After a 40-year hiatus, the Edgar family decided last year to return to the Calgary Bull Sale.
“We had the junior champion last year and the grand champion this year,” said Wilf Edgar, a third-generation Hereford breeder.
Ordinarily, Edgar’s Little Red Deer Hereford Farm sells out of bulls through private sales.
Based at Innisfail, Alta., Little Red Deer has the longest running production sale in Canada.
Its 49th sale will be held this November, offering about 30 bulls and 25 replacement females.
The lure of success at the centennial bull sale last year prompted the Edgars to support the Calgary sale again. This year, their grand champion sold for $8,500 to Dallas Farms of Bowden, Alta., and Bar N Ranch of Turner Valley, Alta..
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The Edgars find a renewed interest in British breeds is showing up in a variety of ways. The ranch website gets about 50 hits a week, including potential buyers from Australia and New Zealand. Most of their exports are based on semen sales.
Buyers are looking for specific qualities.
“People are looking for more muscle and less height,” said Edgar. With drought threatening southern Alberta again this year, buyers want hardy animals who can forage well.
Foreign buyers are looking for bulls with darker colored hides and dark pigment around their eyes for protection against sun.
Overall, the Herefords had the highest breed average at last week’s sale, at $4,543 on 213 head. That’s up more than $400 from last year.
The reserve grand champion came from Grant and Annette Hirsche of High River, Alta. That bull sold for $10,500 to Robert Jackson of Drum-heller, Alta.
The high selling bull of the sale was another Hereford, entered by Corbiell Herefords of Cluny, Alta. It sold for $19,000 to G.K. Jim Farm and KLJ Farms of Little Fort, B.C.
The Angus sale was standing room only. The average on 181 bulls was $3,549, up $179 from last year.
High seller and grand champion came from Coldstream Angus of Airdrie, Alta., and was bought by Dynasty Farms, Ltd. of Langley, B.C. for $10,000.
Simmental sales
The Simmental sale saw 62 bulls average $3,514. New Trend Cattle Co. of Strathmore, Alta., sold the grand champion for $5,900 to Jeff Miller of Calgary.
The Deeg Brothers of Lyalta, Alta., had the reserve champion, which sold for $6,000 to Ron Symes of Consort, Alta.
The Charolais breed had 23 bulls on offer. They averaged $3,913, up more than $800 from last year.
The grand champion, consigned by P & H Ranching, Co. Ltd. of Innisfail, was purchased by Paul Zach-arko of Bruderheim for $5,800.
Reserve champion Charolais was bred by Target Cattle Company of Calgary and sold for $4,000 to Wayne Risdon of Strathmore, Alta.
The Salers breed was back at the sale, offering 19 bulls. Their average was $2,997, up $447 from 2000.
The high seller and reserve champion went to Circle H Salers of Edson, Alta., for $4,700. It was consigned by Robin Selte of Darwell, Alta.
D. Grant Farms Ltd., Bowden, Alta., had grand champion in the breed, selling for $4,000 to Happy Mee Ranch and Dusty Road Ranch of Cochrane.
