Records were indeed broken at the 81st annual Red Bluff Bull, Gelding and Stock Dog Sale. New highs were seen in the dog sale and gelding sale, but the future has all the indications that these records won’t last long.
Red Bluff is entrenched with history, nostalgia and tradition. Over the course of its lifetime, many faces have come and gone, but the traditions and atmosphere stay the same. Simply put, Red Bluff is a stockman’s gathering—a place to see quality bulls, geldings and dogs; a place to see ranchers from across the West; a place to see the latest products; and a place to enjoy the festivities of a full schedule.
Red Bluff is an event that has stood the test of time and continues to thrive. The people behind Red Bluff are committed to its success, and the future looks bright.
[inline_image file=”8bc9d4c4d510734aaedd75c05629640c.jpg” caption=”Ellington Peek”]
One year ago, Red Bluff was unsure if the annual event was even going to be allowed to continue under the California state COVID-19 regulations and mandates. Coming into this year, health precautions and regulations were respected, but a feeling of “getting back to normal” was felt throughout the week. By now, it seems most of the population has been exposed and has dealt with at least one variant of the disease, and most understand how they plan to deal with it going forward, so those in attendance seemed happy to be out in public and enjoying the festivities.
Held the last week in January each year, the Red Bluff Sale has the opportunity to have inclement weather, and crowd size is very dependent on the forecast. Good weather means large crowds, and the weather was as nice as could be imagined. With highs in the upper 60s and cloudless skies, parking spots were hard to come by.
[inline_image file=”8807f053b4912324072cc5777fe78c5f.jpg” caption=”WLJ’s Pete Crow, along with (L-R) Eric Drees, manager of 7 Rivers Livestock Auction; auctioneer Butch Booker; Katie Colyer, LiveAuctions.tv; Jack Ward, American Hereford Association (AHA) executive vice president; Joe Rickabaugh, AHA fieldman; and Mark Frisbee, Western Ag Reporter fieldman.”]
Friday and Saturday saw shoulder-to-shoulder people browsing the various competitions, trade shows, art shows and livestock exhibits. Many of the trade show people made the comment that it was the best week of transactions they had ever seen.
As most of the WLJ readership knows, the drought conditions gripping the western U.S. over the past year have been overly challenging. Record low moisture in much of the area has dealt a powerful blow to the ranching community. In December, however, the skies opened up and let a reviving storm system through, which led to early winter moisture levels far past expectations and historical levels.
[inline_image file=”0116fab035998387382a2ff67741c00b.jpg” caption=”Ranch bronc riding at the Red Bluff Bucking Battle.”]
This snowpack in the High Sierras and ample rainfall in the valleys have the grass looking in great shape. Although the West is most definitely ready for another system to come through, Red Bluff set the tone for a relaxed ranching community and unquestionably helped drive optimism for the sales.
For a full week, the Red Bluff schedule was filled from one end of the fairgrounds to the other. Competitions, displays, clinics, educational opportunities and sales are conducted throughout the week. Entertainment for any age is available at any given time.
This year was the first year for new manager B.J. Macfarlane, Cottonwood, CA. He has called Tehama County home for many years, so he was a familiar face to most people, even though this was his first year serving as manager. Beyond Macfarlane, there is an experienced staff that works throughout the year to make sure things go as planned. The event is always well organized and easy to navigate for those who come to see Red Bluff for the first time.
[inline_image file=”ce3bd9c20b8a666ecb3082df377b2910.jpg” caption=”The behind-the-scenes crew at Red Bluff.”]
For those who have never been to Red Bluff, it truly is a family event. The art and trade shows have exhibits ranging from pencil drawings to the latest cattle handling setups. The exhibits throughout the fairgrounds have people shopping all day, and you’re sure to see familiar faces and catch up with friends and colleagues.
The schedule then allows spectators to watch horse shows, dog trials or the bull show and plan to attend each one of those sales.
With the large crowds seen throughout the week, attendance at the sales was as large as any of the staff had ever seen there. An estimated 3,200 people were in attendance at the horse sale alone!
A consistent schedule built on years of tradition started the week of sales, with the annual Western Video Market sale that features high-quality feeder cattle and lambs, plus the feature sale of replacement females. This sale is always a great way to start the week, and market conditions pushed this sale to a solid success.
[inline_image file=”f7234b2de31880b4a15340dca88637c7.jpg” caption=”Auctioneer Rick Machado”]
Females highlighted from around the West included open replacement heifers, bred heifers, bred cows and pairs, which always attract a lot of attention. Bred heifers brought from $1,600-2,000, and pairs ranged from $1,800-2,400. This was an outstanding sale.
The dog sale is always a highlight of the week. For many, this is the first time they’ve seen competitive dogs sell at auction. This year’s dog consignments varied more than normal in their scores, but the sale itself didn’t reflect this variation. Jeff Clausen with 208 Skittles set a new record high for the purchase price of a dog in Red Bluff. Look for the full report in this publication for more details on this.
[inline_image file=”09836cce75c82ea0704dc60579cd91ad.jpg” caption=”Presenting the American flag during the national anthem prior to the Red Bluff Gelding Sale.”]
The horse sale has followed the rising horse market trend as finished horses continue to bring more and more. The true lack of supply of these ranch horses was felt as the horse sale soared past last year’s average, even with an increase in consignments.
With the COVID situation last year, many horses went to other sales or were sold privately. This year, more consignments had enough planning time to be prepared for the week of sifting and grading, so more quality consignments showed up, and the average price was even higher. It was an extremely successful sale. At the end of the night, 55 total geldings would average $20,631.
The bull sale was nearly identical to a year ago, which is very much so a success. The bull market was really strong a year ago and took place before the drought’s extremity was seen. The far West has seen a high percentage of cows leave the area to marketing and culling, which drives overall demand downward. With a higher-than-normal December precipitation in the West, optimism outperformed market expectations, and a very good bull sale ensued. In all, 290 total bulls went through the ring to average $4,629.
[inline_image file=”dbb3a5e1b59496d2ef31ad1b84471667.jpg” caption=”Gelding team roping.”]
There is no other event like Red Bluff. It’s more than sales, it’s more than a trade show and it’s more than a person thinks. There’s something about this Western event that draws people in and makes them want to come back year after year. When you walk through the exhibits and see the pictures hanging on the wall of bulls being shown 60 years ago in the same ring that bulls are being shown in today, you sit back and realize this event has become bigger than any one person.
There’s history there. There’s nostalgia, pride, tradition and humility, all while laying the foundation to continue the legacy and create more memories for future generations.
For those reading that haven’t been to Red Bluff, the Western Livestock Journal encourages you wholeheartedly to attend. If you have been to Red Bluff, then you know exactly what we are talking about. We hope you enjoy the pictures taken by Crystal Amen Photography throughout the week. To see more of the events in action, please go to www.RedBluffBullSale.com or www.CrystalAmenPhotography.com. — Logan Ipsen, WLJ fieldman
