REGINA – Rob and Tim Matthews may be producing superstars at Highland Stock Farms, but they still keep their eye on the commercial bull industry.
“The bread and butter of our business is commercial buyers,” said Rob Matthews after the Canadian Western Agribition Limousin sale where they sold semen rights to their big, black bull named Highland Predator. The rights went for $33,000 to a consortium of 22 partners including three American buyers. Each will get 20 doses of semen.
“It is a good way for breeders to get involved without spending a lot of money for that calibre of bull,” said Matthews.
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The bull comes from a line of champions and was undefeated in the show ring this year. It was also named bull of the year through a newly minted merit system within the Limousin breed.
Born in 2004, this bull sold as a calf for a two-thirds interest of $15,000. Highland Farms shares ownership with Enright Farms and Express Ranches in Oklahoma.
Predator fits in with the Matthews family’s overall plan of listening to their customers.
“People want big, stout bulls that are easy calving,” Matthews said.
While the farm raises Red and Black Angus as well as Limousin cattle, colour is less important than other traits even though many of their commercial customers requested black hides.
“Colour is a personal preference but is seems everyone wants them polled,” said Matthews.
However, they have sold embryos to the United Kingdom where interest is growing in black Limousins.
When selecting cattle they have several qualities in mind and use DNA testing to confirm it.
For this family the ideal genetic package is a homozygous polled bull, meaning all its calves will be hornless and heterozygous black or red. Predator is polled and could produce either colour of offspring. And, they are always looking for something new to add to the bull battery and find it among other Canadian breeders and some American lines.
“The commercial guys will leave you if you don’t have outcross bloodlines,” he said.
In 2003, changes were forced on the farm when borders closed due to BSE. In the competitive commercial market, decisions had to be made.
“It made us concentrate on selling commercial bulls rather than purebred females,” he said.
“You can always sell the good ones. It’s the average ones you have to work to sell.”
The farm was established west of Calgary in 1932 and in 1970, Rob’s father Don joined others in selecting cattle in Europe. They chose Limousin and turned them into a deeper bodied, thicker and easier calving breed with structural correctness.
Another change occurred in recent years when the family relocated the ranch to Olds, Alta. Tim has moved there while Rob and his wife are moving to Bragg Creek, Alta.
While the Mathews family had a triumphant Agribition, others enjoyed similar success at a hot sale where 28 lots grossed $193,850 to average $6,628.
Other high prices included $25,000 for an open black polled purebred female from Top Meadow Farms, owned by Kym and Carole Anthony of Clarksburg, Ont. It sold to Rail Line Limousin.
In addition, Payne Livestock of Lloydminster offered a buyer’s choice lot where four heifers were up for bids. The hammer came down at $28,000 with the buyer being Jen Star Livestock of Ontario. Jen Star also paid $17,000 to own an open red heifer from Ivy Livestock of Duchess, Alta.
Grand champion female was owned by Highland with Wat-Cha Farms of Ontario. The reserve came from Greenwood Limousin of Lloydminster.
The reserve champion bull came from Anderson Limousin of Bethune, Sask.
