Pricey, award-winning cows and bulls at the Canadian Western Agribition - Action News
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Saskatchewan

Pricey, award-winning cows and bulls at the Canadian Western Agribition

Winning grand champion of any cattle competition is great for a rancher's business. Here are three animalstwo bulls and 1 cowthat won their category at the Canadian Western Agribition, and what makes them special.

These cattle may sell for as much as $100,000

Houdini is a breeding bull from Gull Lake, Sask., showing at Agribition now underway in Regina. (Dean Gutheil/CBC)

Winning grand champion of any cattle competition is great for a rancher's business. It can be terrific advertising. Here arethree animalstwo bulls and a cowthat won their category at the Canadian Western Agribition, and what makes them special.

Winner: Grand Champion Speckle Park bull

This bull is getting cleaned off to look nice, a day after it won Grand Champion Speckle Park bull at the Canadian Western Agribition 2015. (Tiffany Cassidy/CBC)

Price: He's not for sale, but owner David Johner estimates he would go for $100,000. Each unit of semen goes for $100.
What makes him a champion?Johner says the bull is special because he looks the same from front to back, there's no part of him thatsticks out, he has tremendous lengthand he's the perfect colour for his breed. Johner bought the bull at when it wastwomonthsold and he turned out exactly as expected. Johner won with this bull last year as well at the Canadian Western Agribition.
What's special about the Speckle Park breed?According to Johner, "There's no meat in the livestock industry that compares to Speckle Park breed."

Winner: Grand Champion Gelbvieh bull

This bull won Grand Champion Gelbvieh bull at the Canadian Western Agribition 2015. (Canadian Western Agribition/Submitted to CBC)

Price: The bull was born on the ranch of the bull's owner Vernon Davidson, so there's no set price. But Davidson uses the bull to breed, and last year two of their bulls sold for more that $20,000, and the average price on 100 bulls was $7,000.
What makes him a champion?Davidson said he was the most muscular bull in the show, and that he has a smoothness about him. "He's a bull that actually has a lot of presence," he said.
What's special about the Gelbvieh breed?Davidson says the Gelbvieh breed crosses well with other breeds, and the meat quality is well accepted.

Winner: Grand Champion Simmental cow and calf

This cow and her calf won Simmental cow and calf bull at the Canadian Western Agribition 2015. (Tiffany Cassidy/CBC)

Price: Rancher Randy Mader paid $25,000 for the cow when she was 22 months old. Her calf, who was also in the show, just sold for $15,000.
What makes her a champion?Mader says a good cow needs to have a good belly or "spring a rib" so that they have capacity to consume large amounts of grass to convert into milk. They also need to have a nice udder with a small teat size so calves can latch onto them.
What's special about the Simmental breed?Mader says Simmental cows strike the perfect balance of milking ability and beef. He says the beef is juicy and also has some fat cover.