For most people, a visit to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is a pleasant diversion from city life, a chance to show the kids some farm animals up close.
For Chris Parry, the Royal is a chance to do some business – tens of thousands of dollars worth. Parry, marketing manager for Alberta-based Morsan Farms, is on hand this week to show off Morsan’s prize possession, Missy the Million Dollar Cow. He’s also here to sell off some of her daughters in the Sale of Stars, a Thursday night auction of dairy cattle, including calves, adults and even embryos. He expects Missy’s offspring to fetch a hefty price.
“We’ve sold quite a few already around the world. The cheapest one went for $12,500, and the most expensive one went for $72,000,” said Parry as his charge, a shiny, black 4-year-old Holstein, was brought out by handlers to meet the press.
Holsteins are one of the world’s most prolific dairy cattle breeds. What makes Missy special are the quality and volume of the milk she produces, as well as her “components” – essentially, her looks.
“Judges and buyers look at everything, from her legs, to her soft shiny skin, to the shape of her udders. She’s got a good, high rump. She’s a good-looking cow,” Parry said.
The Royal is a chance for Parry to help Missy’s owners (Morsan and four other Holstein breeders) recoup some of the $1.2 million they paid for her in 2009.
“The money isn’t made by selling her milk. It’s by selling her calves and embryos,” said Parry. “This is one of the biggest sales of the year. We have to be here. … They’ll get people from all over the world at the auction.”
That includes people like Fabio Fogaca, a dairy industry consultant from Brazil. He and a colleague will likely pick up several embryos from the Royal, either from the auction or directly from a cattle breeder. Fogaca’s eyes lit up when discussing Missy and her embryos.
“She’s beautiful. Of course I’d love to buy some, but there’s no way I’d be able to afford them. The ones I can buy are usually around $500 apiece,” said Fogaca.
Bringing back live cattle is out of the question, thanks to Brazilian import restrictions imposed in the wake of the mad-cow disease scare.
Canada’s dairy genetics industry has annual exports of roughly $180 million, according to Holstein Canada.
Missy and her offspring aren’t the only ones getting sold off. The Sale of Stars is expected to pull in between $2-$3 million, according to one auction participant.
At the Semex booth, “sire analyst” Mike West admits the company he works for won’t be selling much cryogenically-frozen bull semen this week, but says getting face-time with customers is crucial.
“From a marketing standpoint, it’s a chance to show them the genetics of our cows in real life. It’s not just pictures or numbers on a spreadsheet,” said West, gesturing to a series of stalls with several Holsteins and other dairy cows bred by Semex.
David Eastman, general manager of Genervations Inc., another dairy genetics company, said he’ll pull in “five figures” of revenue this week, but says the fair’s biggest value is as a marketing tool.
“People aren’t going to come from Turkey and say give me 50 vials of semen to take back. This is a way for them to get to know us. I get at least two new customers a year here,” said Eastman. His company usually sells 20-30 cows a year, 100-200 embryos, and 500,000 vials of semen.
The fair also gives companies like Semex a chance to show off new products like their genetic testing program Genomax (slogan: “The most significant advancement in artificial insemination since frozen semen”). Before, the potential success of a young bull’s offspring was based on physically measuring its parents’ size, milk production and other factors such as lifespan. Genomax does DNA tests from a hair sample, and measures a wide variety of genetic characteristics.
“The old way was only about 30 per cent accurate. This way, it’s about 60 per cent. If you’re breeding cattle, that makes a big difference. You have a way better understanding of what you’re buying,” said West.
Being at the fair also makes good sense for companies like Kubota, which makes tractors and other farm vehicles, says Kubota Canada marketing manager Rob Allison.
Even though he won’t actually be selling anything onsite, the company’s display of bright orange tractors is a way of marketing to potential clients, who can then be referred to Kubota dealers.
“Every horse needs a farm, and every farm needs a tractor,” said Allison. -The Star
For Chris Parry, the Royal is a chance to do some business – tens of thousands of dollars worth. Parry, marketing manager for Alberta-based Morsan Farms, is on hand this week to show off Morsan’s prize possession, Missy the Million Dollar Cow. He’s also here to sell off some of her daughters in the Sale of Stars, a Thursday night auction of dairy cattle, including calves, adults and even embryos. He expects Missy’s offspring to fetch a hefty price.
“We’ve sold quite a few already around the world. The cheapest one went for $12,500, and the most expensive one went for $72,000,” said Parry as his charge, a shiny, black 4-year-old Holstein, was brought out by handlers to meet the press.
Holsteins are one of the world’s most prolific dairy cattle breeds. What makes Missy special are the quality and volume of the milk she produces, as well as her “components” – essentially, her looks.
“Judges and buyers look at everything, from her legs, to her soft shiny skin, to the shape of her udders. She’s got a good, high rump. She’s a good-looking cow,” Parry said.
The Royal is a chance for Parry to help Missy’s owners (Morsan and four other Holstein breeders) recoup some of the $1.2 million they paid for her in 2009.
“The money isn’t made by selling her milk. It’s by selling her calves and embryos,” said Parry. “This is one of the biggest sales of the year. We have to be here. … They’ll get people from all over the world at the auction.”
That includes people like Fabio Fogaca, a dairy industry consultant from Brazil. He and a colleague will likely pick up several embryos from the Royal, either from the auction or directly from a cattle breeder. Fogaca’s eyes lit up when discussing Missy and her embryos.
“She’s beautiful. Of course I’d love to buy some, but there’s no way I’d be able to afford them. The ones I can buy are usually around $500 apiece,” said Fogaca.
Bringing back live cattle is out of the question, thanks to Brazilian import restrictions imposed in the wake of the mad-cow disease scare.
Canada’s dairy genetics industry has annual exports of roughly $180 million, according to Holstein Canada.
Missy and her offspring aren’t the only ones getting sold off. The Sale of Stars is expected to pull in between $2-$3 million, according to one auction participant.
At the Semex booth, “sire analyst” Mike West admits the company he works for won’t be selling much cryogenically-frozen bull semen this week, but says getting face-time with customers is crucial.
“From a marketing standpoint, it’s a chance to show them the genetics of our cows in real life. It’s not just pictures or numbers on a spreadsheet,” said West, gesturing to a series of stalls with several Holsteins and other dairy cows bred by Semex.
David Eastman, general manager of Genervations Inc., another dairy genetics company, said he’ll pull in “five figures” of revenue this week, but says the fair’s biggest value is as a marketing tool.
“People aren’t going to come from Turkey and say give me 50 vials of semen to take back. This is a way for them to get to know us. I get at least two new customers a year here,” said Eastman. His company usually sells 20-30 cows a year, 100-200 embryos, and 500,000 vials of semen.
The fair also gives companies like Semex a chance to show off new products like their genetic testing program Genomax (slogan: “The most significant advancement in artificial insemination since frozen semen”). Before, the potential success of a young bull’s offspring was based on physically measuring its parents’ size, milk production and other factors such as lifespan. Genomax does DNA tests from a hair sample, and measures a wide variety of genetic characteristics.
“The old way was only about 30 per cent accurate. This way, it’s about 60 per cent. If you’re breeding cattle, that makes a big difference. You have a way better understanding of what you’re buying,” said West.
Being at the fair also makes good sense for companies like Kubota, which makes tractors and other farm vehicles, says Kubota Canada marketing manager Rob Allison.
Even though he won’t actually be selling anything onsite, the company’s display of bright orange tractors is a way of marketing to potential clients, who can then be referred to Kubota dealers.
“Every horse needs a farm, and every farm needs a tractor,” said Allison. -The Star
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