A lot of money was raised on Victoria Day for the Longview 4-H Beef Club sale.
No surprise as the club doubled in size from last year and took 28 steers plus a donation steer to auction at the High River Ag grounds.
A whopping $255,625.80, including the donation steer, was raised on Monday. It averaged out to $6.77/lb but increased to $6.92/lb with the donation steer.
Ross Lewis with the club was very thankful for the donation steer 'Donald' this year, which was raised by Markus Mason, a 9-year 4-H veteran.
"Highwood Valley Ranch with Wade and Jaimie Nelson and Reid Snodgrass, they partnered up on him and sent him to town. We are forever grateful to them. Without them, this doesn't happen."
Something unique happened this year for the first time in 23 years, since they've been donating a steer to the High River District Health Care Foundation, they finally broke the $50,000 mark.
"So, this year I challenged our kids to, if they could get to $60,000 [on the charity steer] they could cut and colour my hair. I woke up Monday morning feeling fairly confident this wasn't going to happen and as the day wore on, more money started coming in and about 3 o'clock I started getting really nervous. Then, when the sale of the steer was over, we were $3700 short and I thought 'There I'm safe, I'm good to go', and in a momentary lapse of judgement, I offered the kids an extra 5 minutes. In less than a minute, they gathered up the $3700."
Yes, they did crack $60,000 by $467.
Over the last 23 years, over half a million dollars has been raised by the donation steer for the High River District Health Care Foundation.
The Eastern Slopes Philanthropists bid up 'Donald' the donation steer to $49,100, and then it was re-donated and local businesses hopped on board.
Longtime supporter Stephen Muth with Transcend LLP and James Dryburgh and John Walquist with Foothills Custom Meat Processors then topped it up with $11,367 for the final bid of $60,467.
We'll have to wait until Ross Lewis and the club present the cheque to the High River District Health Care Foundation on June 5th to find out what cut and colour he's going with.
"The major consensus for a long time has been bright, neon-glowing pink... polka-dots did enter the conversation on Monday so, at our June 5th meeting at the hospital, our last meeting of the year the kids are going to decide what we're going to do and then I will have that done for our wrap up day dinner about mid-June."
The rest of the club members spent all day Monday grooming and getting their steers and heifers ready for sale.
Go to their Facebook page for more.