From the very beginning, when we were running our commercial herd of cattle, we have always kept more data than most commercial or purebred breeders. Birth weights, birth dates, proper individual animal identification, sire, dam, weaning weights, and yearling weights were just some of the things we record that have been standard for years. Vaccinations and boosters, proper parasite control and excellent communication with our vets are all things that make our program one of the best in the business. We have been ROP reporting since 1989 and when the CAA introduced the Total Herd Recording (Canadian Angus Performance Program) in 2001, we signed on immediately. In our herd, there is no guessing. Performance records are an incredibly important tool. Performance information can be used to improve anyone’s herd and the sooner a producer begins recording even the simplest data, the sooner they will realize the benefits.

When we are selecting replacement stock to be used for breeding, we select only those who come from functional and productive stock. Criteria we use in our selection are:

1.      Good feet and udders

2.      Longevity

3.      Calving ease

4.      Actual Performance data (BW, WW, YW, Mature Wt and indexes)

5.      Pedigree

6.      Temperament

7.      Performance EPDs

We do not select for the “biggest” and assume it is the “best”. Moderation is the key. When we do our selecting, 90% of the time the animal will be from the middle of the pack. Selecting for the extremes is one way to ruin your program fast. From past experience, a cow that can wean a calf at over 50% of her body weight is usually one that matures at about 1200 to 1400 lbs. When we weigh cows in the fall and do our calculations, few cows over 1500 lbs wean 205 day calves that are over 50% of their body weight. One thing we also do not do is creep feed. We don’t want to be guessing if that calf spent all it’s time at the creep trough or if his mother was the one responsible for his gains. How can we tell what kind of production the cow has if her calf is getting it’s food elsewhere?

Once weaned, our calf feeding program consists of free choice feeding on our best quality alfalfa, timothy, brome mix hay and they are started on a daily ration of rolled oats which is gradually increased to a maximum of 10 lbs per day for the bulls and 6 lbs per day for the heifers. We feed our calves for function and not for finish. We do not feed our calves for maximum gains. We also do not trim feet. What you see is what you get. We guarantee that any bull we sell will be a breeder and be built to last. Heifers are fertile and will be excellent mothers. At Aspen Hill, we not only know our cattle, we will make sure you are purchasing the animals you need to suit your program.

We were the first purebred Angus herd in Canada to register for the Centralized Ultrasound Program (CUP). Our calves have been ultrasound tested every spring since April of 2000 when the program first started.

We were one of the first herds to order and start using the Certified Canadian Angus tags.

We are registered with the On Farm Food Safety Program and are currently working on final certification.

In 2004 the Peace Country Angus Club selected us as Purebred Angus Breeder of the Year. It is quite an honour to be recognized by fellow breeders in such a way.