The second auction at the revamped Stratton cattle barn was a success Saturday despite the threat of anthrax in Rainy River District.
More than 640 head were sold during the annual yearling auction for prices exceeding those at similar sales in Winnipeg and southeastern Ontario.
“This year I can’t buy anything,” said Howard Bauman, a buyer for Central Ontario Cattle Ltd. “I came out to pick up some yearlings and I’ve got nothing.”
Bauman and other out-of-district buyers lined up alongside Stratton’s new cattle ring scale, bidding for local yearlings despite the anthrax scare.
“They’re selling for more than in Winnipeg yesterday,” said Kirk Sinclair, owner of Prairie Livestock in Moosomin, Sask., who bought a number of district yearlings.
Ten cattle have died from anthrax in this area and as many as 24 have been killed by the bacteria in Manitoba.
“Everyone’s talking about it but I don’t think there’s going to be a major spread,” said Sinclair. “I don’t know too much about it other than apparently if the cattle get it, they’d be dead within a day so that’s not a problem for Saskatchewan.
“They’d be dead before they get there.”
Other buyers from Iowa, Minnesota, and Manitoba also were at Saturday’s auction.
“I’m pretty happy with how it’s going,” said district farmer Ralph Hunsperger. “It’s a viable alternative for the local producers.
“We’re respected here because these are fresh from the district. We do not take cattle from outside the district and sell it here,” he added.
“One thing about the Rainy River District is they grow some good grass here,” said Peter Spuzak, president of the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association.
“Ordinarily, pastures in some places would be brown already.”
Although the buyers seemed unconcerned about anthrax, some district farmers may have skipped the auction because of the bacteria.
“I think there’s been a little bit of uneasiness in the district with that anthrax. I think we could have got up to 900 [head] here,” Spuzak said.
The auction also was the second test-run for the new cattle ring scale that was installed at Stratton earlier this year.
SInce the scale was broken in after the spring sale, volunteers for the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association have been working over the summer to fine tune it.
With new gates entering the ring, asphalt added to the floor to allow the animals to get a grip, a new water system, and a paint job since the spring, Saturday’s sale went off problem-free.
“Everything’s in place and now you can take a deep breath and relax. It’s going so smoothly we’re not used to it,” grinned Spuzak.
Most of the buyers also were happy with the new system.
“I haven’t been here for a year and I thought I’d come out and see the new facilities,” said Sinclair. “It all helps when you have a sale that can keep going and is done quickly.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
