REGINA – A yearling Gelbvieh heifer named Ston Miss Paradee 64R was the apple of Leila Hickman’s eye when she was approached to sell.
It took some gentle persuasion to convince her and husband Darrell to offer the bred female for sale at the Canadian Western Agribition.
The red heifer caught everyone else’s eye when she won the Sweetheart classic portion of the Gelbvieh sale on Nov. 23. This is a jackpot event where people enter their heifers and a fee is paid to vote for the best females. The highest number of votes wins and the animal is offered for sale.
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“It means a lot because it is voted on by your peers,” said Hickman.
The heifer sold for $10,000 to V & V Farms, owned by Vern and Vivienne Pancoast of Redcliff, Alta. The Hickmans have been friendly with the Pancoast family and were pleased to know their favourite was going to a good home.
“We didn’t know they were interested in her,” she said.
This first-ever trip to Agribition proved profitable for the Vermilion, Alta., couple because they also sold a half interest, half possession in a black bull calf for $6,000 to Davidson Gelb-vieh of Ponteix, Sask.
The bull was sired by an American bull that has not been used heavily so buyers were interested in an outcross. Since they still own a half share, they want to continue showing it to promote Gelbvieh. As a grand champion from the Lloydminster fall show, the calf also qualified for the supreme championship at Agribition.
Gelbvieh roots run deep in the family. Leila’s father John Milne travelled to Europe in 1971 where he selected a bull and later imported females as the first wave of continental cattle started appearing in North America.
The family liked the moderate red cattle and stayed with them. Darrell grew up with Limousin cattle in Oklahoma, so Leila converted him to the breed.
They own about 40 head and since both work off the farm and are raising three small children, they need easy-keeping cattle. Darrell is the farm manager at Lakeland agriculture college at Vermilion and Leila is a 4-H specialist with Alberta Agriculture.
“We both work full time and we decided we had to have 40 good ones,” she said.
They sell their bulls through the Lloydminster Bull Sale as well as privately.
At the Agribition sale, there were 26 lots with an average price of $3,119.
At the show, Bar GR Gelbvieh of High Prairie, Alta., had grand champion female and reserve went to Saxon Hill Land and Cattle of Melville, Sask.
Grand champion bull went to Davidson Gelbvieh and reserve went to McCoy Farms of Milestone, Sask.
Davidson was also named premier breeder and McCoy the premier exhibitor.
