Agribition sale resulted in record-setting average prices dating all the way back to Regina show’s first year in 1971
REGINA — She knew she had a winner. But in the cattle business the only way to be sure is to take them to town.
Ten-year-old Brin Steppler travelled from Miami, Man., to Regina and the Canadian Western Agribition sale ring to find out for certain if her work raising a two-year-old Charolais female, along with its calf, would pay off. It did.
At $49,000, Steppler Gabby 546H topped the 2022 Agribition Charolais sale last week. The cow, bred from sire Sparrows Braxton 519C and a dam from Steppler’s own Fort Minor 140U had shown well and the young cattle producer had figured it would perform at the sale.
“I’m probably not going to spend it on a Christmas present for Dad. I’m going to buy some more cattle,” she said.
Her dad, Andre, said his daughter has been doing chores and working with cattle since “she was knee-high to a grasshopper. Couldn’t keep her out of there if we tried,” said the cattle producer.
“She really does do all the work with her cattle. Works her butt off out there at the shows too,” he said.
The Grade 5 student’s cattle will be making the trip back to Manitoba to Stacy and Chad Mathews’ farm at LaSalle, Man.
“My cow as a bred heifer won the International Virtual People’s Choice Champion. And all of my regional 4-H shows too. And reserve senior in Brandon and won as a junior female as bred,” she said.
The French Charolais Charbray International held a virtual show, with three divisions — French, Purebred and Charbray — and saw participation from France, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Estonia and Colombia.
“It was a pretty big deal. But she is a very good cow,” said Brin Steppler.
“A new Charolais, Angus or a Simmental, could go any way for the right animal,” she said.
“I will choose one based on how they look, whether they are wild, their breeding, how long they might last.”
Added her father: “We are so proud of her. She is a great ambassador for youth in agriculture for this country.”
Mike Panasiuk, a producer with 34 years in the Charolais business, came to the show with something new at a sale: three demonstration animals and the right to buy a choice of a heifer from 121 embryos, with a 66 percent conception rate, now implanted and growing.
“That is a new one on me,” said Helge By of By Livestock and the Charolais Banner magazine.
“It sure seems to have worked for Springside (Farms). Forty-one thousand for something that hasn’t been born yet, that’s an investment in the future. A long way from making a return. An investment that will pay off, I think,” he said.
Panasiuk of Springside Farms in Stettler, Alta., has been showing at Agribition since 2001 and says the event has been an effective showcase for his purebred cattle.
Rather than bring a for-sale female to the sale ring, he brought three bull calves from Springside’s embryo program: one was senior bull calf champion and the other two were from national champions and high sellers.
“We try to use the best and hottest bloodlines and best embryos in the business, so there will be the best choices in the business next August. Might be hard to choose,” he said.
“We run about 200 purebred Charolais cows. We had the high selling yearling bull in Canada last year at our sale and had the highest averaging bull sale, with Sandan Charolais. But this was a little different. And different worked,” he said.
The Charolais sale had a price average of $15,375 with 18 lots on the block, besting the 2017 previous high of $14,602 with similar animals for sale. The third best was $11,221 in 1986.
Agribition was held Nov. 28 to Dec. 3.
