Pricey, award-winning cows and bulls at the Canadian Western Agribition

Winning grand champion of any cattle competition is great for a rancher's business. It can be terrific advertising. Here are three animals — two bulls and a cow — that won their category at the Canadian Western Agribition, and what makes them special.

Winner: Grand Champion Speckle Park bull

Price: He's not for sale, but owner David Johner estimates he would go for $100,000. Each unit of semen goes for $100.
What makes him a champion? Johner says the bull is special because he looks the same from front to back, there's no part of him that sticks out, he has tremendous length and he's the perfect colour for his breed. Johner bought the bull at when it was two months old and he turned out exactly as expected. Johner won with this bull last year as well at the Canadian Western Agribition.
What's special about the Speckle Park breed? According to Johner, "There's no meat in the livestock industry that compares to Speckle Park breed."

Winner: Grand Champion Gelbvieh bull

Price: The bull was born on the ranch of the bull's owner Vernon Davidson, so there's no set price. But Davidson uses the bull to breed, and last year two of their bulls sold for more that $20,000, and the average price on 100 bulls was $7,000.
What makes him a champion? Davidson said he was the most muscular bull in the show, and that he has a smoothness about him. "He's a bull that actually has a lot of presence," he said.
What's special about the Gelbvieh breed? Davidson says the Gelbvieh breed crosses well with other breeds, and the meat quality is well accepted.

Winner: Grand Champion Simmental cow and calf

Price: Rancher Randy Mader paid $25,000 for the cow when she was 22 months old. Her calf, who was also in the show, just sold for $15,000.
What makes her a champion? Mader says a good cow needs to have a good belly or "spring a rib" so that they have capacity to consume large amounts of grass to convert into milk. They also need to have a nice udder with a small teat size so calves can latch onto them.
What's special about the Simmental breed? Mader says Simmental cows strike the perfect balance of milking ability and beef. He says the beef is juicy and also has some fat cover.