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CANADIAN WESTERN AGRIBITION | INTERNATIONAL BUYERS
NEWS
BY MICHAEL RAINE
SASKATOON NEWSROOM
THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | DECEMBER 13, 2012
Foreign cattle producers look to Canada for genetics
Erling Gresseth of Veistad Charolais in Hegra, Norway, bought 70 embryos and a two-thirds share of a bull for semen
production during the Western Canadian Agribition in Regina. | MICHAEL RAINE PHOTO
REGINA — Erling Gresseth makes
the trip to Canadian Western Agribition
in Regina because he can
count on the show delivering profitable
results for his purebred cattle
business in Norway.
Gresseth bought 70 Charolais embryos
at this year’s show as well as an
interest in semen rights from a bull
owned by Bryan Hicks of Arthur, Ont.
He will also be taking back 20 to 30
embryos for producers in Sweden.
“I need to be able to place a lot of
trust in the people I buy from (when)
overseas. My business depends on it,”
The smile says everything.
InVigor ® growers are just like any other grower. They
believe in community, they love their families, and they
work hard to ensure there’s food on everyone’s table.
The big difference is how InVigor growers feel about
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Nothing outperforms InVigor.
O-66-10/12-BCS12259-E
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said the purebred breeder from
Hegra, Norway.
Gresseth has been buying Canadian
Charolais genetics since 2007 but
said he wouldn’t do it if he didn’t
have a personal relationship with
producers here.
“I need to see the herd and get a
sense of it, and know the people I am
dealing with. I won’t make any profit
on the genetics I buy here for four or
five years. I put a lot of trust in these
people and in their cattle.”
Häkon Kvaeken of Löten, Norway,
was also at the Regina show, one of
700 to 800 foreign visitors from 60
countries. He said the need for polled
genetics is prompting buyers from
Europe to look to Canada rather than
to the home of the breed.
“The French cattle don’t really have
the polled (genes),” he said.
“We can’t rely on it, and we don’t
want to be dealing with horns.”
Gresseth bought a purebred bull in
the United States last year and found
it was easier to bring the semen to
Canada to fertilize eggs before shipping
them to Norway.
“I rely on the help of cattle marketing
people like Helga and Candace
(By) from Regina to make sure what I
buy gets to Norway without any
issues,” he said.
“Canadian breeders are very experienced
at exporting. It might be a
bigger part of their business than in
some other places in the world.”
Gresseth said his customers are
looking for polled genetics and
smaller, thriftier animals that are
feed efficient.
“Our feed costs are way high, and the
cattle need to be good in the trees, in
rough country. We have a long days on
grass in the summer. Winter can be
very hard,” he said about his location,
half way up the Norwegian coast.
Kvaeken said many of the non-traditionally
coloured cattle won’t make
the breed standard in Europe, so dark
Charolais or black Limousin found in
North American herds aren’t on the
Scandinavians’ order books.
He also said many of the North
American breeds have come to look
alike. North American cattle have
been bred to what appears to be a
single standard, he said.
“We like them, but they don’t have a
lot of difference between them,
except the colour.”
Gresseth said the shorter stature
and more muscular hip in the Canadian
continental breeds meet his
customers’ breeding needs. However,
he has tended toward a more traditional
Charolais shaped animal for
his Canadian imports.
“(Hicks) kept the deep body, with
the larger muscle that buyers look for.
That is traditional Charolais,” he said.
Hicks said he is proud that his
Charolais genetics are being used in
Europe.
“It would be easier for them to get
(traditional) French animals, but
many European buyers want what
we have to offer instead,” he said,
during the Nov. 19-24 event.
Gresseth said producers in northern
Europe are doing well financially,
despite small farm sizes.
“Meat is very highly priced. The
(governmental support) system
ensures they make a living and deliver
food at a profit. So very good farmers
do very well. And they invest in
their herds’ (genetics),” he said.
“They buy Canada’s reputation, too.”