Selling bulls in a bear market was the challenge for this year’s Calgary Bull Sale held March 3-5.
New twists to North America’s longest running consignment sale included some cost cutting.
This year bulls had to enter the ring in a natural state with no clipped coats, coiffures, manicures or special polish. It was a move favoured by bull sale president Doug Robertson.
“If you need glue and adhesives to show breeding cattle, then your genetics are wrong,” said Robertson, who owns Coldstream Angus at Airdrie, Alta.
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The pressure of BSE was a good time to implement some changes. Slickly produced catalogues were no longer mailed out, saving the organizers $9,000. The catalogue was replaced with cheaper sales lists for each of the three breeds on offer. Gifts to exhibitors costing $7,000 were eliminated as well.
In addition, the sale went on-line this year. Working with the Calgary Public Stockyards’ TEAM auction system, the sale was telecast on the internet simultaneously for each of the three sales for Angus, Charolais and Herefords. At least 70 potential buyers were on-line at any given time, and TEAM administrator Jason Danard speculated the site received more than 500,000 hits the first day.
Sale days also changed this year. Instead of being a weekend event competing with heavy urban traffic at the Calgary Stampede grounds, the sale moved to midweek.
Sale results this year were mixed, with comparatively high prices paid for champions and disappointing passes for other bulls that would have sold easily in a normal trading year.
Grand and reserve champions went to Gavin and Mabel Hamilton of Innisfail, Alta. Their grand champion sold for $7,500 to Ted and Marci McPeak of Airdrie., Alta., and their reserve went for $5,500 to Stauffer Ranches of Pincher Creek, Alta. Overall, 102 bulls sold for an average of $2,676.
Charolais
The grand and reserve champion banners went to Drake Charolais of Kathyrn, Alta. The grand champion sold for $3,200 to Jeff Millar of Calgary and the reserve went for $5,000 to Mullen Cattle Co. of Strathmore, Alta. The sale averaged $2,532 on 31 lots.
The grand champion Hereford bull was entered by Little Poplar Grove Herefords of Forestburg, Alta., and sold for $5,400 to Red Willow Colony of Stettler, Alta. The reserve champion bull was the entry of Wild Bear Herefords of Okotoks, Alta. It fetched $7,000 from Bar N Cattle Company of Turner Valley, Alta. The 269 Herefords sold averaged $2,303.
Overall, 269 bulls were sold for an average price of $2,303.
Last year, 414 bulls from five breeds were sold for an average price of $3,401.
