Strong prices during Canadian Western Agribition sales indicate cattle producers are readying for the reopening of the U.S. border, said president Larry Brack.
“I wasn’t surprised at all by the number of high prices that were paid for some of the animals,” he told reporters.
People are looking at genetics as an investment and want to be “front row centre” when the border opens, he said.
The top selling animal was a fullblood Simmental bull, sold by a Texas breeder to a Brazilian buyer for $36,000. The bull will have to stay in Canada until the border opens.
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The high seller in the ranch horse sale was a stallion, sold to a Saskatchewan buyer for $11,000.
A Wyoming rancher purchased the top selling bison for $10,750.
Final sales tallies were unavailable at press time Nov. 29, but organizers were expecting them and attendance figures to be on par with 2003.
“There’s been amazing buzz in the barns and the sale ring,” Brack said. “The sales have been brisk. They’ve gone fast, lots of bidding, and that’s what you want to see.”
Private treaty sales in the barns were also strong. Brack said one exhibitor told him he’d never had so many people seriously looking at his bulls. One young exhibitor privately sold a half-interest in a heifer for about $10,000, he said.
“The industry is going home from Agribition pleased with the results and confident in the future,” Brack said.
International sales included a half-interest in an Angus heifer to a buyer from England, two bison bulls sold to Wyoming, a half-interest in a Shorthorn bull to an Illinois purchaser and a Simmental female to a Texas buyer.
Canadian buyers were from eight provinces.
International attendance included 630 people from 60 countries and 15 states, including large delegations from Iran and China.
The opening day, where visitors received free admission with a donation to the food bank, resulted in the collection of more than 6,000 pounds of food and $7,500 in cash.
The Nov. 21-27 show ran smoothly, but there was some excitement Nov. 26 when a young Limousin was spooked and ran off through a barn dragging its grooming chute. Everyone got out of the way and the animal was not injured.
Agribition awarded the Jim Lewthwaite Award to the Canadian Trade Commissioner service for its role in building the show’s international reputation.
Grand Coulee, Sask., seed grower Bill Farley received the Chris Sutter Award for his support of Agribition and his role as one of the founders of the grain and forage show.
The 35th Agribition will run Nov. 21-26, 2005.
