Animal Registration
Q.
What is the turnaround on registration/transfer
papers sent to the CCA?
A:
Turnaround time depends on a number of factors....
Have you enclosed a cheque to cover the costs of the
paperwork submitted? Are the papers without errors
that require phone calls or letters to determine more
information? Our goal is to provide 3 day turnaround
time, meaning what is received on Monday will be in
the mail on Thursday, etc.
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Q.
Why are members of the CCA not given
the choice of receiving the Banner?
A:
Because at one of the CCA annual meetings membership
passed a bylaw stating that it is part of your membership
fees ($20) The CCA staff also view the Banner as one
of the key communication tools to educate members
about the services, policies and happenings of your
Association. In the 1995 membership survey the Banner
was rated as one of their key information tools.
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Q.
Why must I belong to the Provincial Association?
A.
Again this is a bylaw put in effect by membership
at an Annual meeting. The levy charge is assessed
on behalf of the Provincial Associations who use these
funds to further the Charolais breed in your province.
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Q. What do
Q.
Does it cost to register/transfer
my animal?
A:
Please consult the CCA fee schedule
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Q.
What do I do with the registration certificates
on my dead animals?
A:
You may destroy them if you wish, however, the
CCA does keep track of this information so please
advise us in writing or return the certificate with the word "DEAD" printed in bold letters and a disposal
code for the reason of death.
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Q.
I can't get the seller to transfer the
animals to me that I purchased from him. What can
I do?
A
All members must adhere to the bylaws approved
by themselves at each annual meeting. The current
bylaw regarding transfers states that the seller must
furnish the CCA with the necessary paperwork within
six (6) months of sale. The reason for the failure
is key to any action taken by the Board of Directors
and if the dispute relates to the terms of the sale
then the issue must first be resolved by the buyer
and seller.
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Q.
Can we send in an application and a transfer at the same
time?
A:
YES!
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Q.
How do we register a calf from a grade
cow and a purebred bull?
A:
Answer all the questions on the application form
and under Dam,
indicate her bloodlines e.g. hereford,
angus, etc.
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Q.
Why must we request DNA forms from the
CCA?
A.
DNA forms must be generated from the office
so we can include the
necessary information required
by the lab to process the sample. ie.)
gender, birthdate, registration # and/or tattoo, parentage
and type
of test requested.
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Q.
Who can register a calf? We own the
cow, but our son wants to
register it in his name?
A:
Only the person that shows as the owner of the
dam in the CCA
Herdbook when the calf was born can
register the calf.
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Q.
What animals do we need to DNA test?
A:
Per Association by-laws, AI sires must be parentage
verified as well
as tested for Chromosomal abnormality
RT 1/29 (karyotyped); Natural
service sires (walking
bulls) are required to have DNA on file; Animals
registered
as Full French and calves propagated by embryo transfer
must
also be parentage verified.
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Q.
When is our CCA membership due?
A:
All memberships are due December 15th of each
year.
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Q.
How much GST do we pay?
A:
Refer to your CCA statement which includes
a GST total
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Q.
What is CHARM?
A:
CHARM (Charolais
Herd Analysis and Records Management) is a simple
record keeping program, designed to provide quality,
performance
information. It can be used to increase
the accuracy of your selection
and culling decisions,
thus increasing the performance of your animals
and
the genetic progress in your herd. The end result
will be an increase in the net profit in your pocket,
and that of your customer.
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Q.
Why should I participate
in CHARM?
A:
By participating on the CHARM program
you will:
-
have the opportunity to participate
in a recognized performance testing program
-
use whole herd performance information
and predictable genetic information as a tool to
make more accurate and meaningful, systematic selection
and culling decisions
-
be eligible to have your performance
data included in the North American EPD (Expected
Progeny Difference) genetic evaluation and CCA Sire Summary, which is mailed directly to 8000 commercial
producers who have purchased registerd and transferred
bulls, with another 2500 being distributed
throughout
the beef industry.
-
be able to offer your customers leading
edge, quality information on various economically
important traits i.e. birth, weaning, yearling,
carcass
-
enhance the value of the information
obtainable through other Charolais initiatives such
as the Carcass Quality Alliance, and the Conception
toConsumer program.
-
have access to a valuable and sharp
marketing tool within the commercial
and purebred
industries.
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Q.
How do I become
enrolled on CHARM?
A:
Once your cows have been
enrolled on the Whole Herd Program, a Calving list
will be sent out to you. You simply have to fill in
your calving information. If there are any animals
that do not appear on your listing, call the office
with your account number and any other related accounts.
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Q.
What is the cost to
enroll on CHARM?
A:
Participation in the CHARM
program is included in your Whole Herd Enrollment
fee.
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Q.
What is an EPD?
A:
A very simple to understand and useful selection tool
for purebred and commercial cattlemen alike. EPDs
provide a genetic description for a sire for the traits
included in the Canadian Charolais Sire Summary ie:
birth weight,weaning weight, milk, total maternal,
yearling weight and carcass traits. They are used
to compare the predicted progeny performance between
two bulls within a breed regardless of age or herd
location. EPDs are expressed in the actual units of measure for a given trait. As an example, EPDs for
traits such as birth weight (BW), weaning gain (WWT),
and yearling weight (YWT) are expressed in pounds.
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Q.
Why do we need EPDs?
A:
Genetic evaluation is necessary since the best performing
animals do not necessarily have the best genetics.
EPDs separate the effects of genetics and environment
and identifies which animals have superior genetics.
Ninety percent of any genetic progress made will be
the result of sire selection and this will be the
foundation for building a profitable beef enterprise.
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Q.
How long have EPDs
been around?
A:
EPDs have been around since the
early ‘70s. It’s not a new thing, but
there’s still very much a lack of understanding
and standardization in the industry.
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Q.
How are EPDs calculated?
A:
In the calculation of EPDs performance data is adjusted
to remove environmental differences, attached to pedigree information, weighted according to the heritability
of the trait and genetic level of mates and group
competition, and expressed in the form of expected
genetic differences. The Canadian Charolais EPDs are
calculated through the University of Georgia using a multiple trait Individual Animal Model (IAM) employing
Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) techniques.
This is the most advanced method of computing genetic
values of beef cattle available today. The genetic
evaluation program incorporates all available performance
into the prediction of an individual’s EPD
for
a specific trait. An EPD may be derived from any combination
of individual performance, pedigree, progeny, and
grand progeny performance information.
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Q.
What is the Conception
to Consumer Program?
A:
The Conception to Consumer progeny test program was designed in 1968 to evaluate
a sire on the basis of the performance of the progeny
he produces. From the performance of these progeny, the sire is evaluated against his contemporaries in
the test. Careful design of the program ensures that
all data collected is accurate. Essential components
of the program design include:
-
complete supervision from semen delivery
to carcass cutout
-
use of commercial cow herds reflecting
diverse management conditions and a
broad genetic
base
-
random mating of the test sires in
the co-operating cow herds
-
testing of all healthy progeny with
no selection at any phase of the program
-
detailed analysis of each phase
-
publication of all results
-
Current ongoing research between
the University of Georgia and the Canadian Charolais
Association
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Q.
Which specific traits
are EPDs produced for in the Canadian Charolais AssociationSire Summary?
A:
EPDs for birth weight, weaning
weight, yearling weight, milk, total
maternal, rib
eye area, lean yield, carcass weight, fat, and
marbling are
reported in the Charolais Sire Summary. All of the
C to C tested bulls are noted with a C-C and the year, in the Sire Summary. By combining CHARM and C to C data,
bulls obtain a high accuracy at a relatively young
age.Carcass EPDs for carcass weight, REA (rib-eye
area) and
marbling have been calculated for all sections
to date where benchmark or reference sires were used.
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Q.
How much information
used in calculating EPDs come from an animal’s
own record and how much comes from his pedigree?
A:
This will vary between bulls. If no information is
available on relatives, then the EPD is based entirely
(100%) on that animal’s own record. Emphasis
on the animal’s own record will diminishas
more performance data is collected on relatives, with
the greatest emphasis being placed on progeny information
as it becomes available.
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Q.
When should I weigh
my calves?
A:
Weaning weights should be taken when calves are between 140 and 270 days of age.
Yearling weights should be taken between 300 and 430
days of age. This will ensure that you are getting
ranks and indexes on your calves and that they are
included in the North American Charolais EPD run.
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Q.
Why didn't I get
ranks or indexes on my calves?
A:
Groups must contain
at least 5 calves of one sex, born less than 90 days
apart and weighed within the designated age range
(weaning - 140 to 270 days, yearling - 300 to 430
days).
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Q.
What is a Management
Group?
A:
A management group refers to a group of
animals managed together and given equal opportunity
to perform (same pasture, same feedlot, same weigh
date, creep or not creep fed etc.). The producer must
report the management group(s) and these are further
sorted by sex (M,F,S) and age (born within 90 days
of first calf). In order to obtain an index on an
animal, a group
must contain at least 5 animals of
the same sex, without twins and embryos, that areborn within a 90 day time frame. Minimum groups of
2 are accepted in the calculation of EPDs.
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Q.
Why does my weaning
data have to be in by October 31st?
A:
In order to get the information entered into our system
and edited, so that we can send it to the University
of Georgia for the North American EPD calculations,
we require your current year’s weaning information
no later than October 31st.
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Q.
How important is
reporting the proper grouping of animals in the EPD
analysis?
A:
The effects of group environments
are adjusted out in the analysis procedure. This results
in the EPDs being computed as though all animals were
in one large group. This is the reason EPDs are comparable
across herds and groups. It is of the utmost importance
that groups be identified and reported accurately.
Most inaccuracies in genetic evaluation programs can
be traced back to improper identification of groups.
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Q.
What makes a bull
eligible to be included in the Sire Summary?
A:
In order for a bull to be included in the Charolais
sire summary, he must have a minimum accuracy level
for his EPDs (60% for proven sires for weaning weight
and 40% for weaning weight for the young sires). In
order to reach this level, a bull must have enough
progeny with performance data, and be used on or with
animals that have a connection to the maternal database.
These sires must also meet criteria in regards to
age, registered progeny and progeny with CHARM records.
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Q.
There are still
many producers who don’t use EPDs. What’s
their method and is it effective?
A:
Some use visual
appraisal. They believe they don’t need performance
numbers to assist them with making selection decisions.
EPDs are just one more tool to combine with all other
selection criteria to ensure you make the best possible
decision. Remember, what you see is NOT always what
you get. What you see is a combination of environment
and genetics. EPDs separate the influence of genetics
from environment. For example, if you simply use visual
appraisal to select an animal you do not know the
effect of age of dam, age of calf, feed, etc. and
these environmental influences are not passed on to
the animal’s progeny.It is important that you
look at all available information prior to making
a selection decision, as 90% of the genetic improvement
made in your herd will be the result of sire selection.
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Q.
What are the Advantages of
EPDs As Compared to Indexes and Adjusted Weights?
A:
1. EPDs include all relative
information: 1) progeny 2) relatives in the pedigree
- particularly the sire and dam 3) grand-progeny and
4) the individual’s own record.2. EPDs account
for non-random matings: the superiority or inferiority
of the individual’s mates are accounted for
when progeny are available.3. EPDs account for genetic
trend: this allows for fair comparisons of young and
older animals.4. The EPD analysis procedure uses the
genetic heritabilities and correlations among the
traits. This accounts for incomplete information for
the genetic variation of the traits and for the genetic
relationships between the traits.5. EPDs are produced
for all animals...cows, calves, sires, dams in the
database and these can be directly compared. Before,
you would only produce a figure for whatever animal
you were dealing with and could only compare within
your own herd.6. The effects of contemporary group
environments are adjusted out in the analysis procedure.7.
EPDs provide evaluations for growth and milk at the
same time. Before, we just looked at growth. Now we’re
splitting growth and milk genetics with EPDs.8. EPDs
enhance accuracy of prediction. The higher the accuracy,
the less it is going to change from year to year.
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Q.
How do I use EPDs?
A:
The
difference in EPDs for bulls listed within the Sire
Summary would be the predicted difference in the average
performance of the bulls’ progeny. Consider the
EPDs for the bulls listed in the table below:Birth weight
and weaning EPDs for two bulls
|
BW
EPD (lbs) |
WWT
EPD (lbs) |
|
+2 |
+25 |
B |
-2 |
+
5 |
|
4 |
20 |
These EPDs do not mean that bull
A would increase a herd’s birth weights by 2 pounds
and add 25 pounds to the calves at weaning. They simply
allow us to predict the difference between the average
weights of the two bulls’ calves if they were
mated to the same group of cows. When compared to bull
B, we can expect calves from bull A to average 4 lbs
more at birth and 20 lbs heavier at weaning.
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Q.
How important
is it to enroll all of the animals in my herd on CHARM?
A:
In an effort to increase accuracy and predictability,
performance data on all animals in your herd must be
reported. This data will be used to produce reliable
herd management and genetic information, which can be
used to make more accurate selection and culling decisions
by the commercial and purebred cattlemen. Some of the
benefits of Whole Herd Reporting include:
-
accurate herd and breed inventory
-
ability to estimate fertility EPDs
-
improve the accuracy of stayability
EPDs
-
improve the accuracy of growth and
carcass EPDs
-
eliminate reporting bias which will
affect all animals negatively
-
herd management information i.e.
% death loss, lbs calves weaned per exposed cow
-
health & soundness traits
-
finances - net return
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Q.
What is On-Farm CHARM
(OFC)?
A:
OFC is a software
program which is designed to be a computer extension
of the CHARM in herd performance program. It allows
for easy, user friendly record keeping and offers an
instantaneous report generator.Some benefits include:
-
information edits to reduce record
keeping errors
-
performance calculations which are
automatic
-
easy to follow, user-friendly screens
-
allows you to produce extended pedigrees
on registered animals in your herd
-
allows you to track breeding and
calving records through to weaning and yearling
-
creates in herd sire summaries based
on progeny performance for each sire used in a chosen
production year
-
provides a variety of reporting functions
i.e. production of worksheets for data collection
in the field
-
allows for electronic female enrollment
-
ability for electronic registrations
on calves
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Q.
What is the cost of
OFC?A.
A:
Initially, OFC provides for free basic upgrades
with the $200.00 purchase price (GST included). Additional
modules that require special design, and extensive programming,
may be available at an extra cost
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