bull sales

[cowman]

Have not been following the sales this year, but I would think prices should be fairly decent? I like to try to get down to Calgary to see all the "pretty boys" in the barns! Still know a few of the old hereford breeders and like to see that breed. A few locals take Chars and my uncle usually has some Simmentals there.
When I was a kid that bull sale was like the highlight of our year, usually got to play hooky from school for a couple of days! Both my grandfathers took big strings of bulls and it was like a big family party every year! Lots of early mornings at the wash racks and lots of water fights! Ever stay in the dorms, upstairs?
Those were fun times and there was a pile of money to be made! People would agonize over the purchase of a bull for weeks at a time...used to be visitors at the farm practicually all winter checking out the sale bulls.
I found an old accounting book of my grandmothers for 1945. Entry fees for 11 bulls at Calgary was $66! Entry fee for 10 bulls at Lacombe was $41! Bull sale expenses at Calgary were $27! She recorded that Silver Janet 2nds bull sold for $1450! The rest averaged about $600.
Also recorded in late 1945 was the price for a quarter they bought...$1907!
In 1947 my grandfather sold a bull for a record amount at Calgary that brought enough money to buy my uncle 3 quarters!
It is sure funny to see those prices in this day and age.

[PureCountry]

Ain't that the truth! If a bull was sold nowadays and paid for 3 quarters of land, even in our area, he'd have brought $300,000 or more! In your area, $600,000? Maybe more?

Crazy.

[whiteface]

Crazy is right! 3 quarters down here for 600 G's? I wish! More like 6 a piece. Congradulations on your calves topping the sale purecountry. Maybe you'll be moving down here. Take over one of those going under Timothy farms! Cowman, I think you and I know the same guy that is rumored to be on his way out. I got that info straight out of his neighbor...and yet another major Timothy grower that gave up all of his lease land last fall. Can't be good. You heard anything further on what we'll all be doing with all this over priced land yet? Have a good day as always all!

[ALLFARMER]

My congrats also purecountry!

My neighbour just bought a half section all cleared and in Grass hay $90,000 perfectly flat, no rocks

[rkaiser]

Hey Whitey. What's shakin? What's this hijackin a bull sale thread with talk of land prices - have you got your realtors liscence yet?

[Rodjam]

I just returned from a bull sale in Rimbey. 3 breeds, Black Angus, Simmental and Gelbvieh. Sale average was around $2800 with the Simmentals selling a little stronger then the Gelbvieh and the Angus bringing up the rear. There were a couple Gelbvieh bulls passed under $2000.

[whiteface]

Still considering the realtors liscence but always very interested in property as an investment...when you going to have coffee with me rkaiser? I'm out of bed cowman, where the heck are you? I need your comment on what'll happen with all those Timothy growers and what you think is going to happen with all this land around here. Sorry about hijacking the bull thread...would still like to know...
Have a good day all!

[cowman]

Whiteface: I have no idea what is going to happen with all the Timothy acreage! The whole darned business has been sort of going in the tank the last several years? Quite frankly it was always a fairly risky business, despite the big bucks some years?
I think a lot of guys who got into hay production, whether timothy or other, did it because they couldn't afford to keep grain farming? It is very doubtful they will be able to go back to grain, although renting land out to grainfarmers could still be an option...well as long as you can still find some optomist with deep pockets! And of course, as always, the farm population isn't getting any younger...?
I suspect we've pretty well suckered over as many European farmers as we can? The ones who have come here thinking this is the land of milk and honey have often got a rude awakening?
As far as my area land prices are only going one way...up! It has absolutely nothing to do with common sense, but more to do with lots of oil money looking for a home and lots of old families thinking they are building an empire or something?
There are lots of stories of the old days where you hit one really good crop and it paid for the farm? Even when I was young there was one year where ****seed paid for a farm in one year! Those days are gone forever...in fact in a really good year you might make the interest...if you are lucky?
And there is the problem? That is the reason we are basically an industry of old people putting in our time?

[whiteface]

Thanks cowman. I've always admired your perspective and soon I hope to meet you at Innisfail auction or one of Jack's summer rodeos and buy you a coffee. I just bought another little farm in the east of Innisfail area and am letting the one I'm on now in Olds out to some horse people for awhile. The land is worth more to grow horses on than cattle. Still like land (some land that is!) as an investment but am also always paying attention to what it is best suited for beit oil guys, chickens, reindeer, whatever. Thanks again for the insight! Talk soon! Have a good day all!

[grassfarmer]

Cowman, I don't think you have run out of European buyers yet. Things may be a little tough here but compared to European Union countries this is still a land of immense opportunity for those who want to be in agriculture. Bear in mind their relatively higher land values which gives them a good step up the ladder when moving here.

[cowman]

Well in this area it seems to be dropping off in a big way. I think a lot of the Dutch farmers who came over saw dairies and hog barns as their choices and when they finally realized that they needed to be a lot bigger than they first expected, it is kind of a shock? Especially for the hog barns? The hog business is either become huge...or get out!
Then there are other factors? A couple of Englishmen bought a 2000 acre beef farm south of me this summer. Paid a pretty healthy price for it, cash up front. Now they are having trouble getting in and are trying to peddle the land around! Canada immigration isn't accepting them...maybe their hide isn't black enough or something? Heaven forbid we should have immigrants coming to this country with a few dollars, able to speak the language, etc.! Now if they were lowlife cuthroats or terrorists or something they'd probably get the royal treatment?

[cowman]

Another thing that has been happening for the past few years is real estate brokers going to europe and marketting operations that are already permitted for confined feeding operations, only to have the buyer come over and find that the operation has been sitting idle for several years and that they must comply with the new regulations prior to stocking the facilities.

There have been some operators that are only in it for a quick buck, trying to band aid an operation to acquire an approval under the AOPA legislation then sell the operation to some other unsuspecting european farmer.
This practice has been really frowned upon by the municipalities in question because they know that there are many environmental issues just waiting to become a problem.

[cowman]

Well I just had an "AHA" moment while typing out the post above about selecting replacement heifers??
Maybe the government immigration process has decided they need to select for some different traits, than what used to be acceptable?
Maybe they think with all their global warming BS they need a darker hide? Don't want all those darned fair skinned types anymore?
And maybe they think we're getting too inbred so need to bring in a really strong outcross? They probably came to that conclusion from having to deal with all these ornery Scotsmen we've let in here? LOL
And just to make it interesting we don't want anymore of these sedate old British, German, Ukarainian, Dutch types? We'll get some flighty high strung bastards who like to cut each others throats and riot whenever they feel like it? Well actually they probably could ignore that one...after all we have quite a bunch of Frenchmen that can fill that role? LOL...don't take offense...its supposed to be funny.

[rkaiser]

I love it when you beat around the bush cowman...LOL

[grassfarmer]

Perhaps the type of European buyer is changing? I know two couples that moved to Alberta last fall that are planning ranching/ grazing operations rather than dairy, hog or poultry. At the same time I know a few Europeans who are thinking of going back due to the campaign by politicians and virtually all commodity groups to get rid of supply management. Why, when these are clearly successful sectors, are the fools in power determined to put them in the same mess that the "free market" sectors are?
Oh yes it's so we can compete fairly on the world market - yeah right I'll believe that when I see it.