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Highlights from the Spring 2005 Issue
CONTENTS
- Alberta Influence
- Ativités Estivales de L'AHQ
- B.C. Hereford Bull-Etin
- Calgary Bull Sale and Show
- From Field To Desk
- Manitoba Mainstream
- Pinkeye Prevention In Catte
- The "Call of the Range" Comes To Medicine Hat
- Saskatchewan Cow-Man Sense
- Obituaries
- Cutler Herefords, D Bar C Cattle Co. And Circle G Bull Sale
- M.C. Quantock "Canada's Bulls" Bull Sale
- Hill 70 Quantock Ranch Barn Burnin' Bull Sale
- Misty Valley Farms Production Sale
- Midwestern Horned Hereford Sale
- Blume Ranches Ltd. Annual Sale
- MJT "Back To The Basics" Bull Sale
- Pine Butte Ranch Production Sale
- Lethbridge Bull Sale
- Pride of the Prairies Bull Sale
- Medicine Hat Spring Bull Sale
- BC Provincial Bull Sale
- Frasers' Total Performance Bull Sale
- Bulls Eye Select Sale
• • •
ON THE COVER
The McKinley Hereford Ranch branding south of Medicine Hat in the spring of 2004.
Photo by Paula Doenz, Warner
• • •
The Alberta Hereford Association Annual Meeting takes place this year in Olds on June 25. This event will be held in conjunction with the Alberta Junior Hereford Association Annual Show June 25 & 26. This is a great opportunity to bring out the entire family for the weekend. One of the issues to be discussed at this year's meeting is the possible rezoning of the Hereford clubs within the province. This is being examined as a way to create more club involvement. We encourage you to come out and share your ideas with us. Remember, this is your Association.BULL LOTTERY
Alberta is pleased to announce that their second bull lottery is in progress. Purchase an Alberta bull between January 1 and December 31, 2005, ask for your transfer and you are AUTOMATICALLY entered to win a $5,000 credit voucher.
PEACE RIVER HEREFORD CLUB
Saturday, April 16, is the date for the 'TOP NOTCH' Hereford and Hereford Influence Sale to be held at Willowview Auctions in Beaverlodge. Pens of 3, 5 and 10 commercial females will compete for prizes for the Top Selling Pen and People's Choice Pen. Purebred bulls and females also on offer.
JOINT FIELD DAY
Calgary, Central and Southern Alberta Hereford Clubs are jointly hosting a summer field day set for Saturday, July 30. This will be held at the Jones Hereford Ranch at Balzac as Gladys, Allen and Shanna Jones celebrate their 100th anniversary.
NORTHERN ALBERTA HEREFORD CLUB FIELD DAY
Thursday, August 4 is the date for the NAHC Field Day at Hardisty. This is the largest bull calf futurity in Canada. Entries are open to all breeders.
CLASSIFIED ADS
The Alberta Hereford Association invites your
classified ads for Hereford and Hereford influence livestock. List your bulls, females, calves or semen FREE OF CHARGE. Add a photo to your ad for $10.
Check out our web site today @ www.albertaherefords.com
• • •
The Quebec Hereford Association held its annual meeting the 12 December 2004 at which time Julien Lessard and André Beaumont were re-elected president and vice president respectively.Three new directors were also elected namely Richard Cadarette (President Eastern Townships Club), Réjean Pelletier and Claude Forest. Pierre Lessard, Michel Champagne (President Québec Club), Jean Tétreault and Jeff Hannaberry make up the balance of the board along with Paul Mastine who continues his duties as National Director. Lori Power has been engaged as the new secretary of the association effective 1 January 2005. Her contact info is listed below.
Plans are well underway for 2005 and include four MOE Shows, Quebec, Cookshire, Brome, and of course Expo-Boeuf in Victoriaville held on Thanksgiving weekend. Approximately 500 head of beef turn up for the three day Expo Boeuf and in 2004 the Hereford breed was the best represented with approximately 100 head and 18 breeders present. The highlight of the event for the Hereford breed was the naming of RHBF 117L Nero 215N as Grand Champion Male - Inter-Race. Congratulations to Rolf and Heidi Birchler on this achievement.
The two local clubs, Quebec and the Eastern Townships, remain active and both are planning their upcoming activities such as a field trip to the Lac St. Jean area and a summer picnic. The Quebec Juniors, under the guidance of Jennifer and Paul Mastine, have blossomed into an enthusiastic group of youngsters and Paul reports there will be a strong contingent heading down the 401 this summer to Bonanza in Lindsay, Ontario.
Also announced at the annual meeting was the funding for a promotional drawing. All 2005 buyers of a bull of at least 10 months of age and transferred to the new owner will be eligible for a chance to win a $2000 credit to be used towards their next bull purchase. Bulls sold through the test stations or by private treaty are eligible. The drawing will take place at the 2005 annual meeting in December.
L'Association a tenu son assemblée annuelle le 12 décembre dernier. Julien Lessard et André Beaumont ont été réélus aux titres de président et vice-président. Trois nouveaux directeurs ont été élus, soit Richard Cadarette, Claude Forest et Réjean Pelletier. Le bureau de direction compte aussi dans ses rangs Pierre Lessard, Michel Champagne, Jean Tétreault, Jeff Hannaberry avec Paul Mastine qui continue ses fonctions en tant que directeur national. Lori Power a été engagé en tant que nouveau secrétaire de l'association en date de janvier 2005. Son adresse et numéros de téléphone sont énumérés ci-dessous.
Les plans pour 2005 incluent quatre expositions de Marque d'Excellence ; Québec, Cookshire, Brome et Expo-Boeuf. Expo-Boeuf est un événement de trois jours tenu le week-end de l'action grâce et attire autour 500 bêtes. La race Hereford a été la mieux représentée avec plus d'une centaine de bêtes sur place. La race Hereford a été bien représentée quand RHBF 117L Nero 215N a été choisi Grand Champion Inter-Race Mâle. Félicitations à Rolf & Heidi Birchler sur cet accomplissement.
Lors de l'assemblée annuelle, il a été convenu que tout acheteur de taureau Hereford en 2005 qui procédera à son transfert de propriété aura la chance de participer au tirage qui donnera droit a un crédit de 2000$ lors de l'achat d'un prochain taureau Hereford. Le tirage sera effectué lors de la prochaine assemblée annuelle.
• • •
It seemed that everyone had a great deal of optimism before March 7 and now that has turned to grim determination to have Canada become an exporting country to some of the countries that have been buying from the USA.In BC the Blue Mountain Packing facility got off to a rocky start when several of those who had indicated a desire to be part of the team that would support it, backed away when the going got tough and things were nearing completion. Fortunately BC Livestock Producers Co-operative stepped up to the plate and put up $210,000 to get the facility open and operating. It will take some deep pockets to keep it going until it becomes established. BC Livestock will only have two votes so cannot take control of the operation and it will remain a democratic operation. Already this plant must have had an affect on the cow prices as we saw a jump in the cow market in BC.
Pine Butte Ranch had a $2,500 average on their bulls at Kamloops on Feb 19. Ray Van Steinburg said they had not fed the bulls as heavily as in the past due to budget restraints, but the repeat customers who have been buying these bulls know they work for them and looked past the conditioning and bid well on them. The bulls were ready to go to the breeding pastures and certainly will not have problems that over feeding can sometimes present.
The mood at the Pine Butte Sale was upbeat and it will be interesting to see what takes place at the rest of the bull sales this spring. The cows still have to be bred and quality should still be uppermost in the ranchers' minds.
Jaymie Atkinson of Princeton has been working hard to put on a first class show for the Canadian Hereford Association Annual General Meeting that BC has been charged with hosting this year. I believe in the future, the CHA AGM will be tied to Bonanza and that will mean less expense in traveling etc, as it is often that both events are often attended by the same loyal people. A full schedule of events will be coming to everyone shortly.
The longest running Hereford Club consignment sale in Canada will take place again on May 7. The West Coast Hereford Club will be holding their 37th annual Evergreen Sale at that time. Both Angus and Herefords are being sold now but the same enthusiasm prevails that the first contributors had.
Hope you all have a great summer.
• • •
105th ANNUAL CALGARY BULL SHOW AND SALE
Hereford Average Up 37 Per Cent
March 3-4, 2005 Calgary, AB
Total Average
144 bulls $585,700 $4,067
Auctioneer: R.C. (Bob) Balog
Judge: Mick & Kurt Trefiak, Edgerton, ABAs was the case with most other spring consignment and production sales, this year's 105th Calgary Bull Sale was a world apart from last year's event. 144 Hereford bulls (compared to 136 last year) sold at a 37 per cent increase in average selling price which equated to more than $1,100 per bull. In fact, the Hereford bulls outsold all other breeds by more than $800 per head and both the Hereford show held on Thursday, March 3, as well as the sale on March 4, entertained the largest crowd of ranchers and purebred cattlemen that we have seen for several years.
Both groups competed strongly for this year's outstanding offering. Registered breeders purchased a total of 30 bulls of the 144 sold at an average price of $8,612. This included a tremendous range in price from approximately $3,000 all the way up to $51,000. Commercial cattlemen paid up to $6,750 for the bulls they wanted. Some of the volume buyers included Miller Ranches Ltd., Hanceville, BC, who purchased 17 bulls, Pipeline Grazing Co-op, Medicine Hat, who selected nine head, John Simpkin of Simpkin Ranch, Consort, who took home eight bulls, and Clinton Brost, Consul, SK, who purchased six of the top ranch bulls offered for his good herd.
Grand Champion
LPG SKY 25E LAD 5N
For the second year in a row, the Henderson Family of Little Poplar Grove Herefords, Forestburg, got the final nod. Several top herds competed for ownership but the final bid was placed by Mick and Kurt Trefiak of MJT Herefords, Edgerton, AB, at $12,000.
Reserve Grand Champion
K 117K RIBSTONE LAD 177N
Kallal Hereford Ranch, Tofield, consigned the JUNIOR Champion and the RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION. Several major outfits had taken the time to carefully evaluate this bull at the home farm but when the hammer fell he was the property of Dallas Farms, Bowden, bringing $12,500.
• • •
There is renewed life in the bull marketing business and a high percentage of the interest shown by buyers is focused on Hereford bulls! No breed excelled in the bull trade last year but a combination of factors has certainly led to greater demand and values this spring.
Even with increased slaughter facilities, Canada's national cowherd continues to expand. Many regular customers held off last year hoping their old bulls would pull them through - and for the most part they did. But that really only works for one season and this year, most commercial herds require more replacement bulls than normal. Those who sold their calves between November 1, 2004 and late February 2005 were well paid for them making a few more dollars available than last year. Factor in that many registered breeders retained fewer bulls to sell this year and the value of those remaining goes up!
As you page through this spring issue, you will notice that most of it is dedicated to the reporting of the early spring sales. Purebred breeders have joined commercial cattlemen in seeking out new herd bull prospects. Some sales increased their average price paid per bull by as much as 30 per cent! At the time of this writing, there are still a dozen or so sales to be held but the trend has been set and I'm certain that when you read the results of those in our upcoming 50th Anniversary Herd Sire Edition, they will have enjoyed the same experience.
In speaking with breeders who market most of their bulls by private treaty, they too are receiving lots of positive feedback from customers who what to pick their bulls out early.
If you are one of these, offer your bulls at a fair price and give good service but DON'T GIVE THEM AWAY! With some sound promotion, there is a market for your bulls. Call up some of your old customers, even if you haven't heard from them for a year or two. They many not have purchased any bulls over that time and will appreciate the attention.
Whether the border opens right away or not, the future looks much brighter for Canada's cattlemen than it has for some time.
Your provincial and national associations are working hard to give you every advantage they can. The next time you see Guy Smith at an auction market or a bull sale, be sure to tell him how much you appreciate the efforts he is making on your behalf. He is backed by a progressive secretary-manager, an attentive office staff, and a dedicated board of directors.
We all want to help you get your bulls sold. If there is anything we at the Digest can do to assist you, please don't hesitate to give us a call.
• • •
Coming EventsApril 11 Souris Valley All Breeds Bull Sale, Taylor Auctions, Melita
April 16 Lundar Bull Show and Sale, Lundar Arena, Lundar
June 19 Annual President's Cup Golf Tournament, Pilot Mound Golf Course
July 1 Summer MOE Show in conjunction with Dauphin Fair
August 7 Manitoba Hereford Association Field Day at Roselawn Polled Herefords, Killarney
Manitoba Hereford Field Day
Sunday, August 7, 2005
Beginning at 1:00 P.M.
Hosted by: Roselawn Polled Herefords, Killarney
Supper to Follow!
Call Wally and Jackie Mitchell for more details: (204) 523-8713
COME ONE, COME ALL!Annual President's Cup
Golf Tournament
June 19, 2005
Pilot Mound Golf Course, Pilot Mound, Man.
Supper to follow at Guilford Hereford Ranch
For further information contact Don and Diane Guiford at (204) 873-2430 by June 1 for details and to indicate your interest in taking part.All Hackers, especially, are invited to attend!
• • •
by Heather Smith Thomas
Pinkeye in cattle causes millions of dollars in loss each year for producers, due to poor weight gains, prices docked because of eye damage or blindness, calves cut back at sale time, etc. Stockmen generally try to prevent pinkeye outbreaks in their herds, but often this proves to be a frustrating task.
Dr. Annette O'Connor, Iowa State University, says that, "Moraxella bovis is generally considered to be the bacteria most commonly associated with pinkeye. However, there are other organisms that can be involved, but less commonly. Just merely having M. bovis in the eye isn't enough to cause the disease in cattle." There must be some sort of trauma to the eye to enable the bacteria to establish an infection.
"M. bovis tends to be just in the conjunctiva (the delicate membrane that lines the eyelids and the exposed surface of the white of the eye), in the lubricating fluid. Unless there is trauma to the eye, the bacteria can't bind to the cornea and cause the disease," she says. Things that are suspected of causing trauma inclue high levels of ultraviolet light, tall grasses that may scrape or cut the eye while the animal grazes, very dusty or windy conditions, and face flies.
"Other flies like horn flies and stable flies may be involved also, but we're not sure. The disease incidence usually hits its peak in summer - probably because there are a lot of flies, the grass is long, it's usually dry and dusty, and there's a lot of ultraviolet light. All of these things occur in summer and the conditions are right for trauma to occur to the eye."
"There is also evidence that infection with other agents such as mycoplasmas and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) can cause something to happen in the eye and the cattle are more likely to get pinkeye," says O'Connor.
• • •
THE "CALL OF THE RANGE" COMES TO MEDICINE HAT
For as long as anyone can remember, until his death in early 2004, Don Dubeau was one of the best known and most well liked cattlemen in southeastern Alberta. He knew, on a first name basis, hundreds and hundreds of cowboys who shared his interests and counted all of them as his friends. He was "head of the outfit" at the Dubeau Ranching Co. located a few miles west of Medicine Hat, along the north banks of the South Saskatchewan River but the respect he earned from all who knew him made him so much more.
For many, many years, he was an active member of the bull buying committee for the Pipeline Grazing Association. Together with the need for replacement stock for his own ranch, his responsibility carried him thousands of miles throughout western Canada and the United States where he carefully evaluated and appraised Hereford bulls. Just a few of his hobbies included hunting, curling, trap shooting and golf, but it was his love for cattle and ranch raised people that made "Dube" a household name.
Earlier this year, Don's sons, Danny and Brad, approached the Southeastern Alberta Purebred Beef Breeders Association and asked permission to donate a perpetual trophy for the Medicine Hat Grand Champion Hereford Bull in honour of their father. Co-operation from this group was instantaneous and thus began a search for a truly unique award worthy of the man himself, the Medicine Hat Bull Sale, and the many breeders whose names would be etched on the base of this trophy for decades to come.
• • •
Well, the date of March 7th has come and gone. Listening to our cattlemen south of the border, it was maybe not so surprising that the border remains closed to Canadian cattle. The reality is that Americans have reaped the benefit of some of the healthiest cattle prices in history and they are not ready to give that up. They fear, whether justified or not, that those feedlots that have access to Canadian cattle again will lower their prices. This latest setback should be even more convincing that we need to develop our own processing plants, create jobs and open markets beyond the US border - let's give these other markets a reason to shop Canadian!Last fall, two projects were established in the province to collect valuable data on feeding Hereford cattle. The purpose of these projects is to show feeders, buyers and the public that Herefords produce animals with ideal carcass weights and finish well with very good feed efficiency. These projects are underway at Pipestone Feeders Ltd. at Grenfell and the other is located at Pound-Maker Agventures, Lanigan.
At Pound-Maker Agventures, 100 head of Hereford cross calves were placed on feed Nov. 23, 2004. The average start up weight was 628 pounds. When data was collected on Feb. 23, 2005, which represented 92 days on feed, the average weight was 912 pounds with an average daily of gain of 3.09. The pen at Pipestone Feeders Ltd., includes 106 straight Hereford steers that were started on feed Nov. 1, 2004. The average weight in was 584 pounds. Detailed information will be provided on these projects over the next several months.
The Saskatchewan Hereford Association will be hosting the 2005 National Hereford Show at Canadian Western Agribition Nov. 21 to 26 in Regina. Plans have been underway for several months and Gordon Gustafson and his committee are excited about announcing the show details in the next edition of the Hereford Digest. The Juniors are looking at including events and we are also expecting an increase in entries in the commercial show and Bull Pen Alley. So, if you are interested and need more information, just give the SHA office a call - we will help you out. Make sure to book early and join us in November!
The Saskatchewan Hereford Association Annual General Meeting will be held Saturday, Aug. 13, 2005 at the farm of Rob and Dawn O'Connor, Vibank. The event, hosted by the South East Hereford Zone, will include a Heifer and Bull Calf Futurity along with Cow/Calf Classes. If you want more information on the event, or you would like to enter cattle, please give Arden Charlton, SE Zone Secretary a call at 306-842-6146 or the SHA office at 306-842-6149.
Until next time!
• • •
Albert Irwin
Terry Gustafson
Edward Kopelchuk• • •
CATTLE SALES
• • •
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