Congrats to Mama and Papa hilltop and lil hilltop!

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justintime

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May 26, 2007
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4,346
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Saskatchewan Canada
Our regional 4-H show and sale just ended today at our local Weyburn Agricultural Society annual fair. I had to miss the heifer show and steer sale today, as I had to deliver my last bull about 250 miles west of here. I had just started the trip back home when my cell phone rang. It was Papa Hilltop and he was pretty excited. Lil hiilltop ( aka Sadie) had just won Grand Champion Female at the Regional 4-H show with a purebred Shorthorn heifer sired by Star P Matrix 4N, a herd sire I own in partnership with them. At the jackpot bull calf and heifer calf shows on Monday, they also had both Grand Champions, and this was against all breeds and included entries from some of the big name breeders in these parts. This is a major show in these parts and I would compare the quality with most any other show I have seen, at least in Canada. There were 156 steers and approx 75 heifers shown ( I am guessing on the number of heifers as I missed the show today). Both the grand and reserve steers were smokies  and they were not only great show steers but also great feeding steers. They were sound made with tremendous carcass quality. As I was not at the sale, I only have heard partial reports. My dad phoned as I drove home and told me the Champion steer sold for $8.00 per pound. He said the sale was about 2/3 done and there were lots and lots of calves selling over $4.00  per pound with several at $5 per pound or more. He said that even after over 100 steers sold, most were still selling in the $3 - 3.50 range, with an occasional steer soaring to over $4.50 as well. Dad said that some local businesses, had probably spent over $ 50 grand so far, when he called, supporting our local 4-H and the agricultural community as a whole.

I must say that I am pretty proud of my community, and also proud of Gary, Kim and Sadie, for what they accomplished in the past few days. I will see if I can get them to post pictures of some of their winners.
 

justintime

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May 26, 2007
Messages
4,346
Location
Saskatchewan Canada
I just heard from a neighbor that there were steers that stood in the bottom half of their classes that grossed over $5500 in the sale. This is another great reason why we should buy locally. We are most fortunate to have a community that appreciates the importance of agriculture in this area, and is not afraid to give back.
 

Hilltop

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Mar 22, 2009
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Sask, Canada
Thanks JIT. I still smile every time I think about it today ;D ;D ;D
I just got in from baling but had a call from a fellow breeder this am to congrat and asked how he knew?? Nice to see that good news can travel as fast as bad!! Sadie is still just PUMPED tonight.
Weyburn used to be the toughest regional in the province for the kids but I believe that a few people have told me there is another show in the north that has got very tough. There was also about 25 pairs in the show(both 2 and 3 yr olds) so that makes it  even bigger in terms of numbers and quality. I think it would be kind of boring to go to a regional with only 3 or 4 clubs and limited competition.
Not sure when a pic can be posted as the photographer is dragin his feet now that we told him we want the pics on a CD.
We are VERY proud of this heifer. She has more butt, lower quarter, top and loin than half the steers that were there, and people got a real shock when they put their hands on her. I am guessing that they were expecting to feel a finished steer but instead felt ribs!!! I myself can hardly believe that she has spent most of the spring on grass. It was cool to see all the people walking by and pretending not to look at her. 
I really do not know what our plans are for the heifer. Sadie talks about showing her in 4-H next year. She is bred to our Saskvalley Pioneer son who also has more to him then a  bunch of the steers that were there.
Sadie has spent hours with her and it is nice to see it pay off!!!

As far as the steer sale I still can not believe how hot it was!!  Actually I think maybe too good as how can they match a sale like that again??  The club that started the sale is in the heart of our oil activity in the province so between the oilfield business and the owner of the Ford dealership they got a tempo going that was hard to slow down. Fastest sale I have ever seen there also.

Now this will pose some problems though........... One club leader want's to see this club start the sale every year. My views on 4-H is there is a lot more than just getting a pile of cash for a steer so I already stated my opinion to him and the subject was quickly dropped. I think that some sale supporters may not appreciate this idea and it seems like we have enough trouble getting steer buyers for every steer the past few years.....

What would you do if you had the choice?? Big bucks or REALITY for the young 4-h member??
 

justintime

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Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
4,346
Location
Saskatchewan Canada
[

What would you do if you had the choice?? Big bucks or REALITY for the young 4-h member??
[/quote]

This is an issue that has been around for a long time. I have watched this show develop for most of my life. It has always been a very competitive show and I still maintain it is one of the best in the country. In regards to your comment about the good show in the Northern part of the province, I had the opportunity to judge that show a few years ago, and IMHO, it doesn't hold a candle to the Weyburn show. I think if one takes a look at how many steers from the Weyburn sale were picked to go on to Calgary Stampede or fall steer shows, that tells a person that there is definitely some quality there.

In regards to big dollars or reality, I guess I can see benefits to both. I have mixed emotions on this subject,and I think my answer is that the local 4-H clubs and the parents have to ensure that the 4-H members have a good understanding of what the real reality is. I think the fact that local businesses support this sale the way they do, is quite amazing. I spoke with a local businessman yesterday and he said the had purchased 9 steers in the sale and he dropped $30,000 when he resold them. I know some other businesses had to have dropped over $50-60,000 in this sale. He also said that he felt that supporting the 4-H sale was some of the best advertising he does during the year. I also think the good sale helps to keep the kids involved in 4-H and therefore the show remains very strong and competitive. If you look at the 4-H regional shows that sell their calves at market prices, they are getting smaller in numbers every year, and the quality is poor as well.

I was involved in this sale when we were trying to get the local businesses to support it, and it was a real struggle. It was not until a local businessman got on board and he came with us as we went from business to business, and he simply told the other business owners that they should support this sale, that we saw the trend change. I am not sure why this happened as he did not say anything different from what we were saying, but the message got through when it was another business owner who was telling it. Since that time, this sale has just got better an better.

I understand that this is an artifical market and it may lead to kids not having a grasp of reality, but I still think it is a better situation than having a "market price" sale. Some of these kids have a much easier time getting their education, from the money they have accumulated from their 4-H proceeds. I think it is good to see agriculture supported by the local community in this manner, as we are an agricultural community and we certainly provide them with a pretty good lifestyle.  So, all in all, I think the benefits of a good sale outweigh the bad. As far as the reality issue goes, I think each 4-H member needs someone to sit them down and explain what they would have received in the real world and make sure they understand how fortunate they are.
 

Bawndoh

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Dec 17, 2007
Messages
720
Congrats to the Hilltops!!
This is all great :)  I will have to come watch your Regional one of these years.  I have pretty much the opposite to say about my area as far as 4H, but whatever.  All I know is that kids from my hometown club could probably use a kick in the butt from these Weyburn area clubs!!  We average MUCH less in our steer sales too.  I think the best I ever got when I was a member was maybe $1.60.  The sale is a bit better now, but the Champ sells for about $2.50-$3 now I believe.  The show is significantly smaller, with only 3 or 4 clubs showing.  I think when I was finishing as a member 5 years ago, there were barely only 3 clubs, and maybe 30-40 steers.  I suppose, also, it is not much of an encouragement to have better calves, or work harder when nobody else does.  I judged our local show this year and there was 1 member who basically won everything.  Some parents and other members were thinking this was politics.  Well it was certainly NOT.  She was very obviously one of the only members who seemed to put in an effort, LOVED 4H, and therefore her results were good.  Seems hockey, volleyball, football, partying, and sleeping in are much more important to many of the kids around here. 
 
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