REGINA — Canadian Western Agribition concluded with tears, cheers, hugs and handshakes as the judges selected the Beef Supreme champions Nov. 25.
Emotions ran high as brothers Ryley and Toby Noble, from Black Gold Simmentals of Lloydminster, Sask., celebrated their Supreme champion female, GVR Miss Peppa 21J with heifer calf at side, Black Gold/Greenwood Peppa 7L. Greenwood Cattle co-owns the animals.
Their tears flowed freely as numerous people congratulated them.
“Indescribable. Overwhelming,” said Toby when asked how their first Supreme win felt. “We’re just soaking it all in. We’ve been trying to win this for quite a few years so we’re pretty excited.”
“There’s no better feeling,” added Ryley.
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The prestige of winning the Beef Supreme, which concludes the fall purebred show circuit, enhances marketing opportunities. Black Gold is offering half-interest, no possession of the nearly three-year-old Miss Peppa 21J at an upcoming sale, and Peppa 7L is also available at the same sale.
The brothers wouldn’t speculate on what the animals might bring.
“They’re cattle that combine a lot of traits that within the Simmental breed are really hard to do. They’re kind of fault-free cattle that do a lot of things right,” said Toby.
The Simmentals had already been named grand champions at the Olds Fall Classic, Lloydminster Stockade Round-up and Edmonton’s Farmfair International before taking the title at Agribition in Regina.
One of the five Supreme judges, Katie Songer, from Rocky Mountain House, Alta., said she was thrilled to slap the winner, which had been her choice.
“We were just discussing that there was probably a number of females in here that could win it because by the time they get to this level, when they’ve qualified from all these other shows, there’s so much quality out in the ring that it really comes down to a personal preference of style,” she said after the event.
“This female, she’s just special. Look at her body type and her udder quality and then she has this beautiful heifer calf in front of her that is just evidence of perfection for me.”
With the five-judge panel system, a low placing by one judge can knock an entry out of the running.
“It’s bringing good cattle and it’s a lot of luck,” Songer added.
That’s exactly what Corey Lees said after Glenlees AXA Evolve ET 112J was named Supreme bull.
Lees, from Glenlees Farm at Arcola, Sask., was nearly speechless after his first Supreme win.
“Luck. Pure luck,” he said when asked why the Polled Hereford rose to the top.
“There’s a lot of emotion right now. It means a lot,” he said, while accepting hugs from family. “There’s a lot of time and effort that goes into this. It’s a lot of work.”
The bull is co-owned by AXA Polled Herefords of New Brunswick and River Valley Polled Herefords of Ontario and had won the Hereford event at Agribition to qualify for the Supreme. The bull had been junior bull calf champion at Agribition in 2021 and reserve grand champion in 2022.
Judge Brent Stewart from Russell, Man., jumped up and slapped both hands on Lees’ shoulders rather than slapping the bull itself.
He said all the bulls were outstanding.
“They were all excellent cattle. There’s so many similarities between the top 10 and that one was the most popular for five judges,” Stewart said.
He said even the cattle he saw in the barns that didn’t make the Supreme are such good quality that it’s exciting to see how the industry will move ahead, and he noted the number of young people participating in the youth events at Agribition.
“It’s quite an honour and humbling to judge this deal,” he said of the Supreme event. “You only get to do it once.”
The top 10 bulls included Polled Herefords, Simmental, Black Angus, Red Angus, Limousin and Speckle Park.
The top 10 females included Black Angus, Simmental, Shorthorn, Red Angus, Charolais and Polled Hereford.
Supreme winners receive $10,000, as well as other prizes.
