COCHRANE, Alta. – Jill Richards’s husband Doug nearly had a stroke when she told him she had just paid $5,000 for a fibreglass cow.
“Do you realize you just spent $60 a pound for a plastic cow?” he said.
Well, yes, she replied, but this is a special cow.
Jill and her sister Judy MacKenzie borrowed $5,000 to buy the cow so they could participate in the Udderly Art charity auction to be held Oct. 28 at the Calgary Stampede Grounds.
Their idea is to sell space on the cow to women who own registered brands. For $110, they can have their brand painted on Brandy the Cow as a special remembrance of their family’s history. MacKenzie’s husband, artist Mac MacKenzie, painted the cow.
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The two hoped to sell 50 spots to cover their costs. Within two days they had their $5,000 back. A month later they had sold 175 spots to women from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Some of the brands date back to the 1880s and cover five generations of ranching families.
Charity benefits
Profits raised on the sale of brands are dedicated to the Western Heritage Centre. Auction proceeds are also earmarked for the centre and the women hope the buyer considers putting the cow on permanent display at the rodeo and ranching museum outside Cochrane.
To further celebrate the ranching sorority, Richards and MacKenzie came up with the name Cowgirl Cattle Company. Blackfalds, Alta., rancher Don Carlyle donated a lifetime brand to the group, which has decided to reunite every year for the next 10 years at the heritage centre.
The history and attachment to the brands holds meaning for the women.
“Having a brand is like having a thumbprint,” said Richards. “Everyone is unique.”
The project also recognizes the contribution ranching women made to western history. More than one ambitious young man married the rancher’s daughter, who worked at his side to maintain the family spread. Some of the brands were registered with the Northwest Territories government in the early 1880s.
“Branding is a whole history book,” Richards said.
Businessperson Bonnie Laycock of Calgary brought the Udderly Art auction concept to town after seeing its success in Chicago. In 1999 the Chicago cows fetched more than $3.6 million (U.S.) at an auction. The average price was $25,000 and the top cow earned $110,000 for charity.
So far, 126 fibreglass cows have been purchased and painted for the Alberta auction that supports 48 charities. They will be turned out as a herd in Calgary where they will remain until auction time.
“We want it to be outdoor art that is accessible to everyone,” said Laycock.
