2024 Shades of Fall Sale Report (and a few other thoughts)

It was an absolutely gorgeous Canadian Thanksgiving week-end to hold the inaugural ‘Shades of Fall’ Simmental Sale at Beechinor Land & Livestock on Saturday October 12th.  Sunny skies and unseasonably warm weather lead to a busy debut for the new sale, with lots of traffic and a palpable buzz in the air.  Our new group of consignors joined together to bring 34 lots of Fleckvieh and Red Simmental females to the party to the tune of a  $551,000 gross for a really cool $16,206 average.

It was very fitting to start the sale with Lot 1, the BLL Couture 663D Flush.  Couture is, of course, the dam of the $355,000 sensation BLL Rumble, as well as the World Sale standout BLL Crimson Tide.  The opportunity to flush this elite female to the bull of the buyers choice led to a rousing start to the day.  In the end, it was Mark Land & Cattle from Irma, AB who invested $33,000 to flush Couture next February .  The Couture flush was backed by the opportunity to acquire her daughter – Lot 2 – BLL Elegance 317L a little later in the sale.  This deep and broody powerhouse bred heifer had a tremendous number of admirers, and was selected by Circle E Farm, Genry & Heather Ellison, Lucedale Mississippi, for $27,500.  What a way to kick off to the sale – it will be very interesting to see the Couture influence flourish across the continent!

Our very own lot 24, ‘Applecross Rachel 60K,’ had the honour of being the third lot sold.  ‘Rachel’ has long been a favourite of ours and she was difficult for us to sell, but at the same time, we knew she would be the perfect representative to showcase our program.  With the World Congress in Calgary this summer, we started to get used to the idea that maybe we should market her – and when we decided to join in a new sales group, Rachel became a natural fit to showcase exactly the progress we’ve made with polled Fleckvieh cattle.  She was certainly the most talked about female that we have ever produced, so it was truly rewarding to see her sell to the BBBG Group in Quebec for $32,000.  We are stunned by the result and look forward to seeing what she does (and how she’ll be bred), in la belle province.

Throughout the afternoon, the sale alternated between each consignor and wove the red heifers into a couple of groups between the Flecks.  These were the first Red Top breds to sell at auction, and they were a very consistent group from top to bottom.  (Not that I know anything about red cattle, but…) My personal pick of the Red Top string was lot 20 – a really nice Bootlegger daughter that was selected by Crossroads Farms for $21,000.  The Century string was also impressive, with their lot 36, Century Liz 333L leading off their string.  This big broody female with a little different pedigree dropped the gavel at $22,000 and is headed north to Polar Farms in the Peace Country.  It is cool to see Polar Farms join the consignors at the early December, Western Harvest Sale in Innisfail, so maybe we will see Liz’s progeny there in the future!

All six of our Applecross heifers were very well received, and we couldn’t be happier with the great operations that they will now call home.  Lot 24 Applecross Dana will be staying at our place through calving until March before heading for embryo collection to be exported to Jeff Knox, Knox Farms, NSW Australia.  Jeff also selected Dana’s maternal sister Deirdre from our 2023 Equation string (as well as lot 11 BLL Linnea 343L from Shades), and has been active in a couple other sales this fall, so it is rather neat to see the pen of donors he is assembling.  Jonny Kline of JEM Simmentals at Barrhead was the successful bidder on our lot 26 ‘Viola’ heifer, and we look forward to seeing what he does with that big volume female.   Our Lot 27, ‘Sonya’ heifer also got to take a long truck ride – as she headed to Norwood Family Farm in Westport, Ontario.  Charlie Norwood has known my parents for quite a number of years,  and we have enjoyed the chance to visit on a few occasions here in Alberta, so it was wonderful to have him select ‘Sonya’!     ‘Charlene’ and ‘Danica’ headed in opposite directions, with Charlene heading north to Vanderhoof in the BC interior, after being selected by Brock Young/Red Iron Simmentals, and Danica heading to Stavely in Southern Alberta to join the Browns at MCG Simmentals.  MCG has joined the Southern Round-Up Group, so we look forward to seeing their cattle in mid December at that long running sale.   In all, a great day for new homes for Applecross Cattle!

In addition to the above noted high-sellers, I thought we would share some additional thoughts on the first edition of Shades of Fall:

1. I can’t say enough about our hosts, Stefon & Rebecca Beechinor.  It takes some ‘gumption’ to follow your dreams, and step out and start your own sale.  I can only imagine that first conversation with Transcon….’you want to do what?? With who?? And how many head??’.  And from top to bottom it was a really cool day, with everything coming together fabulously well. The results certainly speak for themselves! 
2. Shades did line up very well with Black Gold and Anchor D / Pasture Treasure Sales immediately preceding our new event.  Following September Simmental Week-ends in both Quebec and Ontario, we had the first of several ‘Alberta Simmental week-ends’ of the fall, and I think travellers from out of province really appreciated having the opportunity for sales back to back in the same geographic proximity.  
3. We are also super thankful to have Dan Skeels as our auctioneer; specifically since it was only the day after his own sale – so we really appreciate him taking the time to work with us.  Having known Dan since the early 1990’s when he auctioned the ‘Fleckvieh Forum’ sale in Ontario for my parents, it was a treat to have him auction his first Applecross females almost 30 years later.
4. This was our first ‘video’ sale, and it is something I would highly recommend.  There was a little more cost involved for professional videos, but the benefit of having 1) a quality video available in advance, and 2) the animals not being stressed by having to walk through the ring, more than offset any perceived ‘loss of bids’ from those in attendance who may have otherwise ‘acted on impulse’ with a live animal in front of them.   Not that it was a material issue (with only 34 lots), but it also meant a much ‘shorter’ sale, so we could get back to visiting!
5. We are clearly incredibly happy with how our first ‘Shades’ sale went.  But we will miss (parts) of Fleckvieh Equation.  We don’t make change lightly, and Equation was a very good sale for us over the years – a lot of ‘what to do’ and ‘when to do it’ regarding sale prep and presentation we learned from that sale.  Jay / Transcon’s continued focus on having an avenue where ‘new breeders’ (or at least new to the sales barn), can get their start is a testament to his vision of helping breeders of all shapes and sizes get a lift, while creating networking and bonding opportunities to connect to others that may also just be starting out.  It is a great sale concept, and I am sure they will have another bang up year in 2024
6. We won’t miss the wash racks or the late December concerns of heavy in calf breds on a truck to their new homes though! 
7. It is a bit of a weird feeling to have our heifers sold, with (most) of our buying options still in front of us.  I have shared previously that we always try to ‘add’ each fall and re-invest in building our cow herd.  There are a number of criteria (the six/seven P’s from a previous blog post still explain them well).  But the condensed version is that we are interested in adding females that we feel have the potential to improve our herd, while also representing outcross genetics.  With a smaller herd, every female matters – so they need to bring something to the table.  It is very nice having our own sold so I am not just ‘guessing’ at a budget (says the banker).  I look forward to the hunt for better and different!
8. In the lead up to sales, we often get asked ‘what do you think they’ll sell for?’.  And the short answer to that question is that I have no idea.   I have a personal opinion of our cattle, and readily acknowledge we are both ‘barn blind’ and often REALLY like our cattle on offer.   Other than knowing how much interest we have, and potentially giving some guidance on what our bulls or heifers have averaged in past years crossed against the current commercial cattle market, we can’t really provide much guidance.
9. And that is the fun (and challenge) of selling all our cattle via auction.  It always takes at least two potential buyers to move the price higher.  We have had years where we have sold animals for less than what we had hoped for.  We have had years where we have bought animals for less than what our budget was.  And still other years where we may have missed on our ‘favourites’ from the season.  The common thread is that you have to be ready/willing to bid.  And you need to know your limit (and stay within it – mostly!).  Because you just never know.  Its an auction.
10. With our sale heifers now all in their new homes, our thoughts have drifted toward calving and bull sale season.  Calving 2025 will be dominated by our two, two-year old walking bulls – Virginia Journey 509K (Synergy x Radison) and BLL Tombstone 223K (Great Guns Wyatt x Titanium).  Both had very successful first calf crops, and due to the unfortunate (and unplanned) early departure of Black Gold Battleborn, they  bred the bulk of our herd.  Each has its own positives (we felt comfortable using Journey on some heifers; Tombstone offers a little different pedigree than most), so it will be fun to see how the genetic possibilities line up.
11. It is also the first time ever that I think I like our bull calf group better than our heifer calf group in development.  As Jeanne said at weaning ‘you wanted this!’, so while it meant some tough decisions, we whittled 25 bull calves down to 11 really cool individuals, and have been super happy with how they have transitioned since weaning.  With genetic testing freshly in hand, I can only smile. I think early March in Red Deer could be fun!
12. I can already share that Jeanne’s favourite is ‘Payday’.  And yes, he’ll do.  The footnotes will also just write themselves ‘make every day. Payday.’  hey-o! 
13. Our summer project was to revamp our bull development area and add more wind breaks.  We didn’t want to take away from exercise space, as it is important for young bulls to move and keep their feet under them, so we added a number of portable panels while still allowing them space to roam.  Our winters can be brutal, so hopefully a little more protection will certainly be of value come semen test day!
14. I don’t want to imply that I don’t like my heifers…they are coming along nicely as well, and we hope to potentially have 8-10 to offer at Shades 2025.  There just may not be a ‘Rachel’ in the group.  I don’t think it is realistic to have a ‘Rachel’ every year.  But it is both a lot of fun trying, and a lot of fun when it happens! 
15. With that, it brings me back full circle to Shades 2024.  Not only were Stefon & Becca great hosts, it was really cool to work with Ben & Kassandra and Jesse & Kirsten.  Everybody pitched in to help out before/during/after the sale, and us four couples all have a similar ‘vibe’.  We look forward to next year and many more years of the same!
16. We were also blessed to have Jeanne’s two sisters and their husbands join us for the sale (and Thanksgiving week-end). Many hands make light work, and they meshed seamlessly with our sales crew – Jackie, Julie, Larry & Andrew were all a great help that we really appreciated!  Andrew’s pictures will form great memories of the day!

I can’t close without saying a few words about Transcon, our Sales Management team.  Jay, Darren, Glen and Cody always do a quality, professional job – and spend significant amounts of time on the phone – talking – while walking animals out of their pens to check feet,  and allow buyers to select animals with confidence.  Sales Management remains a long term gig – if a prospective buyer on order isn’t happy with their purchase they won’t be back.   It is foundational to have mutual trust in a Sales Management team, and we have that with Transcon. 

It was another great day to present Applecross cattle at auction, and we are honoured by the compliments received on our cattle from all the bidders and buyers that took interest in our program.  You never know with a new sale venture, or what each year may bring – so it was very rewarding to have an absolutely smashing day.  We look forward to trying to  showcase our ongoing efforts to produce high-quality genetics that we can share with the industry.

Until next time,

Dennis