REGINA — For the second year running, Blair and Stephanie McIntosh have brought the best pen of bulls to Canadian Western Agribition’s commercial cattle show.
That same pen of three black Sim-mentals was also named the people’s choice at the bull pen alley showcase.
McIntosh has been in the Sim-mental business since he was 13 years old. This year he offered a pen of black yearlings as well as a pen of solid red bulls, which also won its class.
“We have something for everybody,” he said.
Read Also
Hogs’ transport stress called costly
Poor trailer design and transportation stress are killing pigs and costing the pork industry millions of dollars in penalties, meat quality downgrades and failed welfare audits, according to research by a federal scientist.
McIntosh is in the business of selling bulls from his Maymont, Sask., ranch, and each year joins two other producers for a March bull sale.
Producer sales are tremendously popular and often sell more cattle than many consignment sales used to offer.
“The good part of working together is that you all have the same thoughts and ideas,” he said.
Simmentals come in a variety of colours, but his customers have recently been looking for black cattle with white faces.
McIntosh also had a display in the purebred barn at Agribition to further promote his cattle, and sold a polled black heifer in the Simmental sale for $9,000 to Downhill Sim-mentals of Minnedosa, Man. This was higher than the sale average of $8,000.
For McIntosh, the place to be is in Agribition’s newly improved commercial barn, which has been cleaned up and expanded so that producers have more room for a professional cattle display and hospitality area.
“The atmosphere is unreal with the amount of people coming through.”
The commercial show also offered a good range of replacement cattle. Sale prices were not available at press time Dec. 1.
The grand and reserve champion pen of bred replacement heifers went to Murray Westman of Vermilion, Alta. The grand champion pen of open heifers went to Blairswest of Drake, Sask., and reserve was Sentes Farm of Raymore, Sask.
