Felicia Keleman of Pic-A-Spot Shorthorns near Spruce Home, Sask., won the heifer donated by Saskvalley Shorthorns in the Canadian Western Agribition Shorthorn sale.
The donation and bids were a fundraiser for the Saskatchewan Shorthorn Association. The association’s first fundraising auction since 2018 raised $10,950.
“I never expect to win — ever,” said Keleman, who won the heifer with a $200 donation.
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“It was just — we always throw a donation in, whether it’s a sale in Alberta, sale in Manitoba. It’s just that we like to donate, whether it’s for the breed (association) or for the juniors.”
The fundraising auction had fallen to the wayside a few years ago, and Barry Lehmann, one of Saskvalley’s owners, wanted to bring it back. A donation of a heifer for auction was seen as an easy, low maintenance way to raise money for the association.
Since the Lehmanns were the ones with the idea of bringing it back, they wanted to be the ones to kick it off. This was the first time in the history of the fundraising auction that Saskvalley has donated a heifer.
That’s because of their calving program, which runs later than many of their fellow purebred breeders. By the time Agribition rolls around, the heifer calf was either still on its mother or in the weaning process, so the association would opt for a calf that would be in the ring.
This year it didn’t matter because the calf wasn’t in the barns or in the sale ring.
Lehmann said he hopes the fundraising auction continues.
The heifer, Saskvalley Maxine 109M, was described as “long bodied,” “structurally correct, sweet as they come, and sports a balanced set of EPDs” in the sale book.
She has a strong lineage and good genetics, with Lehmann saying she shows great potential and is one of the better ones in their herd.
“She’s a great heifer. I really appreciate a lot of qualities about her,” said Morgan Lehmann, a Saskatchewan Shorthorn Association director and part of Saskvalley Shorthorns.
“But we also have a lot of her genetics already in our herd and they’ve been working really well. So, we wanted someone else to be able to benefit from them as well and then just out of a Glam bull that we really liked his calves, so we felt pretty confident donating her.”
Keleman said she’s excited about her winnings, but particularly because Saskvalley mainly sells bulls.
“Their females are so sought after, and they don’t sell many females off the farm. So, to win one, especially from their breeding program, it’s pretty exciting. I’m excited to get her home.”
Barry Lehmann said they mainly sell bulls because of some long-ago advice.
“We started with the bull sale approximately 21 years ago now. We got some advice from a long-time Hereford breeder. He said, ‘if you’re starting a bull sale, stop selling females. If you want to produce good bulls, don’t sell all your best heifers.’ So, we have employed that.”
Because of the later calving, Kelleman will have to wait to take her home. However, when she does arrive, the plan is to watch how she develops and performs.
“She looks like a good heifer, so I’m excited,” Keleman said.
“New genetics is always exciting.”
