The market is responsible for Angus cattle stealing the show as the largest group of purebreds at this year’s Saskatoon Fall Fair.
Fifty-seven Black Angus and 33 Red Angus were shown at the Nov. 17-19 fair, marking an above-average count. Last year, 63 Angus were shown.
Corinne Gibson, president of the Saskatchewan Angus Association, said she is grateful so many producers are interested in the breed.
“It’s just a popular breed; It works so well with crossbreeding and it’s just growing by leaps and bounds,” Gibson said.
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“Right now, we have the envious position in the beef breeds – at the top.”
Shane Michelson of Lipton, Sask., brought Black Angus to the fair with his partners at Justamere Farms of Lloydminster. With approximately 300 Angus, Michelson said the breed has been consistently successful.
“(It’s) just the market we choose to run with,” Michelson said. “It’s treated us well, our customers respond to it and it just pays the bills.”
The breed has done well in the ring this fall. In Edmonton’s recent Farmfair International, Justamere Farms took home the honour of supreme champion male with a Black Angus bull it co-owned with another business.
The farm added grand champion Black Angus female and bull, and reserve grand champion Red Angus female to its list at the Saskatchewan show.
Val Brown, a Maine-Anjou breeder from Cutknife, Sask., said Justamere Farms’ cattle had all the elements of ideal breeding stock.
“Their cattle just exemplified what I like to see. They just had a lot of volume to them.”
She said steer and heifer calves meant for market must have depth and volume to create weight. Without weight, producers will not receive the money they want at market.
Overall, entries at the purebred show were consistent with previous years, said Lori Cates, agricultural manager at Saskatoon Prairieland Park.
“We’re almost exactly on par as far as entries go compared to last year.”
Approximately 450 purebreds and 265 commercial cattle registered for the show while some dropped out because of poor weather in the week before the event, said Cates.
“Well, we’re getting away from the BSE thing. A lot more people are optimistic. Prices are a little better this fall so things are on the up and up right now and the cattle industry is looking pretty good.”
Farmfair and Regina’s upcoming Canadian Western Agribition sometimes overshadow the Saskatoon show, but Cates said there is little room for the Saskatoon event to grow.
“Yes, we’d like to see it grow a little bit more, but it will never be probably one of those shows with 2,200 head,” Cates said. “We physically can’t accommodate it.”
While the show is small, Gibson said Angus and other breeders welcome the opportunity. She said the Fall Fair allows breeders to showcase their cattle to people who otherwise may not see them.
“We have to bring them to town a lot of times to have people appreciate them and then that might follow up with sales at home or sales right in the stall here at Fall Fair.”
Michelson’s partner, Jon Fox, said he likes to show his cattle as many times as possible. He has attended shows in Brandon, Edmonton and Lloydminster and is heading to Agribition next.
“Does Saskatoon bring us a lot of sales? No. But you never know,” said Fox.
He added that a client he sold to in the spring is at the sale to check out his and other stock again.
Added Michelson: “The more times you have them out and the other breeders looking at them, the more opportunity you have to market them.”
