of time and effort to deliver on time and in full!
• We welcomed Patrick and Helena of Victory Cattle to the office this week, their business is still growing and they are now at over 2,500 registered cattle! Good to catch up with them and understand more of how their business model works.
• The process of re-distributing and allocating tasks within the office continues and it will not be a speedy process to get it right. My thanks to all the staff at Pedigree House for accepting new challenges and for embarking on this and their co-operation in making the office work better!
• A big piece of work is going on around the way that we work with our members on inspections and in the light of recent events we need to bolster the societies position and work with new technology to ensure accuracy with herd book entries and performance recording, a work in progress is to be reviewed at council in December.
• The CAAB scheme review is still in process with follow up appointments arranged for November and December, a busy time ahead along with other responsibilities.
• Today will see the Agri Expo exhibition at Carlisle and there is a great entry of 120 animals for the Winter National, looking forward to seeing you all there. In the absence of James Playfair Hannay I will be on the microphone so bear with me!!
• Many thanks to Yvonne and Amy from the office and also Mary Hamnett for her catering skills and also the “feminine” touches that she always adds to any stand!
• A visit to the Castle of Mey to review our involvement in the project there with Sainsbury next week with Barbara Webster.
• Skipton Female sale is on Wednesday, I hope to be there if at all possible, thanks to Council member Will Chrystal for agreeing to be the Society rep if I can’t make it and also Andrew Shufflebotham for taking on the judging!
• The remuneration committee, a major part of our HR Function, will meet on the 11th November. Preparation is also underway for the staff’s bi-annual opportunity to ‘have their say about their lot’, as it were!
• Stars of the Future on Saturday the 9th November, look forward to seeing some of you there.
• Meeting with IdentiGen on the DNA programme that we are running with them and to establish our working plan going forward as well as continuing to review our current positioning.
• Saturday 16^th November sees the Premier Meat exhibition at Scotbeef, Bridge of Allan, as well as the English Winter Fair followed swiftly on the heels is the Royal Welsh Winter Fair which John James kindly represents the society and another opportunity to promote the breed in Wales.
• This is just some of the matters that we deal with on a daily basis at Pedigree house there are many more but as always, I hope this gives a flavour of how we spend our time!

News and Notices from Laura Stewart in the Office

• Members in Scotland, England and Wales will have received the UK nomination paper in the post by now. The closing date for nominations is 26th November and I look forward to receiving completed nomination papers by this date.
• I’ve been calculating the Warren points trophy for 2019. The points for this trophy are calculated by awarding points to the exhibitor of the Aberdeen-Angus Champion and Reserve Champion (with exhibitor bred cattle), at 12 randomly chosen summer shows in England and Wales held during the year. The winner will be announced in due course.
• I’ve also been finalising the Walkers Show Herd of the Year Competition for 2019 which is based on a points system awarded to animals bred by exhibitor which are 1st, 2nd and 3rd in Aberdeen-Angus classes at 10 shows nominated annually. Points are also given for Best Animal Bred by Exhibitor at these shows. The Winter National Show at Agri Expo is the final show and is being held today so the winner and runner-up’s will be announced in the near future. This perpetual trophy and prize money is kindly sponsored by Walker’s Shortbread Ltd.
• This is a busy time of year for me with preparations beginning for the committee and Council meetings in early December

News and Notices from Angela Cumming in the Finance Department

• FINANCIAL YEAR END

If you have any outstanding invoices, prompt payment would be very much appreciated as our financial year end is the 31st October 2019. You can pay by cheque, internet banking or credit card.

• INTERNET PAYMENTS

When making payment through the internet banking, please ensure that you quote your MEMBERSHIP NUMBER and SURNAME as a refence.  This ensures that your payment is allocated to the correct account.

• RECEIVING SOCIETY INVOICES BY EMAIL

In order to try and save on postage costs we would like to send our invoices by email.  If you have not already done so, can you please provide us with your details. Click here for more information.

News and Notices from the Registrations Department

• Please be aware that from 1^st November 2019 all registration fees are invoiced automatically and we will have no discretion on late fees charged. Calves should be intimated by 27 days after birth (at the same time as you record them with BCMS) and then female calves should be registered by 2 months of age. Male calves that have been intimated can be registered up until 6 months of age. After these dates late registration fees will be applied. This brings us in line with other Breed Societies.
• Please also let us know if you have any bulls going to Spring Sales – the sooner we get started on the DNA/MYOSTATIN testing the better – especially with Christmas in the middle of it all.
• Herd Book Volume 143 has arrived from the printers and for those who have ordered a copy it should be with you in the next day or two.

News and Notices from the Pedigree Cattle Services Department

• Understanding Mature Cow Weight EBVs, the weight of mature cows in a commercial beef enterprise has a considerable influence on profitability. Achieving an appropriate balance is an important consideration for commercial cattle producers. To find out more on mature cow weight EBV’S please click here.

Shows, Sales and Events

• 1^st November – Winter National Show – Agri Epo, Carlisle
• 2^nd November – Northern Ireland Calf Show
• 6^TH November – Skipton Female Sale
• 7^th November – Agrifest South West (formally beef south west) – Exeter

Merchandise

With Guy Fawkes night just around the corner, wrap up warm whilst watching the bonfire and fireworks with one of our Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society wool scarves for £25.00. Keeping you warm and cosy as we now enter the colder weather months.

You can purchase by emailing Yvonne at: Yvonne@aberdeen-angus.co.uk, who can deal with and dispatch your orders for all our merchandise. You can pay over the phone by card or simply add it to your next invoice. Full range of merchandise available to view online here.

From all at the Society, have a great weekend!