St-Hyacinthe – Last Friday, that the 82nd Annual Congress of the Holstein Quebec Association concluded, with over 550 members gathered to reward the breeders who distinguished themselves in different fields and to discuss about the future of the association. The members of the Montreal-Vaudreuil-Soulages Holstein club were the hosts for the Holstein breeders across Quebec in their magnificent region on February 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
It all started on Wednesday, February 1st, with a Facebook training course where more than 30 people were able to deepen their knowledge on social networks. Roxanne Montplaisir, Quebec-Center advisor, explained to the members how to use this tool free of charges in order to promote their herd.
From 4:30 pm, we were able to attend the 11th edition of the Holstein Quebec Embryo Sale held this year during the congress. Twenty-two lots were sold and purchased across Quebec, Canada and even internationally. Lot #1, two sexed embryos from Loyalyn Goldwyn June, was sold to Intense Farm for $4,850/embryo, making it the top of the auction. The auction’s average was $1,306/embryo.
During the All-Quebec Night, a few awards were given to Quebec exhibitors who distinguished themselves in regional, provincial and national judgments. All results and photos are now available on the Holstein Quebec website. Jean-Touchette’s recognition was given to Mr. Charles Ménard for the excellence of his work as a judge, but also for his role as an ambassador for the Holstein breed, which he successfully completed at the provincial, national and international levels. In addition, for the first time, this year the production prizes were also awarded during the evening for the delight of the recipients.
The evening continued with the “All-Quebec After Party” where 13 teams from different clubs in Quebec participated in a friendly competition. It is finally the team from Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean club, made up of Véronique Villeneuve, Pierre-Yves Tremblay and Gilles Côté that won the trophy. The guests could also try out different games, including the mechanical bull, the game of mass as well as the Western Shootout. Finally, the evening ended with the famous fish race in the colors of our teams of auctioneer, where the different teams had to use their charm and assets to advance their fish as quickly as possible towards the end.
On Thursday, an inspiring speaker started the day on the ring foot; Mélodie Daoust, an athlete from the region who won a gold medal at the 2014 Olympic Games with the women’s hockey team. She has transposed her passion for hockey and conveyed her message that with hard work and determination, every dream can be fulfilled! Be aware that Mélodie is also a native of a dairy farm in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Rolland Daoust and sons’ farm.
The Annual General Meeting provided members the opportunity to review the past year’s report. The highlight concerned the financing of the Association. Also during the meeting, guests were able to present their report and other resolutions were debated. More than 50 young people attended the AGM this year, responding to the special invitation they had previously received. It was Mr. Alexandre Isabelle who was given a pair of tickets to attend a Canadiens game.
Four young people have also received Holstein Quebec Scholarships, due to their motivation and their involvement in the field of agriculture. Congratulations to Rosalie Dubois, Francis Lessard, Valérie Bolduc and Jordan Lebel.
The Sherbrooke Holstein club won the $1,500 prize for the activity of the year in the “Learning activity” category with its farm evening. Exceptionally this year, the $1,500 prize for the “Youth activity” category was not awarded due to no form filled in this category.
The board of directors remained the same as all the directors who were in office were reconducted for another two-year term. The board of directors reiterated its support for Mr. Georges Sirois to serve as president, and to Ms. Mariette Gagnon as vice-president.
Holstein members from all over Quebec made their choice and the 2016 Holstein Quebec Cow of the Year was revealed: JACOBS GOLDWYN BRITANY EX-96 2E 4*, owned by Jacobs and presented by the Holstein club of Portneuf. As part of this contest, among all the participants who voted, Mr. Dominic Fortier won an embryo of the winner’s family, worth up to $800, courtesy of Holstein Quebec and ETE Embryo Transfer Enterprises.
The Master Breeders’ Banquet celebrated the eight Quebec businesses that received the highest recognition in breeding. Congratulations to the recipients: Blondin Farm (BLONDIN), St-Pierre and sons Farm (COTOPIERRE), Denistier Holstein (DENISTIER), Geno Farm (GENO), Saindon and sons Inc. (KAKOUNA), Mario Corriveau (MACO), Mystique Farm (MYSTIQUE) and Tinber Holstein (TINBER). For an overview of the evening, check out the profile of each Master Breeder that will appear in La Revue of March or watch their videos that will be online on our website in April.
Finally, nine farms in the Vaudreuil-Dorion region opened their doors to hundreds of visitors on Friday.
In closing, it is important to mention the contribution of major sponsors, without whom this event would not have had the same scope: the CIAQ, Desjardins Enterprises and John Deere.
Holstein Quebec would like to congratulate the organizing committee and the host club for hosting this event. Visit the event’s photo album at www.holsteinquebec.com/congress or www.facebook.com/holsteinqc. The next edition of the Congress will be held from January 31st to February 2nd, 2018 at the Hôtel Universel in Rivière-du-Loup.
Source: Holstein Quebec