P.E.I.'s best beef on display at 67th Easter Beef Show and Sale

The best of the Island's beef industry was on display at the67th annual Easter Beef Show and Sale this week.

The traditional two-day event in Charlottetown consistedof a show on Thursday, when judges decide which cattle are the best, and a sale on Friday, when the cattle were sold to local buyers at auction.

There were 40 exhibitors this year from across the Island. That's up from recent years but down from the show's heyday when more than 100 cattle would be shown and sold.

Emily McKenna, who showed the grand champion, said it took an hour of primpingto get him ready for competition.

"We wash them in the morning and then we'll blow dry them to get all the dust out of their hair and then we put products in them to make them shiny and then brush them," she said. "They're kind of like beauty queens."

GarthMyers, who bought half of a beef cattle, said the event was for a good cause and showed support for P.E.I. farmers.

"We're here to support Island farmers," he said."We think they're a very, very important part of Prince Edward Island and our way of life."

The grand champion this year happened to go to David Ford and Blair Campbell, who's president of the EasterBeef Show Association.

"It does get really competitive some years, which is nice, it keeps everybody on their toes," Campbell said. "This year, all our hard work paid off."

The 14-month-old, 1,306 pound Hereford named Pius was sold to Red Shores and MacQuarrie's Meats for $8.25 per pound. That price beat last year's high of $7.30 perpound.

"It was nice to see this year that two buyers combined together to buy it," Campbell said. "It was really good, we're really happy."

The event is something that Sean Furlong, dining experience manager at Red Shores, looks forward to every year.

"This is definitely an event that we look forward to all year round," he said. "It's always exciting, it's a lot of fun."

He said the grand champion will be featured at their Easter buffet as well as throughout the month of April.

"I think it's worthwhile," Furlong said. "You have to put in perspective what you're doing and what you're supporting and at the end of the day is it worth the full cost and I think definitely this was a great investment for us."

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