A Family Farm Doing Well in the Cattle Business

By Harry Siemens

Steppler Farms of Miami, MB had one of the largest offerings of purebred Charolais bulls in Canada with 123 bulls selling at the farm sale ring on February 15.

Andre Steppler said the sale was a huge success, with 123 bulls offered and 123 bulls sold, averaging $7,014.

“It was a very uplifting, exciting sale for the industry too,” said Steppler. “You could sense the guys knowing the good times ahead in the cattle industry, guys looking forward to the futures in the cattle market, guys selling last year’s calves and getting, not record prices for them, but a tremendous price point for those calves.” That positive attitude equated back to that bull sale.

Steppler Farms strives to provide as much customer service as possible to back up the product.

“When bulls start getting to be worth that level, we as responsible breeders need to look for ways to increase the value of their investment,” he said.

Steppler said their programs back up the bulls by providing those customers with extra assurance and value and that equated to a record sale selling 20 more bulls and averaging $1,900 more per bull.

Buyers from most provinces and some from the US either in person or online attended. With their previous female sale and this bull sale Steppler Farm’s animals went to most provinces and a few to the US.

He said this is the first year they saw significant demand for Canadian genetics coming from the US.

“And that is something that we as a farm have seen for the first time since before BSE hit in 2003,” said Steppler. “Leading up to that bull sale, if somebody was phoning me, it was a guy from the states. Over half the interest down there, but interesting nonetheless.”

While using online services Steppler encourages producers to come in-person for the new on-farm facility finished in time for this bull sale.

“It’s a comfortable environment where people can come and see the cattle. Very safe environment and the bulls come in one at a time and live. So it’s just an exciting live feel to the whole sale,” he said.

Deon Masters broadcast it live on the internet and buyers could bid like any other online sale. It was huge for Steppler Farms because of the storm the night before, and some people couldn’t make it to the sale. Instead they could sit online and access their genetics that way.

In December, Steppler Farms sold 100 heifers across Canada and the US.

“The best part was we raised $40,000 for STARS as the community showed up in great turnout to the sale, and people donated and we had a great time,” he said.

Steppler said he and his wife Kate recently took the cattle division from the mothership of Steppler Farms carrying on with Steppler Farms in a nice transition. This farm includes 400 to 500 purebred cattle mostly Charolais but added Angus and Simmental and seed stock producers for anybody that wants their genetics.

While excited about the successful recent sales it is not all roses for producers. Some worry about even more cows leaving the province because not only are they worth some-

Nothing beats looking after an animal, teaching our kids those responsibilities, and using those cattle to do it said Andre Steppler thing, the current cattle population is getting older and so are the people managing these cows. In addition land prices are showing producers that they can rent their land for more money with less work and have a considerable land conversion into grain farming.

“And that will decimate the cattle population in southern Manitoba,” said Steppler. “But it is reaching into that in Interlake country as well too.

So it’s a huge concern for us.”

When asked what keeps Steppler and his wife in the cattle business, he said “Oh, it’s our passion to keep us going in that cattle business. We can only exist where we are right now because of the slope in our land up in the escarpment which allows us to have a lot of pasture.”

New technologies and grain corn allow bigger yields to feed cows, which is the only reason it works for them financially.

“But nothing beats looking after an animal, teaching our kids those responsibilities, and using those cattle to do it,” said Steppler. “That does keep us driving in it.”