Bull sales declining Despite dwindling interest, officials contend 108-year-old event can remain relevant with the proper changes
Changes are coming to the Regina Bull Sale as organizers contend with declining entries and exhibitors, said chair Scott Fettes.
At a meeting within the next month, the committee plans to look at what it can do to revive the event. Fettes declined to elaborate.
The 108th sale held March 10 saw far fewer bulls sold than last year’s previous low of 92.
More than half on offer were Herefords. Simmentals haven’t been part of the sale for a couple of years and the Charolais entries this year were down to three.
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However, the committee thinks there is a place for this type of event.
Herman Bieber of Wolseley, Sask., would like to see it continue and is waiting to hear what the committee has in mind.
Bieber Herefords has been using the Regina Bull Sale as a sales venue for decades.
“I like the show part of it,” he said.
The Bieber family got out of that aspect of the business for a while but two years ago re-entered the bull show and last fall returned to the show ring at Canadian Western Agribition, which is held in November in Regina.
They had a successful sale on the weekend. Grand champion Hereford bull HDB 108S’S Monroe 331Y was the first to enter the sale ring and earned $9,000 from volume buyers Blaschuck Land and Cattle at Chaplin, Sask.
That price stood for the rest of the sale as the highest.
It also represented an ongoing relationship between the two operations.
“They are repeat buyers for us and always support the Regina Bull Sale,” Bieber noted.
The Blaschuck family bought several higher priced bulls, including two from Harvey Duke at Wascana Cattle Co. of Regina for $6,800 and $5,100 and another from Gregory Freitag at Old Burchill Farm of Alameda, Sask., for $5,000.
Fettes, who operates DKF Red Angus at Gladmar, Sask., with his family, saw the second-highest price of $7,000 paid for his bull, Red DKF Illicit 60Z, a yearling that sparked furious bidding.
Exact sales figures and averages were unavailable at Western Producer press time March 11.
In the show, the reserve Hereford behind Bieber’s bull was the $6,800 Duke bull Square-D 42S Beef 636Y.
The Limousin champion was EMF Poll Zach from Eden Meadows Farm at Zehner, Sask., while the reserve honour went to Hi Ways Zeus, from Hi-Way Limousin at Bethune, Sask.
In the Black Angus show, Edwards Pure Product 77Z from Edwards Angus at Craik, Sask., topped the classes. Freyburn Alliance 69Y, shown by Freyburn Angus of Oxbow, Sask., was the reserve.
Two DKF bulls won top honours in the Red Angus show: Red DKF Dynamo 23Z and Red DKF Xover 7Z.
McCaw Livestock from Whitewood, Sask., showed the winning Charolais bulls, McCaw Zoro PLD 59Z and McCaw Zeke PLD 69Z.
Travis Libke of Dundurn, Sask., judged the event.
