End of an Era: SBL Dispersal Sale ~ 1981

On April 21, 1981 SBL had a dispersal sale in Calgary, Alberta as the "old" shareholders were selling the company to three new owners: Ken Bester, Jerrold Amonson, and Dennis Bumanis. Simmental Country magazine reported on the event in the July 1981 issue where the dispersal summary and SBL "Thank You" were printed.

The three buyers of the SBL company are pictured at the bottom of this page (page 20)
of the Simmental Country magazine, July 1981, and other cattle buyers at the dispersal are listed on page 21

In one of their first promotional flyers (“Simmental Breeders TAX PROGRAM”), the buyers of the SBL company described themselves as:

“Mr. Dennis Bumanis has been a resident of Southern Alberta for over three decades. A preoccupation for many of those years has been the operation of the family ranch located in the southern part of the province. Dennis was first exposed to Simmental cattle in 1972 and has been associated with the breed ever since. Mr. Bumanis is a director of Simmental Breeders Limited as well as Universal Semen Services and has been very active in the Alberta Financial environment as a mortgage and loan company executive. The Bumanis family, three children and wife Peggy reside on an acreage at Millarville, Alberta.”

“Mr. Jerrold Amonson has been an Alberta resident for 18 years and over the past 15 years has been very active in the Land Development and Construction Industry. Jerrold is President of Investors Development Corporation Limited and a Director of several other firms active in the Calgary market. Mr. Amonson’s agricultural involvement extends beyond his principal role in Simmental Breeders Limited and Universal Semen Services to the initiation of a major Canadian Dairy Herd with the acquisition of the herd’s first seed stock holsteins. The Jerrold Amonsons, wife Joanne and son Johnathan, live on an acreage at Bearspaw, west of Calgary.”

“Mr. Ken Bester, a native Albertan was born in Fort Macleod. Since 1974 Mr. Bester’s agricultural holdings have been centered in Alberta and Saskatchewan. To remain current and to optimize returns on his agricultural investments Ken has broadened his knowledge with courses in cattle nutrition and farm management. Besides being a director of Simmental Breeders Limited and Universal Semen Services Mr. Bester is active in land investment and the management of mortgage portfolios. Today Ken and his wife Marlene raise quarter horses on their acreage near Dewinton, Alberta.”

2nd Production Sale ~ 1975

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1st SBL Production Sale ~ 1974

SBL held its first production sale on Jun 8, 1974 at the Calgary Exhibition Grounds in Calgary, Alberta.






from Simmental Shield magazine, August 1974, p. 160



from Simmental Shield magazine, August 1974, p. 121

Simmental Week ~ June 1974

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believed to be from Simmental Country magazine

A Sales Report ~ November 1973

1st page of "The Cover Story" from the
November 1973 The Ranchman

Canadian Western Simmental Sale ~ 1973

Just one sale out of many that kept the sizzle in Simmental. The handwritten notes on sale prices were made by Travers.



the consignors on these two pages were SBL and director Frank Smith



Some news from 1973

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The National Simmental Sale ~ 1972

The inside cover of “the National Simmental Sale at Fort Worth, Texas/February 5/1972” brochure gives some idea of the interest and growth of Simmental in just a few incredibly busy years.

Association Directors ~ 1971

In the Simmental Shield magazine, October 1971, p. 4, the officers and trustees of the Simmental associations were listed as:

cover of meeting agenda

1st Progeny Export ~ Amor 1A

August 1970 proved a high-profile month for SBL, with Tuesday, August 11th also being an historic day in U.S. cattle history. That was the day that Amor 1A, a year-old bull sired by Parisien, crossed the Alberta-Montana border as the first fullblood Simmental import into the United States. He had been sold by SBL to a private U.S. syndicate called Simmental Breeders of North America comprising Oklahoma (1) and Texas (6) cattlemen for a record price of $154,000.00 U.S. It was a great day in the rapidly unfolding story of Simmental in North America.

The story with picture was covered by the Lethbridge Herald (Lethbridge, Alberta) in the August 12, 1970 edition, second section, p. 15.

Sale of Amor - August 11, 1970
L to R: Ruben Reyes, Albert West, Jesse Malone, Travers Smith
Photo © Lethbridge Herald - used with permission
(ownership & copyright retained by Lethbridge Herald)

ad in Simmental Shield magazine, August 1970, p. 18
Bert Reyes & Travers Smith with Amor