WELCOME TO OUR TENTH ANNUAL SUN COUNTRY BULL & FEMALE SALE Welcome to our 10th Sun Country Shorthorn Sale. Almost 11 years ago, while having lunch with our friends Gerry and Betty Wyatt, Gerry asked me if I thought there was a place for a Shorthorn bull test and sale here in Western Canada. After discussing this topic, for a few minutes, we decided there was one way to find out and that was to establish this sale. For the first few years, all the contributors delivered their bulls to Wyatt’s farm and they were all performance tested for the winter and sold the following spring. After they sold their farm, we decided to move our sale to its present location. We lost Gerry Wyatt last fall and I just wanted to say how much he is missed. It was his vision that got this sale started and even after he retired, he remained deeply interested in it. We will always be indebted to the vision and foresight Gerry Wyatt had, and for all the work in getting it established. In last year’s welcome, I stated that we were in the midst of market corrections and that there was still lots of optimism in the beef industry. I think that has indeed been the story of the past year as well. The markets started to see upward movement in the late fall of 2016, and it has continued in the first few weeks of 2017. The sky did not fall and we have lots of indications that the future is very bright in this business. It is even more important today to produce the highest quality product we can. Nothing holds it’s value like quality in this business. We are also seeing more and more Shorthorn genetics being used in beef herds in Canada and the US. There is a strong demand for Shorthorn F1 replacements and right now, there is room for many more to be produced before this demand is filled. We have also dug deep into our replacement heifer pens to make this part of the sale the best quality we can. There are heifers being offered that normally would not be on offer and they represent our best cow families and sire genetics that have been gathered from around the world. This sale will be broadcast live by DV Auctions at www.dvauctions.com. Of course, it is always best if you can attend our sale in person, but if you cannot, you can still watch the sale and bid from your home computer. As we get closer to the sale date we will be posting additional information on our websites and Facebook pages. We will also be posting links to short videos of the sale offering that will help you see the offering and how they have developed since the pictures were taken in mid January. We will again be offering to take our bulls and heifers back to our farms and keep them for a reasonable time until shipping arrangements are made. Grant Alexander (for the Sun Country group)
SUN COUNTRY PHILOSOPHY... • We develop our bulls for optimum growth … not maximum growth. The bulls in this sale will be athletic, sound and ready to work. Each contributor has culled their bulls on soundness and only the best are being offered. Each animal has been selected for this sale on its own merit and they all have to meet our expectations first.
• We will provide useful information on the sale offering. Because our sale has moved earlier in March, all bulls born prior to January 1, 2016 will be semen evaluated and have passed the test by a licenced Vetrinarian. Bulls born in 2016, will have a physical breeding soundness exam and will be deemed likely to pass a semen evaluation . All bulls will be semen tested prior to shipment. • All buyers are encouraged to purchase insurance on the bulls in order to protect your investment. If the bulls are returning to our farms for a period of time before shipping/delivery, they MUST be insured to protect your investment. • We believe in customer service. We will try to make your bull and heifer buying experience as good as possible. We will, wherever possible, assist in arranging transportation of your purchases. • We will keep your purchases free of charge until April 15th, after which you will be charged for the cost of the feed consumed (unless previous arrangements have been made with the seller). Please read our bull warranty and, if you have any questions, please ask any of the owners. An insurance agent will be available on sale day. • Every bull selling is guaranteed to be free of the TH and PHA defects. They have either been tested or verified free by pedigree. • Nobody knows these bulls and their backgrounds as well as the owners do. We would be pleased to answer any questions you have in a honest and no pressure manner. Once you have the information you need, can make the best decision on what bulls or heifers will work best for your herd.
Johnstone Auction Mart - Moose Jaw, SK
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