Submitted by Marusia Kaweski and S.Falconer
The Mankota Stockmen’s Weigh Co. held a customer appreciation event to mark its 60th anniversary at the Agricultural Hall in Mankota on September 23. The event featured celebratory cakes and refreshments all afternoon as the community socialized and watched slideshow presentations set up on two computers as well as listened to presentations. That evening for supper, about 150 people sampled the beef burgers cooked by general manager John Williamson and vice president Ernie Bokor along with side salads.
Ron Manness of Manitoba, who is district manager for all of Western Canada for Liquid Feed, spoke at the event and gave well wishes to the Weigh Company. Kevin Williamson, representing Mankota Liquid Feed, was recognized as the top salesperson of the year.
The second speaker was Dr. Alan Raymond from the Poplar Valley Animal Clinic who spoke on the cattle industry, including the use of antibiotics. He spoke about the use of vaccinations for calves in the fall, important vitamin supplements for calves as well as the need for BSE testing. Raymond noted that the southwest region of Saskatchewan is a very progressive in the livestock industry.
Kevin Antworth of Red Coat Feeders addressed the visitors describing the differences in the cattle industry in the east and west of the country. Both Raymond and Antworth commented on the many changes in the beef industry.
The Mankota event brought together several other celebrations under one roof for the afternoon. The Weigh Company honoured Canada150 with a special cake, and marked with a cake the 65th birthday of Weigh Company’s manager John Williamson. Other celebrants were Bob and Mat Neilson who had marked their 60th wedding anniversary. Bob Neilson had been involved with the Weigh Company for many years. Don Gillespie was an honoured guest having reached 30 years as general manager of the Weigh Company. Also attending the event was Ed Burgess of Big Beaver, a long-time cattle buyer, who turned 95 on September 23.
In 1956 the forward-thinking ranchers of Mankota and district wanted to bring in the buyers to the cattle rather than shipping them on the rail to only one or two buyers. The community sold 1,200 shares for $10 each to raise some capital. They went to Cypress Hills for logging and they cut 900 rails to build the pens, alleys and an open air sales ring. The first scale was donated.
During the first year, 2,000 head were sold at three sales for $157,000. After 50 years, they were trading over $13.5 million annually. Over six decades this southern auction has developed into a major supplier of some of the best feeder cattle in Canada. They have about 90 pens so they can sell up to 4,000 feeders. In the 1970s a carload scale was purchased and a new scale house build to house it as well as a new heated sales ring. By 1978 sales totaled over $1 million for 10,617 head. In the 1990s, the pens were all converted to steel.
The Mankota Stockmen’s Weigh Co. Ltd. computerized the office and the scale in 2003. In 2015 nearly 27,000 head were handled with over $44 million in sales. Many of the yearlings are still trailed to the market in the traditional way. Buyers come from many locations including locally. The auction has also begun broadcasting sales on the Internet in real time giving more buyers access.
Mankota Stockmen’s Weigh Company has unveiled its fall sales schedule. October sales include a yearling sale on October 6, an all-class sale featuring calves on October 13, the Canadian rancher-endorsed Black Angus calf sale on October 20, the Red Angus, Hereford and Charolais calf sale on October 27.
