By Tom Collins
REGINA — Enright Farms was pretty close to selling EF Titan 545 just one day after the bull was named grand champion bull for Black Angus at the Canadian Western Agribition at Regina, Saskatchewan on Nov. 23.
Sean Enright decided to wait until the dust settled before making a decision. The following day, Titan — bred by Enright Farms in Renfrew County and partly-owned with Cavanhill Farms at Kinburn — beat out 40 bulls from across the country to be named supreme bull of all breeds. It was the only animal the farm brought to Agribition.
“I’m still on cloud 9,” Enright told Farmers Forum a few days later. “It’s pretty unreal. There are a lot of high-dollar bulls and bigger bulls out there. I would have been really happy with a top 10 finish.”
The farm — which sells bulls, females, semen and embryos — is now waiting before selling Titan but is selling semen packages. Enright estimates the win has doubled interest in the $1,500 pack of 20 semen straws.
Enright said the win will help the farm in sales for years.
“It’s one heck of a promotion for our farm; that’s for sure,” he said.
At the Enright Farms and Vos Vegas Farms’ production sale in late 2015, cow Soo Line Annie K 1094 sold for $30,000, EF Vos Annie K 16A sold for $22,000 and five more cows sold for $10,000 each. A flush of Vos Vegas Queen of Hearts sold for $10,000, while two straws of semen from Dameron First Class sold for $16,500 per straw. The next sale is planned for 2017.
Agribition was not Titan’s first big victory. He was named supreme bull at Expo Bouef at Victoriaville in Quebec on Thanksgiving weekend. Enright Farm shad champion females in the Limousin category at past Agribitions and have owned champion bulls at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. But this year’s win easily trumps them all.
“I’d trade one of those (Royal wins) in any day for a win out here,” he said. “We’ve had some Denver champions, but to finally breed and raise one of your own takes it to a whole other level when it has your prefix on it.”