RED DEER – The Morsan Mountain High Sale was a million dollar day for the Thalen family of Ponoka, Alta., and 50 consigners selling silky coated Holstein females to buyers from around the world.
Held in Red Deer July 3, the sale averaged $14,857 on 112 lots, making it one of the bright spots in the Canadian livestock sector.
Morris and Sandra Thalen started planning their second sale last fall by selecting potential sale offerings from their herd of purebred females and travelling across Canada to coax their colleagues to join the sale.
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The high seller came from the Morsan string – a half interest in Serli Colorado Lillie EX-94 that sold for $170,000 to the partnership of Stanhope Dairy-Wedgwood Holsteins in Victoria, which includes a company that markets Holstein genetics internationally.
Thalen said Colorado, a champion cow that was born in 2002, will be shown at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, this October.
Along with the live sale, a week-long on-line embryo sale was also held.
Canadian dairy genetics and high performing dairy cows are hot commodities as the international demand for milk soars and Canada’s trade borders reopen after a five year hiatus due to BSE. However, it is a major investment to build up a business that stumbled in those early days of border closures. Thalen said he does not believe in skimping.
“If you are going to be in the business you have to buy the best,” he said.
Buyers at the early July sale agreed, spending thousands of dollars on females of all ages including calves that have not yet been born.
The second high seller of the day was consigned by Rocky Mountain Holsteins of Cochrane, Alta., and Crackholm Holsteins of Richmond, Que. Eric Solo and David Dyment of Dundas, Ont., paid $95,000 for their choice of a red and white female from a bull named Mr Burns and a cow known as Goldwyn, the highest rated red carrier cow in Canada.
Red and white Holsteins attracted the most spirited bidding of the day, for a red calf consigned by Denis
Martineau and Fils of Ste.-Agathe-de Lotiniere, Que. Morsan Dairy and Faberdale Dairy of Tees, Alta., upped the final bid to $84,000.
Another high seller at $82,000 came from Cormdale Genetics and partners from Bethany, Ont., which was sold back to a new Cormdale partnership.
Ferme Gillette sold a yearling for $64,000 to Rocky Mountain Holsteins and another young black female from Morsan went for $60,000 to Huddlesford Holsteins in England.
The Thalens started as hog producers in 1980 and began milking 17 commercial cows in 1987 while still living in Chilliwack, B.C. The business’s commercial and purebred side expanded rapidly and the family moved to Ponoka in 1995 because it realized 70 percent of its customer base was in Alberta.
Today, working with 20 employees, Morsan milks 900 to 1,000 cows, 30 of which are Brown Swiss. The farm also includes 250 dry cows and 2,200 young stock, making it one of Western Canada’s largest dairy herds.
Exporting cattle is a large part of the Thalens’ business and last year they sold about 1,100 fresh heifers from the farm and another 1,000 head in whole herd transactions.
