Zuchkan farm | Foam Lake, Sask., ranchers cut costs by holding their own auction
FOAM LAKE, Sask. — Willy and John Zuchkan are smiling three days after their successful on-farm auction.
They sold 100 bred heifers and were pleased with the prices their cattle brought.
It was the sixth consecutive year that they have hosted the biggest and arguably the best party in the area.
Around 200 people drove to the Zuchkan farm near Foam Lake Feb. 15 for the sale. The coffee was on starting at 8 a.m. and the doughnuts were fresh.
Buyers had plenty of time to view the animals on offer and check out a lunch spread.
Read Also
Alberta crop diversification centres receive funding
$5.2 million of provincial funding pumped into crop diversity research centres
The Zuchkan herd is a three-way cross of Charolais, Simmental and Angus.
The family started raising heifers about 13 years ago when they were expanding their herd. Willy said buying mature cows often meant buying animals that were nearing the end of their productive years.
“So we figured we’d buy heifers,” he said.
“Now we’ve built up the herd enough so we can sell bred heifers every year and still keep the cow population at around 600.”
The BSE crisis of the early 2000s forced the Zuchkans to find ways to cut costs.
At that time, they were hauling their cattle to auction at Kelvington, Sask., more than 100 kilometres away.
“We thought, ‘well, what have we got to lose?’ ” John said.
“Why not have the sale at home? If the demand isn’t there, we’ll just calve them out ourselves. It beats hauling them to an auction and then hauling half of them back.”
They also save on fees charged by commercial auction markets and the cost of renting facilities there to serve food.
The sales were initially held in a building the brothers built with steel panels and drill stem pipe recycled from drilling rigs.
They covered the roof with a 60 by 120 foot tarp and set up heaters to keep the space warm.
“We couldn’t get enough heat,” John said.
“The wind was still blowing, but the people still came.”
The people continued to come, and eventually the brothers built the heated workshop where they now hold their sales.
The bleachers, which the Zuchkans also built, were packed at last month’s sale and more folks walked around, drinking coffee and checking out lunch.
John said up to 75 percent of the people at the auction don’t come to buy cattle.
“It’s become kind of a social event in the neighbourhood. They just come for a visit and a coffee. Everybody says you should be charging for the meal. I don’t agree with that. I look at that as cheap advertising. These people will go back to their hometown or their coffee shop and they’ll talk about the sale and the cattle. We get a lot of repeat buyers.”
The Zuchkans advertise the sale in the local newspaper, run a radio ad the week of the sale and post it on Kijiji and Facebook.
“But even if we didn’t advertise, I think we’d still get a good turnout,” John said.
Having the sale at home is also a big plus for the heifers.
“The cattle are much calmer, more content at home,” said Willy.
“And a lot of the buyers like to come and see the herd, see your setup. Then they see where the cattle came from, what kind of environment they’ve been in, how they’re fed. You wouldn’t get that if you were combined with a multiple group in an auction barn.”
John said the worst part of the sale might be the week leading up to the event.
“We always want to make sure we do better than we did the year before,” he said.
“The week before the sale is just lots of stress, making sure everything is right, making sure it’s safe. You’re always thinking of ways to make sure everything goes smoothly. We’re fortunate we have a large family and lots of help. Everybody in back was family: nephews, sons, and daughters, sons-in-laws. Everybody comes out and they’re more than happy to help out because it’s a fun weekend.”
