We have a mixed herd of about 50 red and black Angus cows and their calves. Some of these cows are registered with the Canadian Angus Association. The angus is a hardy beef breed of cow that can with stand the extreme winter conditions here in Alberta. The cows are easy keepers, easy calvers and good mothers. We will be trying to build up our herd in the next years and will market our home grown beef (and lamb) privately as much as possible.

History of the Aberdeen Angus breed in Scotland

The Aberdeen-Angus breed was developed in the early part of the 19th century from the polled and predominantly black cattle of North east Scotland known locally as “doddies” and “hummlies”.

The earliest families trace back to the middle of the eighteenth century but it was much later that the Herd Book (1862) and the Society (1879) were founded. The breed’s establishment was entirely due to the efforts of three very progressive lairds and farmers of that time.

Hugh Watson became tenant of Keillor Farm in Angus in 1808. He gathered stock widely and produced cattle of outstanding quality and character.

William McCombie took the farm of Tillyfour in Aberdeenshire in 1824 and founded a herd from predominantly Keillor bloodlines. His well documented close breeding produced outstanding cattle that he showed widely in England and France. The reputation of the Aberdeen-Angus breed was founded on the efforts of the McCombie family.

Sir George Macpherson-Grant returned to his inherited estate at Ballindalloch, on the River Spey, from Oxford in 1861 and took up the refining of the breed that was to be his life’s work for almost 50 years.

By line breeding and selection for type, these early pioneers established the foundation for what is arguably the greatest beef breed in the world.

In those early days Britain was regarded as the fount of Aberdeen-Angus genetics and leading world breeders came here to source stock. The export market has continued to favor the Aberdeen-Angus breed and now breeders look worldwide to source the very
best genetics

History of the Aberdeen Angus breed in Canada

Angus animals arrived in Montreal, Quebec by 1860 and some landed in Victoria, BC in 1874. The first recorded importation was in 1859 by Sir George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson Bay Company. No progeny was recorded, therefore credit for the first productive importation was given to Professor Wm. Brown at the Ontario Experimental Farm in Guelph, Ontario.

"The first of the breed born in North America" is commemorated on a bronze plaque in Guelph recognizing the birth of Eye Bright 2nd on January 12, 1877 sired by the bull Gladiolus.

In 1882 there were 323 Angus imported from Scotland. The Hon. M. H. Cochrane had his headquarters in Montreal and a ranch in Alberta. He purchased ten animals from Scotland in 1881 for the tremendous sum of $9,975. These were the days when top bulls were selling for $300. The town of Cochrane, just west of the city of Calgary, received its name from this early booster of Aberdeen Angus cattle.

By 1884 the Dominion Polled Angus Herd registry was established in Toronto. An unfortunate fire in 1894 destroyed all Aberdeen Angus manuscripts. Circulars were sent to all breeders in an attempt to reconstruct the records. A large number were secured and sent in, but many others were lost.

In 1905 the records were nationalized and the recording office moved from Toronto to Ottawa. Breeders decided to form the Canadian Aberdeen Angus Association to be incorporated under the Dominion Act respecting Livestock Records Association.

The Association chose not to recognize the Old Herd Register but to register all living animals. All animals to be registered had to pass a standard inspection by an authorized inspector, Mr. James Bowman of Guelph, Ontario. Expenses were paid by the Department of Agriculture. He reviewed the records and pedigrees of all Angus cattle in Canada and provided the data for the first Canadian Aberdeen Angus Herd Book published in 1908.

Information from the Canadian Angus Association web site.