The annual Canadian Western Agribition in Regina proved to be a very successful event for Bienfait-area operation Wheatland Cattle Co.
Wheatland Cattle took top spot in the First Lady Classic on Nov. 21. Riley Lafrentz with Wheatland Cattle said it鈥檚 an all-breeds yearling heifer show that attracts a large field.
鈥淲hat you do first is you show against your respective breeds, and then they take each of the breed champions and put them back in for an overall supreme champion, and also a reserve breed champion,鈥� Lafrentz said.
The ranch entered a simmental heifer who worked her way through the competition to become the supreme champion female.
鈥淭he female who won that competition has had a lot of success even in the last three or four months,鈥� said Lafrentz.
She also competed in the junior beef extreme competition on Nov. 25, which is open to exhibitors under the age of 21 and offers scholarships to the top finishers. Lafrentz鈥檚 brother Cody, who is in his last year of eligibility for the competition, exhibited the heifer in that show, and she was declared the supreme champion female.
鈥淪he competed in that event against some of the same cattle that she would have shown against on Tuesday (Nov. 21), and then also some new cattle that she competed against as well,鈥� said Lafrentz.
This past summer, she was the reserve national champion female at a simmental regional show in 麻豆视频 Dakota, and was fourth overall at a prospect show in Denver last fall.
鈥淪he鈥檚 been a female who has been shown a lot and campaigned a lot, and certainly had a lot of success,鈥� said Lafrentz.
The heifer has competed at other shows in Canada as well, and remains undefeated.
She wasn鈥檛 the only one from the Wheatland Cattle Co. to enjoy success at Agribition. Wheatland Cattle competed in a national simmental show on Nov. 22, and came out of it with a bull calf who was champion in his division. A cow-calf pair finished second in its class, and the champion and reserve champion simmental females had Wheatland-bred calves at their side.
鈥淭hat means a lot to us, because we show our cattle and exhibit them, but when other people can buy our breeding and promote our breeding through their own program, we鈥檝e always rewarded ourselves on customer success,鈥� he said.
Also, the ranch had the grand champion angus female with a cow-calf pair that was owned with Mickelson Land and Cattle, Hoffman Ranches, Sarayenko Cattle Company and Hollinger Land and Cattle at the angus show on Nov. 23. Wheatland Cattle has been breeding angus cattle for only a few years, so Lafrentz is pleased to enjoy such early success.
The champion intermediate heifer calf and the reserve champion junior heifer calf in the angus show were from Wheatland Cattle, and the ranch had the champion junior bull calf in the angus show.
鈥淥ur angus show is outstanding,鈥� said Lafrentz. 鈥淚 think we hung seven banners and had seven head of cattle there.鈥�
The RBC Beef Supreme Challenge was held on Nov. 25, and attracted all the breed champions, both male and female. A panel of judges evaluated the 45 females and the 45 bulls entered, and submitted their scorecards. One of the Wheatland Cattle Co. angus animals finished in the top 10 at the challenge.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the biggest one that you can possibly win in Canada, and they put that many good females out in front and picked a top 10, so it鈥檚 very rewarding and humbling on our part that we were able to finish in the top 10,鈥� said Lafrentz.
The level of competition at Agribition is as tough as any show, Lafrentz said. There are lots of shows in the fall that also attract quality animals and competitors, but he views Agribition as the gold standard.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the one that everyone wants to be at, just for traffic wise, how many people come through the barns from a marketing standpoint, and the nice thing about Agribition is it鈥檚 centralized for a lot of people, so it attracts people from east and west, and brings everyone together,鈥� said Lafrentz.
Anybody in the livestock sector who has a good chance of winning at Agribition, or who has an animal to be recognized, will be at Agribition because it鈥檚 the last and the biggest show of the fall.
It鈥檚 also a great opportunity for Wheatland Cattle to show their breeding techniques to the public.
Cattle are a big part of their lives, he said. A lot of time is dedicated to talking about breeding decisions and types. The farm also has criteria for cattle that they like.
Lafrentz believes management is also a big part of their success, by making sure the animals are progressing as desired.
鈥淭he preparation work is awfully, awfully big, with the time that we put in for halter breaking and header work and making sure they get fed properly,鈥� said Lafrentz.
It requires a lot of work and it can be stressful, but it鈥檚 part of the operation and Lafrentz believes it gives them a competitive edge.聽
