100 bulls on offer | More sales held on farms
A purchase by Blaschuck Land and Cattle from Square D Polled Herefords stood as the top transaction at the 107th annual Regina Bull Sale March 11.
However, it also represented a deal between two long-time supporters of the event at a time when others may be drifting away.
Walter Blaschuck from Chaplin, Sask., said he has been coming to the sale for more than 50 years.
“I always went home with a bull,” he said.
And Harvey Duke, who operates Wascana Cattle Co. of Regina with son Bradley and Square D at Langbank, Sask., with his brother Jim, said he has been consigning on his own since 1964, after his father first showed in 1960.
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“I would suggest I’m the longest consecutive contributor still showing,” Duke said after this year’s sale.
The Wascana-consigned bull, Square-D Blitz 952X, topped the sale at $13,000.
“I was hoping he would go for a fairly good price but I haven’t sold a bull for $13,000 for quite a while,” Duke said. “He is one of the best bulls I’ve ever raised.”
The Blaschuck family certainly thinks so, although they have also bought Duke’s top selling bulls for the last two years.
“Good bulls and good people,” said Randy Blaschuck of the reasoning. “They stand behind their bulls.”
The length and style of Blitz was what caught his eye. He said he knew they would have to pay a high price for him simply because of the price of cattle.
The Blaschucks also bought the second-highest priced bull, paying $9,500 for MA HR Metorite 38P 37X from Meadow-Acres Polled Herefords of Lampman, Sask.
They took four bulls home, including the high selling Black Angus for the black half of their herd of 500 cows.
Duke said his bulls appear to work well for the Blaschucks, whom he described as outstanding cattle breeders. Both he and Walter Blas-chuck said attending a bull sale like the one in Regina is critical for both buyers and sellers.
“It’s a good place to bring your bulls and compare,” said Duke.
Still, the numbers at the Regina sale continue to drop as more sales take place on farms. About 100 bulls were on offer this year and the Simmental breed wasn’t represented at all.
Several at the show recalled the days when the barns were full and each breed required its own day in the sale ring.
This year’s grand champions in the show ring were: Hereford, SSAL XID 4X, Six South Acres, Milestone, Sask.; Charolais, Charhead Mister Chr 41Y, Dr. Melanie Roth and Charhead Ranch, Indian Head, Sask.; Red Angus, Red DKF Illicit 349Y, DKF Red Angus, Gladmar, Sask.; Black Angus, Edwards Iron Mountain 132Y, Edwards Angus, Craik, Sask.; Limousin, Hiways You Bet, Hi-Way Limousin, Bethune, Sask.
A total of 92 lots sold for an overall average of $3,803.
High sellers by breed included the $6,000 Black Angus bull, Freyburn Tonka 131X, from Freyburn Angus of Oxbow, Sask., a $5,800 Red Angus yearling, Red K F Real 30Y, consigned by Kuntz Farms of Balgonie, Sask., a $4,200 Charolais, BDT Revelation 20X, from Temple Farms at Carrot River, Sask., and the grand champion Limousin, a yearling, for $4,300.
The sale followed the annual Regina Spring Steer and Heifer 4-H show.
