Delegates from Portugal came to Edmonton’s Farmfair for the first time this year, checking out Angus genetics suitable for them to take home.
Claudia Cortes and Fermelinda Pombo Carvalho say Angus is a relatively new breed for their country. They see opportunity to hopefully expand it by launching their own breeding programs.
“We’re trying to start good farms with good genetics,” said Cortes. “In my part, we like the genetic lines from Canada and the U.S. more than the British lines.”
Cortes and Carvalho farm in Portugal’s interior. Along with starting their own breeding programs, they also farm commercially. They have Limousin and Angus cattle.
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They both thought it would be best to come to Farmfair and see the cattle in person before making a buying decision. They also toured farms and ranches in the region to see how producers operate first-hand.
“I like Alberta very much,” Carvalho said. “I liked to see the family work together. There were lots of great animals.”
They were also in the Fort Worth, Texas, area recently to visit farms and view genetic lines. Cortes said she and her husband liked what they saw.
Cortes said they are taking a risk by importing genetics, but they want to make their local industry more competitive.
“There are few breeders,” she said. “Angus started in 1992 but it’s now getting to be more well known.”
While they haven’t yet decided on which genes they would like to bring back, she said visiting Farmfair has been worthwhile.
“We are happy to be here and we have been treated well,” Cortes said. “We would come back.”
Farmfair, held Nov. 7-11, hosted more that 400 international delegates this year. Some were from South Korea, China, Kazakhstan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States and South Africa. There were 79 international buyers this year.
