CALGARY – More bulls walked through the ring at the Calgary bull sale this year to achieve a better overall average than 1994.
A total of 586 lots sold for more than $2.1 million to average $3,641.
Calgary presents one of the longest running bull sales in Canada.
American buyers successfully bid on 110 Alberta bulls, almost all Hereford and Angus, with some Charolais. Most were purchased by order buyers from Wyoming and Idaho. Buyers also came from Quebec and Prince Edward Island to buy the Alberta-bred bulls.
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The top selling bull this year was a two-year-old Hereford consigned by Ron Hanson of Airdrie. He sold for $62,500 to Adams Ranch of Gunnison, Colo.
The Ochs Brothers, also from Gunnison, paid $52,000 for a Hereford consigned by Larry Henkel of Turner Valley. They joined forces with Fenton Ranches of Irma to buy the grand champion Hereford for $19,000. He was consigned by JoNomn Hereford Ranch of Clyde.
The reserve champion Hereford came from Gordon Henderson of Forestburg. The bull sold for $9,750 to Terril Pearson from Wardlow.
The final average for the Hereford auction was $4,063 for 291 lots, up from last year’s tally of $4,007 on 272 lots.
Angus breeders brought 143 bulls to the sale with an average of $3,174. The average in 1994 was $3,316.
The grand champion bull came from Gavin and Mabel Hamilton of Innisfail. Their entry was also the top selling Angus of the sale going for $10,000 to Stauffer Farms of Eckville.
The reserve champion from Hamilton Farms of Calgary, sold for $6,300 to David Bradshaw of Innisfail. Geis Angus Farm of Barrhead sold an Angus bull for $7,700 to John Fairgrieve of Pierson, Man.
The Charolais sale average was down by $22 from last year, posting a final result of $3,502 on 58 bulls. The top-selling Charolais was the reserve grand champion from Snake Valley Farm of Champion. He sold for $12,300 to William Krizan of Barnwell. The grand champion was entered by Louis Tinant of Drayton Valley and fetched $8,000 from Letniak Charolais of Consort.
Simmental entry numbers and averages were down slightly. This year 82 bulls sold for an average price of $3,205.
The top seller, consigned by Roger and David Deeg of Lyalta, went for $8,000 to Egan Brockhoff of Edberg.
The grand champion banner went to R & R Stock Farms of Crossfield and was taken home by Larry Graff of Vulcan for $3,000. The reserve champion came from Rondrey Simmental Farm of Cochrane. Ted Shacklady bought him for $6,500.
The Shorthorn breed returned to Calgary after a 16-year absence. They had a respectable average of $2,616 on 12 bulls. The top seller was from Blue Ridge Shorthorns of Mayerthorpe and sold for $4,000 to Roberts and Barnes of High Prairie.
The grand champion was also from Blue Ridge Shorthorns, and sold for $3,700. The reserve bull was consigned by Jacqueline Stephenson of Okotoks and went for $3,900 to Eionmor Stock Farm and M.R. Boake of Innisfail.
