The Canadian Charolais Association Honor Roll 2000 - Recipients

Canadian Charolais Honor Roll Inductee

EARLY FAMILY HISTORY: Francie was the first child of seven born to Maltman and Matilda Shaw of Midnapore, Alberta. She grew up on a mixed farm and participated in all aspects from milking cows, cooking for threshing crews, calving the herd of Shorthorn cows, haying and helping in the general day to day operations of a farm and large family. Francie married Harold Newing in 1950; a marriage that ended in tragedy shortly after it began. One night after returning home from dinner and the theatre, they were in an accident and Harold was killed. It was shortly after Harold’s death that Francie had her first encounter with Charolais cattle. Still grieving, she decided to embark on a trip to the United Kingdom and Europe for a change of venue and a chance to see where her grandparents had immigrated from in 1883. On this trip after her research in England, she took a trip through Europe and in France caught her first site of majestic herds of white cattle grazing on emerald fields.

Returning from her trip, she began normal life again, working for Dr. Townsend and on the weekends in the winter, participated in curling and skiing. It was during curling at the Red Deer Lake Rink that she met Ev Borgal, the man that she would marry in November of 1958. Ev was a retired schoolteacher who always wanted to be a farmer, and had purchased 640 acres at Priddis, where he ran a herd of 60 horses as well as 30 Hereford cows, with limited fencing! Francie came—the horses went, --the cows were culled—fences went up and the slow building of a farm and ranch began.

EDUCATION: Francie entered nursing school when she was 19 and graduated from the Calgary General Hospital of Nursing in 1930. Francie went on to become an x-ray technician, working at the Crippled Children’s Hospital, as well as being head nurse for Dr. Quinn and then for Dr. Townsend.

HERD PERFORMANCE: Francie secured a young bull that came in from the U.S.A. during the early 1950’s when imports from France were not permitted. Francie purchased Lockie Charolais Beau, and started using him on her commercial herd. Later she went to Texas and imported four Charbra cows, "Pearl, Martha, Emily, and Mable from Keith Metz. Using the bull she had previously acquired, her idea was to breed these cows and hopefully get bulls, which she intended to use on her 200 head commercial operation; as the proof was already there for her that the first bunch of calves out-weighed and out-performed any other crosses, which at the time were all British breed crosses.

Francie went along with her idea that these white cattle had a definite place in the Canadian cattle industry. For those who were on the leading edge of the Charolais industry in Canada there was a great deal of resentment from the breeders of the established breeds. But a struggle was right up Francie’s alley, especially when the cattle were proving themselves in every test that they were presented.

HERD EXPOSURE: Francie showed her cattle all through Alberta from the time that Charolais started having their own shows, well into the late ‘70’s. She operated under the name of Pridalta Stock Farm. While her herd never garnered a large amount of "championship" ribbons; Francie was always there to promote her breeding and to assist new breeders who needed a helping hand in getting a start in Charolais.

 When the opportunity presented itself to import cattle from France, Francie’s name was in. She selected a female because she felt most importers were bringing in males. She felt having a female, she would have easier access to breeding from the other imported bulls.

Accalmie was the first female to arrive at Pridalta. Bague, another heifer, came in on the second importation.

While the day to day operation of Charolais breeding was going on, some of the true believers were working with Ottawa to start a Charolais Herd Book—Francie was one of those believers.

After Francie’s death, the herd was dispersed by auction at Highwood and was one of the high grossing sales of that year. Niece Mary Bamford and her husband Bruce were only able to purchase 15 head from the sale, as that was all they could afford. Today, some of those Pridalta females are still functioning in the Bamford herd as 16 and 17 year old females. These females truly attest to the longevity and soundness of Francie’s stock.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Francie made time for family and community. Because of her nursing background, she was always called upon to help people in the community who were convalescing at home, and through her "Westo Group" met regularly to help in the betterment of the community. Turkey dinners at the community hall were always important to Francie, as they were just another way to raise funds to support the community. Francie was so very involved with community activities, that it would be impossible to list them all at this time.

Francie loved children, and over the years, took in many children for a year if their parents were having difficulty with them. Each of those children went away with a heightened sell-esteem and sense of community.

Francie held a sewing circle for the Indian girls and helped them to integrate into white society at a time when Aboriginal women seldom left their reserve. The Indians truly loved Francie and were often in her home and loved to stop in for a visit with her. During one World Federation held in Calgary, Francie had the Indians participate in various dances that truly impressed the visitors from around the world. The Natives could not do enough for Francie—all she had to do was to ask.

In her later years, Francie took on the task of writing a book about her pioneer family, starting with hr grandparents who came to Midnapore in September 1883.

CHAROLAIS PARTICIPATION: Francie’s signature is the witnessing signature on the Incorporation documents that incorporated the Alberta Charolais Association under the Societies Act of Alberta.

- Francie served as Secretary of the A.C.A. from 1967 to 1970.

- Francie served as 1^st V.P. for 1971 and 1972.

- Francie served as President for 1973,1974, 1975 and was the first woman president of a breed association in Alberta. She served as past president for 1976 and 1977.

- Francie’s signature shows up on the member’s list at a formation meeting in 1965 of the North Central Charolais Association that later became the Alberta Charolais Association.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Farming and ranching were very time consuming for Francie, but she always made time for family. Her niece, Mary Bamford relates learning something every day from Francie. She was an accomplished horsewoman; she loved gardening, both vegetables and flowers. She propagated a lot of wild flowers into her own flowerbeds where they flourished. While walking through the pastures checking the cows in the summer she would tell Mary the names of the flora and fauna and explain the habits of the different animals they saw. She was a conservationist, long before it became popular. She was as concerned with not using too much water to wash the dishes as she was with the protection and preservation of the land.

When the Canadian Charolais Association building was built, Francie personally made sure that there where flowers planted at the front and in the spring would be out there with her shirt sleeves rolled up, weeding, watering and trimming.

Francie died in a house fire in March 1982. She was a varied and diverse person. Through her life she did many different things, and did them well. Depending at what time in her life you met her, you would have a very different idea of what she did, but through it all, that dynamic personality never turned away from a fight and she cherished every moment she was alive. She always had time to delight in her surroundings. Francie would not automatically like you. You had to show her that you deserved her respect, but if you made muster, you had a friend for life.

We feel that the Honor Roll Committee for the Canadian Charolais Association could not choose a better candidate who amplifies the strength of character of the people who represent the breeders involved with the Charolais breed than Frances Borgal.

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Canadian Charolais Honor Roll Inductee

During the past 40 years many dedicated Charolais breeders have continued to be inspired by the accomplishments of our breed pioneers. Some men and women standout. Don Burgomaster is one such man. For the past 30 years Don has honoured the accomplishments of our pioneers and the rich history of our association with his dedicated service and his constant effort to work for the continued improvement and the betterment of both the breed and the association.

Born in Peterborough, Ontario, March 9, 1942, Don has lived his whole life in that area on the family farm. Don’s maternal grandfather originally purchased the farm in 1893. Don’s father William who immigrated to Canada from England in 1923, took over the farm in 1935 when he married Don’s mother, Grace. Don, one of the 5 sons born to the Burgomasters acquired the farm in 1961.

Today, Don and his wife Sharon, who were married in St. James Anglican Church, East Emily in 1967 continue the family farm tradition along with their 2 children, son, Steve and his wife Helen and daughter Heather and her husband Jeff. Sharodon Farms is easily recognized by the big white fiberglass bull which became a landmark in 1981 when it took up residence on the front lawn.

Don received his high school education at Kenner Collegiate in Peterborough topping it up with several college courses. As well, Don attended the World Wide College of Auctioneers in Mason City, Iowa and is well known in his area as a local auctioneer.

Don’s "life in Charolais" began in 1967 when he added six Char-cross cows to his herd. Through the use of artificial breeding he continued to upgrade and in 1972 purchased his first purebred from Jan Verdun and the rest is history.

Don has long been a strong advocate of breed performance and record keeping. The Sharodon herd was enrolled on the National ROP program from 1974-1980. In the early 80’s Don served as a provincial ROP representative for several years. Sharodon bulls have topped the Ontario Bull Test Stations 7 times and the Burgomasters have been awarded many honour scrolls for their achievements. The herd was also enrolled from the late 70’s on the Ontario BHIP program and in latter years on CHARM.

If anyone has promoted the breed, Don and his family certainly have. Since 1975, the Sharodon herd has been on the show road at local and provincial fairs. As well, the Sharodon presence has been noted at the RAWF in Toronto continuously since 1979. The Agribition show ring has also been a venue of promotion for the herd.

When it comes to Charolais activities, Sharodon Farms is truly a family affair. Sharon was very active as a Charolette and served as President of the Ontario Charolettes in 1986. The following year, daughter Heather was named Ontario Charolais Queen. Son Steven is a Past President of the Ontario Charolais Youth Association and presently serves as 1^st Vice President of the O.C.A. Together, for several years now the family has hosted an annual 4-H clinic at their farm and for the past 12 years has hosted 4-H and Junior Farmer delegates both domestically and internationally. As a family the Burgomasters are proud to have their name noted on the building fund plaque in the C.C.A. office and as well take great pride in Don’s 2 well deserved O.C.A. recognition awards which he received in 1986 and 1995 for "giving so freely of his time and talent for the betterment of the association".

Don’s active participation in the world of Charolais has been well noted over the past 3 decades:

Don attended his first CCA convention in 1973 in Toronto. Since then he has served on 3 National meeting and sale committees and co-ordinated and chaired Charnational ’94 in Toronto.

Don has also been chairman of 4 OCA Annual Meetings and as well has chaired several OCA Committees throughout the years. In the early days (the 70’s) Don was instrumental in organizing many information meetings and was much in demand as speaker at sessions throughout the province, Don has also been in demand for his judging skills and has judged all breeds at shows throughout Ontario as well as in Halifax and Moncton.

Outside of Charolais circles, Don has been active in many agricultural organizations.

Don also is very involved in his community. He is:

It is obvious to all that know him that Don Burgomaster was inspired by our Charolais pioneers. He has carried their torch with total commitment, enthusiasm, dedication and respect. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to introduce to you a man who himself is an inspiration and a pioneer in his own right – Don Burgomaster.

By Linda Barker

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Canadian Charolais Honor Roll Inductee

If the Canadian Charolais breed has a father, it has to be Rodney James: farmer, A.I. technician, cattleman, manager, researcher, importer, publisher, and most of all a Charolais promoter.

His achievements are many and unparalleled in the Canadian Charolais and beef cattle industry.

In the mid-1950’s, James joined the Lacombe A.I. service, one of the first in Alberta. Serving mainly the dairy industry, Rodney was one of the firsts to explore the benefits of using A.I. in the beef cattle industry. A.I. proved very successful in increasing the productivity of the dominant British beef cattle herds by using Charolais genetics.

Rodney, through his A.I. involvement, read about the purchase by an Ontario A.I. Bull Stud of a Charolais bull from Texas. In 1957, Rodney was among the first Canadian cattlemen to use semen from this Charolais bull. He was also one of the first breeders to import Charolais females from the United States.

In 1959, he attended the founding meeting of the Canadian Charolais Association (CCA), from 1961 to 1965; he sat on the board of directors. In 1965 he was hired as the first CCA full-time employee as secretary/manager for four years. The office was moved into the James farmhouse, a small 10 x 10 bedroom serving as the Canadian Charolais Association headquarters. For the next several years, Rodney and wife Pearl ran the aggressive Canadian Charolais Association.

In 1963, Rodney established the first bull test station in Canada (one of only three in North America), the JamesWay Test Station. The test served to establish the superior growth rates of the Charolais bulls. Rodney’s test station became the basis for later government; agricultural college and cattlemen operated beef test stations. The early tests also served to focus cattlemen’s attention on performance and gainability of the Charolais beef animal. It put quantitative numbers on Charolais bulls’ ability to turn pounds of feed into pounds of beef efficiency.

Realizing the need for an effective communications vehicle among Charolais breeders, Rodney, along with Hayes Walker III, founded the first European beef breed magazine in Canada, the Canadian Charolais Banner in September 1966. He also became part owner of the American Charolais Banner. Rodney’s monthly column was an opinion leader among the Charolais breed for many years. The James family owned and operated the magazine until May 1984.

With the Lacombe headquarters for the Charolais breed, the Charolais test station, and the Charolais Banner, Rodney supported and utilized beef research being produced at the Lacombe Agriculture Canada Research Station. He regularly published, put into practice, and led fellow breeders in beef management, health, and breeding knowledge developed by the late doctors Howard Fredeen, Milt Weiss, and their colleagues.

In 1964, Rodney travelled to France as a guest of their Department of Agriculture where he spoke at the Foundation Meeting of the World Charolais Federation.

Rodney also led several expeditions into France seeking out Charolais genetics to import. He also served the breed by working through Canadian and French "red tape" to get the imports on Canadian soil with proper purebred registrations and health status certifications. One of Rodney’s early Ottawa federal Department of Agriculture contacts was the then, Harry Hays, Minister of Agriculture and his private secretary, Brian Mulroney.

Since only Charolais cattle were on the first importation in 1966, Rodney, in his CCA manager’s role was called upon to arrange boat transportation from France to the quarantine station at Gross Ile, Quebec, and to co-ordinate distribution across Canada to importer’s farms via truck and/or railroad. His other tasks included arranging insurance, billing and the careful guard of the quarantine permits.

Rodney made Charolais the first purebred beef breed office in Canada to utilize computer technology in issuing registration papers during his time as manager. The CCA also was the first purebred cattle breed to keep their own registration records, choosing not to use the Ottawa based Canadian National Livestock Records as all other breeds had done.

In 1968, during his tenure as breed secretary/manager, Rodney toured many feedlots, beef packing plants and beef retail outlets. He laid some of the important groundwork for the establishment of the Conception to Consumer (C to C) progeny test program, a program that remains in use by the CCA today. The C to C program, recognized worldwide, was and remains the only comprehensive test of a beef animal’s economic traits from the day of its birth to the time it ends up on the consumer’s plate.

With the arrival of Charolais from France into Canada and the need to spread the Charolais genetics rapidly and extensively, across North America, Rodney became a founding partner in Western Breeders Service, which today under Alta Genetics remains as a world class artificial insemination collection centre, and a world wide bull semen and embryo marketing leader.

With Rodney’s role in establishing the Charolais Association as a structure in which the breed could operate, with his ownership of the breed magazine to spread the Charolais message and with his partnership in Western Breeders to make Charolais genetics available to all who requested them, Rodney set about to market Charolais cattle. In 1967 he, along with his partners established CHARCAN Services Ltd., a sales management and herd-consulting firm to aggressively manage Charolais sales across North America.

CharCan also began conducting sales in other purebred breeds, peaking in 1975 when CharCan managed six purebred beef breed’s sales at Canadian Western Agribition in Regina. The company continues today as TransCon Livestock Inc. with Rodney and his son Bob as principals. At their July 1992 25^th Anniversary, the company had handled the sale of more than $140 million worth of purebred beef cattle, a total unparalleled by any other North American purebred beef cattle sales management firm.

In 1967 Rodney was instrumental in convincing a young Calgary photographer, Walt Browarny, to take photographs of cattle for the first Charolais World Federation Show and Sale in Calgary. With Rodney’s need for top quality photographs in his magazine, for the Western Breeders bull stud promotions, and for sales catalogues with CharCan Services, Browarny became established and continues today as the premier livestock photographer worldwide.

In 1968, "Charolais Beef Products Ltd." Was established by Rodney, John Rudiger, John Owen, and some other partners to serve "branded" Charolais beef to retail customers. Calgary’s "Inn on Lake Bonavista" was granted the first franchise to serve Charolais branded beef to its customers. The aged, cryovaced, frozen loins were the first to be used in the restaurant trade and are still used by most restaurants today. While breed associations and individuals continue to wrestle with the logistics of serving and promoting branded beef, Rodney and his partners made the first effort in the late 1960s with Charolais.

In the mid 1970s, Rodney expanded his livestock magazine publishing business. Further Jame’s titles included Beef Today, The Canadian Livestock Journal, and Dairy Contact.

Along with the breed magazines, Rodney pioneered and developed the role of using breed magazine fieldmen as ringmen or "bid-takers" at purebred cattle sales. Today, ringmen are an everyday sight at purebred cattle sales across the country.

In 1980, through the Charolais Banner, Rodney started the Banner Bull award program for top Charolais bulls at test stations across Canada. It was the first beef magazine sponsored nationwide awards program recognizing top Charolais bulls at test stations.

Rodney James over the course of 20-odd years earned the title of "Mr. Charolais" for all the work done to establish the breed in areas right across Canada. Recognition followed at the 1970 CCA Annual Meeting in Saskatoon, when the CCA named Rodney and Pearl James as "Mr. and Mrs. Charolais""

Following his entry into the sales management business exclusively in purebred cattle, Rodney continues with a variance of interests. In 1990, he and wife Mernie opened the Ginger Tea Room and Gift Shop in Okotoks, which today has become a local attraction. Rodney’s TransCon Livestock Inc. is housed on the third floor of this beautiful Ginger Tea Room building.

The Charolais breed is indebted to Rodney for his vision of the potential of the Charolais beef animal – and the will and the work to make that potential a reality. As a leader in the Canadian beef industry we would all like to thank you Rodney, father of Charolais.

By John Rudiger