Mark and Brandi Rosgen had watched Brad Dallas’s bull calf since it hit the ground. When the youngster appeared at the Calgary Bull Sale, they were determined to have it.
“He was one of the best bulls we’ve seen out of a tremendous cow,” said Mark Rosgen after bidding $30,000 for BCD 82H Mercedes 216M.
Dallas Farms of Bowden, Alta., co-owns the calf’s mother with Matejka Farms of Ponoka, Alta. Only two years old, it and its calf won 2002 grand championship honours at Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, Edmonton Farmfair, Calgary Stampede and the County Fair in Olds, Alta.
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The yearling demonstrates good balance, conformation and highly rated carcass qualities.
“That’s what made him worth so much,” Dallas said.
At $30,000, the horned Hereford yearling was the sale’s high seller.
Held March 2-4, the Calgary sale sold 414 bulls for a total of $1.4 million and an average price of $3,401, about the same as 2002 when 484 bulls averaged $3,398.
Commercial cattle producers attending the Calgary Bull Sale expect to see a large selection in colour, size and proven performance, said Doug Robertson, retiring president of the Alberta Cattle Breeders Association, which organizes the sale. At 103 years old, it is North America’s longest running bull sale.
An Angus breeder from Airdrie, Alta., Robertson regularly judges cattle across Western Canada. He has seen a variety from many breeds with improved consistency in quality during the last 10 years.
Breeders are concentrating more heavily on customer service, better beef production and statistics to back up their claims.
“They’re all chasing after marbling,” he said.
He has also witnessed the growth in popularity of on-farm production sales. While he expects the Calgary event to continue, it does have to compete with production sales, internet marketing and cell phone bidding.
“People have more choice than they ever did before,” he said.
Calgary’s advantage is its ability to showcase a number of different breeds. Producers often bring as many as 10 animals so potential buyers from around the world can view and compare a variety of breeding programs.
This year offered five breeds, with horned Herefords continuing to dominate.
The Angus breed had the sale’s second highest seller with a black two year old consigned by Gavin and Mabel Hamilton of Innisfail, Alta. Remington Cattle Co. of Del Bonita, Alta., bought it for $11,000. The animal was also named grand champion, the third time in 10 years that the Hamiltons have won that honour.
They also won junior and senior bull calf champions and had the best pen of three.
The reserve champion from Lee and Dawn Wilson of Bashaw, Alta., sold for $4,500 to Flint & Flint of New Norway, Alta.
The 133 red and black Angus sold for a total of $457,800 to average $3,442.
The Charolais breed sold 42 lots for a total of $131,100 and an average price of $3,121.
The high seller was the consignment from Target Cattle Co. of Calgary, selling to Gary DeBruin of Calgary for $5,700.
The grand champion banner went to P & H Ranching Co. of Innisfail, Alta. Gordon and Neal Church of Balzac, Alta., paid $5,000 for the champion.
The reserve champion sold to Rosebud Ranches of Progress, B.C., for $4,900 from HEJ Charolais of Innisfail, Alta.
The Hereford sale offered 209 lots for a total of $715,050 and an average of $3,594.
Grant and Annette Hirsche of High River, Alta., sold the grand champion for $9,500 to Dunrobin Herefords of Westlock, Alta. Their 2003 string won the best pair of bulls, best group of three and best group of five this year. They also had last year’s grand champion.
Brad Dallas bought the reserve grand champion for $8,250 from Bar Pipe Farms of Okotoks, Alta.
The Simmental offering had a good selection of red and black bulls, with the high seller coming from Roger and David Deeg of Lyalta, Alta. The red yearling bull was named reserve champion and sold for $8,000 to Brockehoff Simmental of Edberg, Alta.
New Trend Cattle Co. of Strathmore, Alta., captured the grand champion Simmental title with its yearling New Trend Bandit 9M, which sold to YX Bar Ranch Ltd. of Calgary for $3,100. This was the third consecutive year that New Trend won the champion banner.
The Simmentals sold 23 bulls for a total of $84,500 to average $3,673.
Seven Saler bulls sold for a total of $19,750 and an average of $2,821.
The high-selling lot and champion was entered by D. Grant Farms of Bowden, Alta., which sold for $4,000 to Mark Kendze of Olds, Alta. The reserve champion from Spring Coulee Salers of Didsbury, Alta., went for $3,600 to Care Farms of Thorhild, Alta.
The top five volume buyers included Miguel Gomez of Durango, Mexico, Whitworth Ranches of May, Idaho, Guenthner Brothers of Consort, Alta., Circle Cattle Company of Big Piney, Wyoming, and the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration of Regina.
