Average price considerably higher at Nappan bull sale
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The 1,460-pound Simmental LPP Hemi 71H was the top-selling bull – at $7,750 – in the Maritime Beef Testing Society’s 48th annual breeding stock sale held online on April 3. (Contributed photo)
by Heather Jones
The average price was considerably higher at the Maritime Beef Testing Society’s 48th annual breeding stock sale on April 3. To comply with pandemic regulations, the sale was held online again this year instead of at the Maritime Beef Test Station barn in Nappan, N.S.
Using his abacus, Brad McCallum, executive director of the Agri-Commodity Management Association (which does office management for the test station), determined that online auction company LiveAuctions sold 50 bulls for a total of $225,800 and an average of $4,516. That was an increase from 2020’s average of $4,006. The 21 heifers sold for a total of $39,850 and an average of $1,898.
“We were very happy with how the sale ended up this year, both for buyers and sellers,” said McCallum. “We had almost 400 people watching the sale online and 120 registered bidders. We had several new bidders from Quebec and throughout the Maritimes.”
A “meat wagon” that was “the most feed-efficient bull on test” was the top seller. Godfrey Farms Inc. of Cornwall, P.E.I., paid $7,750 for LPP Hemi 71H, a 1,460-pound Simmental consigned by Lobster Point Holdings Ltd. of Bedford, N.S.
The 17 Simmentals sold for $76,300 and an average of $4,488.24.
Orchard-Hill Legacy was the highest-selling percentage bull. The 1,720-pound percentage Simmental from Chad Darragh’s farm in Pugwash, N.S., was purchased by Fortland Holdings for $6,700. The three percentage bulls sold for $15,700 and an average of $5,233.33.
Linden Hill Cattle Co. and Ashcroft Angus Farms of Antigonish, N.S., bought the youngest bull in the sale, Mountainview Gun Smoke 5H. The 1,360-pound top-selling Angus, consigned by Mike Landry of Antigonish, went for $6,750. A total of 14 Angus sold for $67,150 with an average of $4,796.43.
Red Lorcain Hawkeye 6H, a 1,405-pound Red Angus that was “quiet as a kitten but one of the best bulls Lorcain Farms (Middle Musquodoboit, N.S.) ever consigned,” went to S & S Dixon Farm of Mates Corner, N.B., for $5,900. Scott Dixon of S & S Dixon Farm said waiting for the timer to expire was “the longest 30 seconds ever!” Two Red Angus bulls sold for a total of $11,100.
The winner of the Jim McInnis Bull Performance Award for the top-performing Charolais, Hunter Acres Hercules 4H, also garnered the highest Charolais price. The 1,435-pound bull from Hunter Acres Charolais in Hunter River, P.E.I., went to Todd Sutherland for $5,200. Seven Charolais sold for $29,700 and averaged $4,242.86.
Adam Archibald of Hillpeak Farms Ltd. of Middle Musquodoboit, N.S., purchased the 1,385-pound top-selling Limousin. He paid $4,100 for Othbergs Gailen from Othberg Limousin of Summerfield, N.B. Two Limousin sold for a total of $8,100.
Bayview Hank 1H received the Fred Otter Memorial Award for the highest-performing Hereford on test. The 1,455-pound “powerful but docile” bull, consigned by Bayview Farms of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I., was the top-selling Hereford. It went to Kintail Farms for $4,000. Three Herefords sold for $10,450 and averaged $3,483.33.
Brogan Brown from Coldstream, N.B., battled for the lone Shorthorn in the sale. He paid $3,700 for 1,220-pound Green Grove Another Storm 2H, consigned by Philip and Patty Burgess of Falmouth, N.S.
One of the volume buyers in the sale, Ferme Germain Pineault Inc. of Sainte-Florence, Que., picked up the top-selling Salers bull. They paid $3,600 for 1,415-pound Millstream Drum Harry 22H from Brian Walker’s farm in Lower Millstream, N.B.
Rheal Allain of Sainte Marie-de-Kent, N.B., a perennial sale supporter, purchased four bulls – three Simmentals and an Angus.
Tom MacLellan, a volume buyer in the heifer sale, paid $2,550 for the top seller, a Simmental bred to a Black Limousin bull from Chad Darragh’s farm.
Six of the bulls headed off to work in Quebec – “a record for the number of animals sold outside of the Maritimes, “McCallum said. “We also sold two bulls to Newfoundland and Labrador, which is a growing market for Maritime genetics.”
There was a bull for everybody as Connor Morse promised when he opened the sale. The Kingston, N.S., breeder handled pedigrees, colour commentary, and a pop quiz “to make sure everyone was paying attention.”
Morse also announced that there was an open bar at this year’s sale. “Head over to your fridge, everything’s cold and everything’s free!”
Unsubstantiated reports from Andrew Lund and Ben Bacon that free beer could also be found in Scott Dixon’s fridge had not been confirmed at press time.
BIDDING
Breeders seemed to be more comfortable this year using electronic technology, but auctioneer Nicki Ross’s voice grew raspy urging, “Bid quick guys, the timer’s going!”
McCallum said the number of bidders for the online sale was “consistent” with those held in the Nappan barn. “This tells us that purebred and commercial farmers rely on the test station and our consignors to source high-quality genetics,” he said.
He noted that using the LiveAuctions platform provided the testing society with information such as the number of bidders, how many animals they bid on, and the number of bids each animal received.
“This will help us understand some bidder behaviour,” said McCallum.
