Condolences to loved ones of Ralph Vold
The livestock marketing industry lost a legend in April with the passing of Ralph Vold, a leader and icon in the auction market industry. He was a past LMAC president and the first inductee into the LMAC Hall of Fame. He was also one of the original group of market operators that formed LMAC and he served as LMAC’s second president.
After a very successful athletic career that included major junior hockey and a stint in the Boston Bruins system, along with a semi-pro baseball career that took his pitching skills across North America, Vold entered the livestock industry.
Vold joined his brother Harry in the auction business and partnered with Bill and Shorty Jones to purchase the auction market in Ponoka, Alta. Vold Jones Vold (VJV) was founded, and the Vold family ran a very successful livestock marketing business for over 50 years.
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Vold was a great supporter of LMAC and influenced its development in the early years. He was recognized across Canada as a visionary industry leader. One of Vold’s greatest contributions to the Canadian livestock marketing industry was winning the “metric war.” As the story goes, the Liberal government of the day was changing Canada’s measurement system to metric. Those in the cattle industry feared that the change would disrupt the cattle marketing industry, especially at the auction markets. The fear was that the producers would sell their livestock direct in the country by the pound, rather than at the auction by the kilogram. The cattle buyers of the day were not familiar with dealing in kilograms and were also concerned. With so much livestock trade done with the U.S., there were major concerns regarding export orders. In short, the majority was not in favour of the change.
A meeting with top government officials was arranged, and it was decided that Vold would attend on behalf of the marketing sector. No one really knows what happened behind those closed doors in Ottawa, but shortly after Vold returned to Alberta, the Liberals announced that livestock were exempt from the metric requirement and would be traded by the pound!
Vold told a group of LMAC representatives at a meeting many years later,“It’s all about being prepared, diplomacy and compromise. I was a conservative when I got on the plane in Calgary, a Liberal when it landed in Ottawa, and a conservative when I landed back home! That’s how it has to be when dealing with government!”
Vold’s comments on diplomacy, compromise and being prepared still ring true today. The livestock marketing industry recognizes that Ralph Vold was the man that made the deal to continue selling cattle by the pound. At the time, his accomplishment was considered a major win for the cattle industry.
Over the years, Vold’s son Blair and grandson Nanson both became involved in VJV. Blair would also be inducted to the Hall of Fame. As Blair said, “Dad never missed much and lived an incredible life filled with passion, family and hard work.”
Vold was also a great community supporter and was instrumental in the development and success of the Ponoka rodeo. He owned a string of bucking bulls that were recognized throughout the rodeo community. The Vold name is still associated with some of the best bucking bulls in North America, including bulls Hagar and Rambo.
He also found time to develop a world-class golf course — Wolf Creek near Morningside, Alta. Sports played an integral role in Vold’s life and as such, he was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in four categories, hockey, baseball, golf and rodeo.
Vold was a devoted family man, married to Del for 67 years. His family includes sons Ryan (Ellie), Blair (Sheryl), daughters Lori, Cathy (Joe), Vicky (Duane), as well as 15 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
LMAC salutes Ralph Vold, one of the many greats who made a positive difference in the growth of the livestock industry and LMAC.
Thank you to Rick Wright from LMAC for the tribute to Ralph Vold.
Saskatchewan rancher Ted Perrin, 84, passes
We extend our condolences to the family of William Edwin “Ted” Perrin who passed away on March 25, 2022. Perrin ranched in the Beechy, Sask. district along the northern shore of Lake Diefenbaker.
Perrin was one of two brothers who grew up on the Matador Ranch, Kyle, Sask., where their dad worked. Perrin and brother Dennis learned how to ride a horse and work beef cattle at a young age.
At 17, Perrin began working alongside his father, Jesse, who had become Matador manager. Perrin struck out on his own, working at the Knight Ranch, the Gilchrist Ranch, the Beechy Community Pasture, and at the Matador, where he took on the role of foreman.
In 1964, Perrin and his wife Olive began ranching with his brother Dennis and their uncle, Pete Perrin. The three families worked together building up the Perrin Ranching Company, which grew to 25,000 acres in 1972.
Perrin had become proficient at artificial insemination through a University of Saskatchewan course in 1963. In 1968, he AIed 40 cows to John Rudiger’s well-known Charolais bull, Belphegor (Bingo). The Perrins had begun using a 7/8 blood Charolais bull the year before.
As breed pioneers, they had AIed 35 cows to Charolais bulls in 1966 as a test. In those years, Charolais were in their infancy in Canada.
Perrin’s success with Charolais made him a life-long breed promoter. In 1972, the Perrins had weaned 478 Charolais-Hereford cross calves, according to an old Charolais Banner article.
Perrin and his wife Olive (deceased in 2018) raised five daughters on the Beechy ranch. Daughter Shannon and her husband Reg Schellenberg, and their son Coy (Laurie-Lie) now own and operate Perrin Ranching 1990 Ltd. The fifth generation is coming on board. The Schellenbergs ranched together with Ted and Olive for 30 years.
Thanks to Mark Kihn for this submission.
