REGINA – A January bull calf gave Dave Hasson 59,000 reasons to head down a winter highway between Ontario and Saskatchewan to attend the Canadian Western Agribition.
A two-thirds interest in the Red Angus youngster sold for $59,000 to R & M Angus and King Associates of Kitscoty, Alta. This was a record for an Agribition Angus sale.
“He’s the most crowd-drawing animal we have ever shown,” said Hasson.
His Gold-Bar Livestock retains a one-third semen interest. He figures the bull’s value has already increased since the sale. The bull will be collected at Independent Breeders and moved to his Alberta home next spring.
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After years as a successful Hereford breeder, Hasson ventured into the Red Angus business four years ago. Today, his family-owned operation at Ariss, outside Guelph, Ont., is exclusively Red Angus.
The Angus bulls started earning him more money while retaining the color Ontario buyers preferred.
“In Ontario, people like those cream-colored calves,” he said.
While his day job is investment planning counselor, Hasson’s true love is cattle. His four daughters share his enthusiasm in the cattle business and join him on the show circuit.
In the early 1980s, Gold-Bar raised two Herefords named Godfather and Rifle that took him to the pinnacle of that purebred sector. Hasson is a former president of the national association and has traveled extensively to promote the value of purebred cattle.
In those heady days 20 years ago, purebred cattle drew big crowds and big bucks. Hasson believes the high enthusiasm and impressive prices for seedstock animals will return. The cattle cycle is at a high price period, people want high performing bulls to improve their beef herd and investors will return.
“Higher dollars are a thing of the future,” he said. “The base price of cattle is much higher and taxes are going down so we may see more investment in agriculture.”
