Doug Finseth, has a history with the Calgary Bull Sale that dates back 42 years.
“40 years ago, I brought my first bull here and it’s because of the reputation and the tradition of the Calgary Bull Sale, it’s known world-wide for the top genetics in Canada sold in this sale,” says Finseth.
Looking around the barn, the President of the Alberta Cattle Breeders’ Association says he is not alone in have a strong connection to this sale, naming off several people in the adjoining stalls who have helped make the event what it is.
“All these contributors, there’s several, several, 20 different contributors here and 90 per cent of them are third and fourth generation pure-bred seed stock Hereford breeders that have been attending this bull sale.”
Finseth says in all the years he has been coming to this sale has he ever seen things as good as they are in the cattle industry right now, as a result he says the number of entries were down slightly at this year’s event.
“We’ve had tremendous off-farm sales people started buying seed-stock last fall and it’s the demand for good quality seed-stock has never been stronger.”
The hot cattle market was definitely on display at the recent sale as it set records with the average price of a bull being over $8,600.
He says another strong sign the cattle industry is doing well, is that a lot of the young people who left the farm, because they could not make a go of it are starting to return.
Finseth and his wife, Judy, manage Bar Pipe Ranch near Okotoks, started by A.E. Cross one of the big four who created the Calgary Stampede. The ranch now has its 4th and 5th generation of the Cross family working on the land.
Finseth says the Calgary Bull Sale has been going for 115 years and he wants to see it do another 115.
