CAMROSE, Alta. — One of Neil McAllister’s bison heifer calves fetched $5,000 for charity during a recent auction, raising funds to tackle cancer.
It was the first time a bison had been auctioned with the Calves for Cancer campaign, a fundraiser by Alberta country radio station 840 CFCW AM, with proceeds going to the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton.
“It struck us that it was a really good cause,” McAllister said before the sale in Camrose during the Wildrose Bison Convention.
“It has always just been cattle, but we wondered if we could do bison.”
Read Also
VIDEO: How to check your feed mixer’s efficiency
Dwayne Summach, livestock and feed extension specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, showed visitors at Ag in Motion 2025 how to use the Penn State Particle Size Separator to check the efficiency and performance of your total mixed ration feed mixers.
Linda Morrill of Morrill and Morand Equipment had the winning bid of $4,000, but an anonymous donor kicked in an additional $1,000 to make the total $5,000.
McAllister was on point with the bid price, guessing before the sale it would fetch between $4,000 and $5,000.
“Bison farmers are good at fundraising,” he said, noting a typical heifer calf is worth $2,000 to $3,000.
“We step it up.”
He said cancer touches every family, including his. He had two uncles diagnosed this year.
“If you can give a little bit, it’s good,” he said.
“This event is really a good fit for the donation.”
