The Canadian Dairy XPO returned to a live trade show format this week for the first time since 2019. The dairy showcase celebrated the return by playing host to the third edition of the Calves For A Cause auction to benefit London Children’s Health Foundation.
CDX founder Jordon Underwood notes that the Calves For A Cause was started by the Markus family and he was honoured to be asked to host the sale as part of the show’s return in 2023. In this video, Underwood and sales manager Jeff Stephens comment on how dairy farmers and industry embraced the auction, and its goal to support the Children’s Hospital in London, Ont., with both enthusiasm and generosity. The sale, conducted live in the Cow Coliseum at the Stratford Rotary Complex show site in Stratford, Ont., included 40 calves as well as embryo and semen lots.
The auction was broadcast live on YouTube and included online bidding. When the final hammer fell, the sale posted record results with the sale gross hitting $285,000, up 58 per cent. From the sale proceeds, $65,000 was donated to Children’s Hospital in London. The Stratford General Hospital also received a $6,500 donation.
All consignors donated a portion of the sales proceeds to the charity, ranging from 20 to 100 per cent. “It’s up to an individual consigner to consent and say what they want to put in for the donation,” says Stephens who notes that lots were donated from Western Canada, Ontario and Quebec.
From all colours of Holsteins to Guernseys, Jerseys, Ayrshires and Brown Swiss, there was something for everyone, says Stephens. “It’s an all-breed sale. So we kind of selected the best of the best from all the different breeds and tried to represent all the breeds that are available in the dairy community.”
(Watch this report with RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin from the Calves For A Cause auction. Story continues after the video.)
After a three-year absence, Underwood says he remained cautious in the days and weeks leading up to the show. “I kept saying that I’ll be excited once the gates open and farmers start coming through the door. So that’s been happening since 7:30 this morning… just seeing people shake hands and hug and connect again, it means a lot. So we’re thrilled to be open again, and bringing the dairy communities together with the dairy industry.”
More than 350 exhibitors from 35 countries set up shop at CDX. Almost 17,000 attended the two-day show, with a record 9,227 attending day one.
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