Hereford Heaven

Last Saturday was sunny and warm in southern Oklahoma. On the Lazy D Ranch, near Ada, some 400 cattlemen from the U.S. and Canada gathered around a small straw-covered arena. Most of them wore ten-gallon hats, cowboy boots and levis. So the most important figure of the day looked out of place in a cap and a "bulky, sheepskin-lined winter coat. He was chubby George Rodanz, 37, a Toronto, Ont. trucklines operator and cattle breeder. He had come to Oklahoma's annual three-day auction, in the heart of "Hereford heaven," to buy a prize bull.

First in the ring was a deep cherry-red bull named Del Zento I. Rodanz had already "measured him from rump to brisket, decided he wanted to take him home. So did two other well-heeled buyers.

The bidding started at $5,000, went up at $5,000 a clip. As the bidding got hotter, Rodanz shed his cap and coat. Finally the price reached $48,000. Someone coaxed Rodanz: "Let's set another world's record." Rodanz loosened his tie, took a deep breath, then upped the ante $3,000. The bull was his for $51,000, after only six minutes of bidding.

The price was a new world's record, which cracked the mark set at last year's Denver stock show. There two Herefords brought $50,000 apiece.

The new record was made almost by accident. The owner of the Lazy D.W.A. ("Gus") Delaney, 51, millionaire oilman (he made a reported $5,000,000 in the Fitts oil pool), had not intended to sell Del Zento. He changed his mind when he heard that there were three hot bidders on his ranch.

In the tireless competition between Hereford and Aberdeen Angus men, the new $51,000 record may not last long. But many a cattleman thinks that such fantastic prices, even in boom times, are dangerous risks. A good bull can pay for himself in breeding fees in a few months, but a bad one cannot. Two years ago a bull named T. Royal Rupert 99th sold for a world record $38,000. Cattlemen soon dubbed him "Reluctant Rupert." He has shown absolutely no interest in cows.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.