BALZAC, Alta. – Dustin Lamb leafs through a large livestock catalogue and dreams of the day he can crack the U.S. show steer market.
Steer competitions are big business in the United States, where winners claim prize money in the six figure range. Last year’s stock show grand champion steer in Fort Worth, Texas, sold for a record $185,000.
An affable 17 year old, Lamb has taken a year off before registering at the University of Lethbridge for a business degree.
This year is devoted to building his steer business that culminated in his second prospect steer sale Oct. 14.
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The business is called Simmi-Maine-iac Cattle Enterprises. Working with his partner Raymond Gonnet of Edmonton, last year’s Club Calf Connection sale averaged $1,350 on 20 calves sold through a silent auction format. The high seller was $2,000.
In the U.S. these prospects are selling for 10 times that amount.
“Our purebred business I’d say is competitive here but with our show steers, we’re way behind,” he said.
Canadians do not win as much money on show steers as their American counterparts partly because of a different level of sponsorship.
“Down there it is way more competitive. The young kids have their steers at the steer jockey’s house all year and they work on them hard every day. It is a big, big deal.”
His buyers are mostly farm kids while in the U.S. more people on the periphery of agriculture get involved for big jackpots, tax incentives and fun.
A handful of other Canadians are trading in show steers but being shut out of the American market because of BSE sanctions cut into their sales opportunities.
There is still money to be made and Lamb sees this business as a way to add value to steers when the fed market falters.
“It gets more and more competitive every year. It is growing here every year, especially in Alberta.”
Lamb was born into a cattle family. His parents, John and Kim Lamb, were in the purebred Simmental business but now run a commercial cow herd of Simmental, Maine Anjou and Angus cross cattle near Balzac.
His interest in the show market grew out of his involvement in 4-H. In 2006 he set a record at Calgary’s 4-H on parade when his grand champion steer fetched $8,000 from an energy company. He already had his university fund set up so he used his profits to invest in more cattle.
He first saw the business possibilities several years ago when he and his father were checking out bulls known to produce good steers at Independent Breeders. He used some of the semen and produced a heifer that started to win for him at 4-H.
Of the 150 calves born at the farm each spring, he selects about 10 percent with show quality.
His marketing plan is to build business through word of mouth, road-side signs, a website and the telephone.
Buyers receive the calves’ weight and pedigree information but because most of the steers are sold to children, a halter broken animal with a quiet temperament is probably more important.
When Lamb selects cattle, he is looking for the ideal market steer.
It needs a heavy hair coat and a thick, well muscled body set on a strong skeleton. Its front end needs to be clean without a heavy, hanging dewlap and it needs to be able to walk well. Colour does not matter although unusual hides such as silver and blue roan may capture a second look from the show judge.
“One thing that is really neat about the show steer thing is that colour doesn’t matter. They are either good or they are not.”
He does not use growth implants but he does provide a high quality feed ration to build muscle and create shiny coats.
Lamb’s steers are starting to make a name and he knows some of his buyers are looking to buy a winner.
“A lot of the kids who come to our sale seem to be really keen and want to do well. They are looking for the best steer they can. They are definitely competitive.”
The reserve grand champion at the 2007 4-H on Parade in Calgary came from his sale last year. Steers from this farm have also won at Sundre, Alta., Edmonton and Olds, Alta.
