LACOMBE, Alta. – Riley and Kayla Sharp made history recently when they led their bulls into the show ring at the Lacombe Bull Sale.
The sisters were the fifth generation of the Sharp family to show at the sale since the family helped start it 100 years ago.
“The central Alberta area was the place for purebreds in the early part of the century,” said Bob Sharp, the girls’ grandfather and sales manager for the bull sale.
Peter Grant, secretary of the Central Alberta Agricultural Society, said the Lacombe Bull Sale has had a strong and steady history.
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“We’ve got a lot of well established buyers that come every year,” he said. “We have really honest commercial prices.”
This year, 12 Shorthorn bulls averaged $1,808, 12 horned Hereford bulls averaged $2,400, 26 polled Herefords averaged $2,262 and 33 Angus averaged $2,115.
“I think one of the reasons for its success is the quality is good and prices are reasonable,” Grant said.
It’s also one of the last consignment bull sales in the province, said Merlyn Wilson of Bentley, Alta., whose father started selling cattle at the sale in 1950.
Small purebred breeders can enter a few cattle in the sale rather than paying to host their own sale or participating in a select sale.
“For us it’s been a good sale,” said Wilson, whose horned Hereford bulls sold for $3,600 and $2,700.
Ted Bennett took a pause from calving to join his family at the bull sale. He doesn’t know the exact year the family started selling animals at the sale, but he knows it has records back to 1942.
“I know we’ve been here a long time,” said Bennett, who ranches near Clive, Alta.
“I think its secret is its consistency. It’s continued to run when so many consignment sales have faded away.”
Graham Sharp said three out of the four buyers for his Shorthorn bulls were repeat buyers.
The sale provides buyers with good solid genetics at reasonable prices and sellers get good solid prices with low overhead, he added.
“I think this show is really special when Western Canada is only 125 years old,” he said. “It says something when this sale has been able to maintain its place.”
