Rocky View County, AB-Canadian Angus Association members registered a record 62,414 purebred Angus calves in 2016. The previous highs were in 2008 when 61,578 calves were registered and in 2015 when 60,034 calves were registered. The Canadian Angus Association maintains a closed herd book which prohibits breeding up.
The number of registrations in 2016 is a 4% increase over 2015 which was a 7% increase over 2014 registrations.
The number of members also grew 5% over 2015 to 2,346 active members across Canada in 2016. This is the first time that the number of memberships has increased in more than two decades. Nearly 250 new members joined the Canadian Angus Association last year.
In addition, tag sales were the second-highest in the program’s history with 278,010 Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed RFID tags sold. The Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed tag program remains the largest branded tag program in the world.
“I am incredibly proud that the Canadian Angus Association registration certificate has never been in such high demand as it is right now,” says CAA CEO Rob Smith. “We are excited to create more and optimize opportunities that only the Canadian Angus Association can grasp because of the size of our national cow herd.”
The Canadian Angus Association is Canada’s largest purebred beef breed organization. The Association represents more than 2,000 members across Canada for the purposes of registering and recording the pedigrees of purebred Angus cattle in the closed HerdBook and promoting the breed across Canada. The member-approved mandate is to maintain breed registry, breed purity and provide services that enhance the growth and position of the Angus breed.