Calves for a Cause grosses over $484,000 - $72,000 for Children’s Health Foundation

Brooks Markus kicks off the Calves for a Cause live auction with Lot 1, Fraholme Apollo Aneeda-P, consigned by Fraholme Farms and born Jan. 6. Bidding opened strong, and the Holstein calf sold for $4,200. Amanda Nelson photo

By Amanda Nelson

The Canadian Dairy XPO’s annual Calves for a Cause auction raised more than $484,000 during this year’s live sale April 1 in the Cow Coliseum at the Stratford Agriplex. Thousands attended to show their support and submit bids on this year’s lineup.

Calves for a Cause is a live auction featuring elite dairy calves, embryos and genetics from breeders across Canada. Proceeds from the sale support programs and care for children at London Children’s Hospital.

The initiative was started by dairy producers Darryl and Sarah Markus to give back after their son, Brooks Markus, received care at the hospital.

The average sale price was $6,942 across 47 live lots, with a total gross of $484,248, including frozen genetics. Jordan Underhill, CDX director, said more than $72,000 will be directly sent to Children’s Health Foundation.

“The cool part about it is that this donation helps people outside of the agricultural industry,” said Underhill. “It’s a bigger picture. Everybody knows somebody who’s had a child who’s been in a children’s hospital, and it’s such an important cause. I like the fact that the cause is helping all children, even those outside of the ag industry.”

Top sellers at this year’s auction included Lot 20, Hilrose-I Altitude Red Annalee, which sold for $19,000 to Alphie Stoltzfus of Pennsylvania. Coming in second was Lot 21, Budjon-Vail Ec Citron, purchased for $17,000 by Mark-A-Valley Holsteins in Arthur. Third was Lot 44, Echo Glen Major Irene, which sold for $13,500 to Martin-View – David Martin, also of Arthur.

“The calves are selected for a combination of conformation, but also genomics,” said Underhill. “So, some of it is about physical appearance, and some of it is genomics. The top-selling calf happened to have both, and when you get that combination, then you hit those kinds of sale numbers.”

The sale attracted buyers from across Canada and the United States, something Underhill said is encouraging.

“The show definitely started off in the first couple of years mostly with southwestern Ontario farmers, and obviously, there’s a high concentration of dairy farms in this region,” said Underhill. “But over time, it’s definitely pulling from the East Coast to the West Coast of Canada, and other parts of the world as well. It’s pretty cool to see that it’s become the industry show.”

Those in attendance who purchased calves included dairy farmers from Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Pennsylvania and California.

“We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended our sale last night,” the Markus family wrote in a follow-up post on Facebook on April 2. “Thank you to all the consignors and the buyers who invested in these great heifers. As a family, we are also so grateful for everyone who has played any part in this sale. Your dedication to our sale does not go unnoticed.”

The Markus family also thanked the Canadian Dairy XPO for its support and for providing a platform to run the Calves for a Cause auction.