REGINA — Twenty-five years in, and the anticipation and excitement of the Beef Supreme at Canadian Western Agribition still thrills.
The show announcer describes the event that brings together champions from 15 shows as the Grey Cup, Super Bowl and World Series all in one, and for the competitors it is that big.
Tracey Willms was so happy when Wilbar Cattle Co. won on the bull side that she ran from the female she was holding on the other side of the arena to jump into her husband Bryan’s arms.
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Red Wilbar Hennessy 3K, a Red Angus bull from Wilbar at Dundurn, Sask., and co-owners Rohrich Cutting Edge Ranch in North Dakota earned the slap from Nate Marin on behalf of the five judges.
The farm had a third animal in the ring, a bull that won at the Prince Albert Exhibition in Prince Albert, Sask.
Hennessy qualified in three shows: the Olds Fall Classic in Olds, Alta., Farmfair International in Edmonton and Agribition in Regina.
Bryan Willms said the win was extra special.
“We’ve raised one (winner) that we had sold in the past, but this is the first one that we were on the halter for,” he said.
“It was an unbelievable fall run, and we couldn’t do it without the whole family and crew.”
He was referring to 2013 winner Red Wilbar Longitude 646Y, owned by Redrich Farms.
He said years and years of genetic selection culminated in the Supreme.
“He puts all the right pieces together, and the judges happened to like him today. There’s always a little luck involved with it, and we’ll take every bit we can get.”
Tracey said Hennessy is now retired from the show circuit.
She laughed about “shooting out of the female side” when she saw the slap.
The Willms family has been in the purebred Angus business for more than 60 years, and Bryan and Tracey’s children, Kylie and Owen, are the fifth generation. Kylie was on the halter for the other bull, while Owen is part owner of the female entry that qualified in Olds.
Hennessy will go home for the winter and then to the United States for the summer breeding season.
The Supreme champion female was Wheatland Lady 211H from Wheatland Cattle Co. at Bienfait, Sask., Michelson Land and Cattle and G2 Cattle Co.
She topped the 38 females in the Supreme after winning the Agribition Simmental show with calf at side, Wheatland Bull 4177M.
Riley Lafrentz said this is what purebred breeders work toward every year, but when competing against the best, they also need some luck
“Today it was our lucky day, but we’re awfully proud of them,” he said.
“She’s as nice, I think, as we’ve had, and then the bull calf at side of her has very much caught some attention, just for size and power. A beautiful uddered cow with a big bull calf, and they just kind of put it all together today for us.”
Wheatland has also been in the winners’ circle before. In 2006, Wheatland Bull 468P won the Supreme after also winning the World Simmental Congress title.
Lafrentz was much younger then; his parents showed that bull. He said he understands better now, as an adult, what it takes to win and how it feels.
His parents are still involved with the operation, as is his wife Madison, his brother and a crew.
There were 100 animals in the ring for the 25th show, including 37 bulls and 38 females with 25 calves.
