Moving from stockyards into banquet rooms, selling cattle looks much different today than in the past.
The Southern Alberta Livestock Exchange (S.A.L.E.) expects around 65,000 head will be sold in its Western Canadian Fall Classic Video Sale — all from a Lethbridge hotel.
“This is the largest we’ve done and it’s the largest two-day video sale in Canada we know of ever,” said Steven Quinton, a S.A.L.E sales rep.
The cattle are shown on screen while buyers from across Canada and the northwestern United States bid in person or over the phone.
Total sales are projected to be around $140 million.
S.A.L.E. moved its video sale to Lethbridge eight years ago, where about 30,000 calves were sold.
Since then, Quinton says the virtual option continues gaining popularity.
“That’s been the evolution and with technology nowadays, everybody can see it online, you can do advertising online,” Quinton said. “Everybody can watch it and so more and more people are getting exposed to it.”
The convenience is what sellers say makes video sales attractive.
Brad Osadczuk runs a cattle operation in the southeastern part of the province near Jenner, Alta., and takes part in this sale every fall.
The ability to deliver his calves directly to the buyer on a set date after the sale is what keeps him coming back.
“There’s no auction marts — not that that’s a bad thing — but it’s really good for the health of our animals to be such a quick transition from our place to theirs,” Osadczuk said.
Economic experts say it can also help sellers maximize their returns.
“Selling in advance, if you’re expecting the market to soften or if there’s any risk of the market topping, it’s a good risk-management strategy for cow/calf producers to be utilizing,” CanFax executive director Brenna Grant said.
Organizers believe the video option will expand the number of people using the auction, as well as the potential for an auction with more than 100,000 calves available in the future.
“We’re pushing that,” Quinton said. “I can really see us getting there. It’s going to take a little bit, but it’s really catching on.”
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