Consignment bull sale prices are down slightly as producers face
uncertain moisture conditions.
Producers buying bulls at the Lloydminster Pride of the Prairies Bull
Show and Sale March 10-12 said there were some good bargains on “some
really good bulls.”
However, they also said they faced “high prices for the best stuff.”
While average prices fell by $257 from last year, high sellers remained
near or exceeded 2001 numbers.
Dale Adamson of the Diamond J Cattle Company in Makwa, Sask., and his
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uncle Jim Adamson left Lloydminster with three bulls they felt were
good buys.
“I counted about 30 (horned Hereford) bulls being passed on this year,”
he said.
“I don’t think that is normal. This is just the uncertainty about the
weather this spring. Most producers need some moisture this year and if
they don’t get it they won’t be needing bulls.”
He said the Lloydminster sale doesn’t usually provide bargains
“Usually good bulls at fair prices. The buyers just weren’t out this
year.”
He said his uncle didn’t need the bulls, but will sell them locally
because “the price was right. Some (buyers) said they expect to sell a
few they bought in Lloyd later in the year when guys are pushed to get
one or two.”
Sale operator Mike Sidoryk said it was an odd sale, but added it’s also
an odd year.
“It seemed if bids went beyond ($1,700) then they went to ($2,500) and
then up. If they didn’t, they just sat or got passed.”
Prices averaged $2,801 for the nine breed classifications at the sale.
High-selling bulls were a Simmental for $9,000 from a lot of 143 head,
and a horned Hereford for $8,200 from a lot of 52.
Trevor and Keith Davies of LaCorey, Alta., bought Big Show, the top
selling Hereford bull. It is a long, wide-bodied two year old that was
formerly Agribition’s heaviest yearling bull.
“He cost a fair bit but that is the nature of the market right now,”
Trevor Davies said.
“Guys who have feed and water and a serious need for a herd sire … or
want the best will continue to pay. But it takes the pressure off a
consignment sale. It sounds the same as the results (at the Calgary
Bull Sale held March 3-5).”
The Calgary sale was down 14 percent from last year while Lloydminster
dropped 8.5 percent.
Weather at both sales played a role. Calgary received heavy snow while
Lloydminster was hit with snow and severe cold.
“Cold kept folks that were calving at home,” Sidoryk said.
Rhonda Davidson of the RRD Ranch in Maidstone, Sask., sold a dozen
black Angus bulls at Lloydminster, including the high-selling reserve
champion RRD Saugahatchee 27L. She said they were “pleasantly surprised
at prices considering how tough things are out there.
“We got good prices. It was a good sale for us. Not a good sale for
others …. What can you expect when most of the country doesn’t know
if they’ll have feed or water for this year?”
Ted Serhienko of Saskatoon’s
T Bar C Cattle Co. said a lack of moisture is putting pressure on the
bull sales.
He said drought, a trend to later calving and thus breeding dates, and
a market that has treated light-weight animals well the last couple of
years has meant “producers can afford to wait on their bull buying
(when necessary).”
He said other trends may also be affecting the bull market.
“Taller cattle are more difficult to sell. The feedlots want
easier-fleshing animals. Darker colours are doing better as well.”
Charolais and red Angus suffered the most at the sale, dropping their
averages by $612 and $453 respectively. Hereford averages dropped by
$300.
Charolais and Hereford averages also fell at the Calgary sale.
