Cattlemen Set for Big Sale of Stock in Red Bluff

Showcasing the Western way of life through the finest livestock, the largest Bull and Gelding Sale west of The Rockies takes place this week in Red Bluff, Calif., for its 83rd year.

Crystal Amen Photography

Fresh shavings could be smelt across the Tehama County Fairgrounds Tuesday morning as the sifting and grading of range-ready calves and range-ready bulls began. Perhaps one of the largest promotions of the cattle industry, the end of January, is when cattlemen from ranches across the Western United States come to northern California to buy and sell top livestock.

New this year, The Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale has introduced the sale of mares for the first time in the event’s 83-year history, according to Sale Manager B.J. Macfarlane.

“They are good-looking, well-bred horses and ranch horses that can do anything,” Macfarlane said.

Well-bread and well-taken care of livestock is a top priority to those who come to the sale, in addition to showcasing the Western lifestyle. Macfarlane emphasizes what he does is just that, a lifestyle and not something he turns off when not at work.

“For me personally, I was raised on a ranch. I’m raising my kids on a ranch, and it’s just the work ethic, the compassion for animals… That’s what makes this week special for a lot of us.”

Thousands of cattlemen and patrons come to Red Bluff from around the Western United States all week long, Macfarlane says, with ‘the same common ground.’

“We see each other once a year, but we left off like we saw each other last week, and I think it’s because we share the same compassion, and passion, for the Western way of life and that is everything you will see offered here.”

19-year-old Paige Hinton arrives in Red Bluff, Calif., along with her family and their herd of performance bulls, set to hit the sale at the Don Smith Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024 / Courtney Kreider, SI Rodeo

“I just find joy in it. I couldn’t imagine life without the cows and the [other] animals, so I don’t ever want to stop," Paige Hinton said. 

Outside of the Don Smith Pavillion (where the bull sale takes place) and down a few pins, 19-year-old Paige Hinton is blow-drying one of her family’s large performance bulls. Hinton is at least a third-generation cattle rancher and would like to have her own set of cows to continue the family tradition of ranching.

The Hinton Ranch uses SimGenetics in Northern California and Southern Oregon, producing purebred Simmental bulls and select Angus genetics yearly. They raise their bulls on 75 acres of ranchland in Montague, Calif.

“We make the trip to Red Bluff because it’s the biggest sale on the northwest coast.” 

Hinton says many people have come to know their cattle brand from large sales such as Red Bluff, which is why they continue to make the trip.

The weeklong event will be filled with various ranching and livestock seminars, clinics, competitions, including the working stock dogs, and one of the largest Western Trade Shows, set to begin Wednesday at noon.

A full list of events, including Saturday’s big sale, can be found here.