Bull Sales

[grassfarmer]

could randy or anyone else who is up to speed on bull sales let us know how the prices are doing this year ?
My understanding is that the Calgary Bull Sale was steady on the top end bulls but tailed off on the lower end.
Have been too busy looking after my own cows to pay attention this past few days,and bull sale season is upon us.

[cswilson]

My neighbor just had his sale (Black Angus) he averaged 3700 and topped out at 10,200 to a commercial man.

[cswilson]

I noticed that the number of bulls on offer are less in some of the sale catalogs I have received over the past few weeks. Hopefully the prices on the good bulls will be decent. Good quality bred commercial females seem to be selling fairly strong too.

[rkaiser]

Wow Mr. Wilson, that was some kinda sale. You northern Saskatchewan boys must have some money eh!

I would also say that numbers of bulls offered are down, and certainly interest in buying is up. One year of hanging on to old bulls seems to be about all most can take.

Purebred guys are banding together to do everything possible to have things look good. Some good high end prices at Calgary etc. bode for that. Soderglen did their best to have a great average once again, with fantastic promotion and lots of credits.

She's a competitive world out there for the purebred guy. We all think that the cow/calf man is the bottom of the heap in this marketplace that feeds off the next guy down the line. However the last buck seems to stop at the bull sale where the little guy with no big bucks for promotion sucks the very hind tit.

I really felt sorry for some of those die hard breeders at Calgary who walked their bulls through the ring at the sale minimum. All the while knowing that they had a huge commision bill, and a lot of hard work go for not. It's not always about quality either, some pretty damn good bulls walked through that would darn sure raise a calf on par with the mid range sellers.

All in all however, I think it will be a lot better year than last year, and the long term looks very good. Canada will pull out of this mess, despite feet dragging by CCA and the government they seem to direct.

[rkaiser]

randy, I admire your positive attitude, and am beginning to sense it across the province. Folks that have managed to hang on this far are sitting back taking stock and cutting what corners they can, but the ones in for the long haul seem to be more determined than ever to see the industry survive and them with it.

[cowman]

Randy: Wishing you the best for a good bull sale! Politics aside, good genetics will always tell...in Bulls as well as men!
This whole goofy border situation wiil eventually get solved and the ones standing at the end of the day will be one hell of a lot stronger!
You obviously raise some pretty good cattle and you seem to be a fairly good marketer of that product! Good luck on your sale!