DRAKE, Sask. — Scott and Calla Blair are riding a winning streak.
They took three pens to Canadian Western Agribition held in Regina Nov. 21-26 and returned home with three championships: bred heifers, feeder steers and open heifers in the futurity.
“We worked a long time to try and win one banner at Agribition and this year we actually won three,” said Scott.
The Blairs were also named Simmental commercial breeder of the year at the Simmental show.
“We had a banner year,” said Calla.
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Competition is nothing new for the Blairs, who run 250 Simmental cows and farm 5,000 acres of cropland 11 kilometres west of Drake. Scott and Calla have been showing cattle 20 years, about as long as they’ve been married.
They met at the University of Saskatchewan, where they received agriculture diplomas. Calla grew up on a mixed farm at MacLean, Sask., while Scott remains on the home quarter that his great-grandfather homesteaded in 1905.
They work together on many of the farm chores, which Calla said is not typical.
“Lots of farm women don’t go outside. I prefer to be outside. Don’t make me stay in the house. The last time I was in the house was part of a day when I had to cook the fowl supper turkey for the local community.
“Other than that, when it’s show season, I’m pretty much outside full time,” she said. “I feel I’m pretty handy because I can run a combine, drive the sprayer, drive a semi.… I move cows, bale, and cut hay. I can weld. I can do whatever.”
Although they have few purebreds today, the Blairs were among the first producers to import purebred Simmentals from France.
Scott’s father, Dale, who still farms, helped introduce the breed to Canada in 1970.
Today, they raise mainly Simmentals crossbred with Red Angus to F1 females. They are sold as replacements to customers looking for hybrid vigour.
Grain farming continues to be the most profitable part of the farm, but the commercial market for beef is coming on strong, thanks in part to big wins at Agribition, where they had the third highest selling pen.
“We sell out of our bred heifers pretty early,” said Scott.
“If we had twice as many, we could sell them.”
Calla said she feels bad for potential customers who can’t buy from them because they’ve sold out of genetics.
“We have to step up with our supply to meet demand.”
Competition plays a big part in the family dynamics.
All three boys play hockey in the win-ter and baseball in the summer. This hockey season, Cameron is a centre for the Junior A Flin Flon Bombers, while Nolan is in midget and Maguire is a bantam. Scott and Calla played hockey during university.
Scott has coached minor hockey for 14 years and this winter is coaching Nolan’s midget team.
“There’s not many rinks in the province that we haven’t seen the inside of,” he said.
“Our holiday is Agribition, or a comfortable seat at an arena.”
Added Calla: “It’s either hockey or business. It’s one or the other. We have never gone on a holiday.”
Scott and Calla keep expanding the family farm as their children mature, partly to stay competitive and also to make a place for the three boys who have all expressed a desire to farm.
“The way the economics are you have to keep expanding a bit, especially if the kids want to be involved,” Scott said.
Involvement is key, whether it’s playing sports, doing chores or showing a 4-H calf.
“With all that’s out there, it’s good for the kids to keep them busy because if they’re not busy they’re on the street and they’re doing something else,” Calla said.
“It’s good for kids to be busy. It teaches them a work ethic and responsibility.”
