The All Star Angus Sale was the strongest at Canadian Western Agribition this year, although other breeds also did well
REGINA — The high-selling lot at Canadian Western Agribition wasn’t in the ring during the All Star Angus Sale last week.
However, Bar E-L Erica 74A’s reputation, particularly at Agribition, is so strong she didn’t have to be there for the right to flush her to top the sale.
Grand River Angus, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, guaranteed 10 embryos to a maximum of 20 from one IVF cycle to the sire of the buyer’s choice.
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That buyer was Rusty Cooper from Oklahoma, who paid $72,500.
Next up was a bred 2023 Erica daughter, HLC CSI Erica 200L, from Hollinger Land & Cattle at Nixdorf, Sask., and CSI Angus, which sold for $45,000 to LT Ranch in South Dakota.
Finally, a package of three embryos from Erica Rise n Shine, also from Hollinger and CSI, sold for $2,750 each to Fox Mountain Farms.
Purebred watchers will know that Blairswest Erica 11J, a daughter, won the Agribition show last year, and a son, Alpine, sold for $118,000 in the sale.
This year, the sale grossed $609,625 on 22.84 lots, including genetics, to average $26,691.
Auctioneer Chris Poley said he knew interest was strong but the sale definitely exceeded expectations.
“That cow has got a phenomenal track record as being a great flush cow. She’s the grandmother of the bull that was Agribition champion, she’s also been a mother of many-time champions,” he said.
“She’s also getting to be fairly old so there’s not going to be many more opportunities to flush that cow.”
As a letter A, Erica 74 was born in 2013.
There were Mexican buyers in the crowd and one sale to Poland.
Fred Zehetner from Best Beef Academy in Austria spoke on behalf of the Polish buyers, Maciej Polanowski and Andrzej Baczyk.
He said they wanted to look for Canadian genetics so spent a week before the show on farms such as Peak Dot.
Zehetner first came to Agribition 40 years ago and has now attended six times.
He said the Polish buyers changed from Limousin crosses to Angus by purchasing 180 cows and 18 bulls in Austria.
“At the moment we have nearly 1,000 cows and make a really good beef for the Polish people,” he said.
They bought Malchuk Blackbird 11M from Malchuk Farms at Shoal Lake, Man., for $13,000. The black heifer was their number one choice.
Zehetner said the heifer will go back to Manitoba, and eventually embryos will move to Poland. He said moving genetics is “an answer for the stupid European rules” that make live imports onerous.
In the Agribition show ring, the grand champion female Black Angus was Merit Socialite 1028J, with calf at side, Merit John Wayne 4063M, from Merit Cattle Co. at Radville, Sask. The winning Red Angus was Red Blair’s Yankee 129K, with calf Red Blair’s Carlos Yankee 116M, shown by Blairs.Ag Cattle Co. from Lanigan, Sask., and Carlos Ojea from Argentina.
In the bull show, the winning Black Angus was HLC CSI Elevation 100K, from Hollinger, CSI and Rafter D4 Cattle Co.
The Red Angus winner was the eventual Beef Supreme winner, Red Wilbar Hennessy 3K from Wilbar Cattle Co., Dundurn, Sask., and Rohrich Cutting Edge Ranch.
You can find all our Agribition 2024 coverage here.
Contact karen.briere@producer.com
