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Do The Simple Things!!!

N

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2005
Messages
12,247
Location
saskatchewan
We get bombarded by so many hints to increase profitability why is it when ranchers sell their years production on a given day they don't do some little things to make themselves a pile of coin.

1. We all have pens-sort your calves by sex at least before they go to the yards-if you have time grade and colour them too-not a big deal in Angus country but a major deal where bull decisions are based on the best add in Cattleman magazine

2. Put your ID tags in at home-nothing pisses off an sale yard them three loads of calves coming in and a little bag with five EID tags in it-nothing the crew loves more than extra sorting!!!!

3. Buy a gun-use it on your near death experiences AT HOME

4. If little Susie, Johnie, Granpa Fred and whoever all have a few calves figure out a way to split the cheque-the mart can do %'s. Nothing worse than seeing a good even set of calves sorted apart to find a bunch of separate owners.

5. Learn how to brand-get some clippers and do a good job-bar blotch bloth connected blotch just makes more stress on the cattle as the brand inspectors try and figure things out.

6. Get your cattle in on time!!!
 
It has been a real good day for common sense posts. This stuff isn't hard and doesn't take much more time. If you are going to haul that man eater to town, mark it on the manifest and warn the staff.
 
I agree with you NR but some times it's the auction mart and their staff that need the education as well as/instead of the producers. I have sex sorted my tan char calves prior to loading the truck, told the driver (who also works at the auction) only to find they join them all back up again at the auction. I sort the calves visually before they leave home as I don't like selling single calves that may be smaller because they are 2 months younger etc. I sometimes sort the calves myself at the auction and have had them "re-sorted (badly)" before they hit the ring. I got into the way of going out back and helping sort my calves at the auction - I can really speed the job up as I know by a quick glance at the head or tail end if its a steer or heifer, bigger or smaller. The yard boss doesn't take too kindly to this help though I heard afterwards he was calling me all sorts behind my back. I tend to sort mine into the biggest lots possible even if that means a slightly larger weight spread. I've been told by the sorters that they will never sell like that - the buyers will want those bigger ones out (pointing to the heaviest and second lightest in my pen) I have never had my cattle split in the ring once I sorted them the buyers are too busy bidding on them!
I suppose it depends on the auction and the crew but the sorting in my local is woeful. They will split a liner load of solid red and black cattle into lots of 5 - usually 3 blacks and two reds followed a few minutes later by a bunch 20lbs heavier consisting of two blacks and three reds. It just makes no sense!! they could get 20 reds followed by 20 blacks that the buyers would not object to.

I agree with your other points.
 
Must have been the "sale from hell"! :wink: I have worked more than my share of those and I agree with you.
 
There's something simple I'd like to do right now, and that's ship about a potload of heifers that were out of ABS' Prime Cut to town. What an extraordinarily high percentage of child abusers and heifers that just walked away from their calves, didn't matter if it was in the barn or out in the pasture. It would have been not bad calving heifers out this year if it weren't for them. Two broken legs on calves from being mauled...no, make that three. Their time here will be short lived.
 
That's what makes using sires AI kind of scary. I feel your pain Cal, I've used used a few maneaters in my day too and they are nothing but trouble. Lately I've been using semen out of proven sires that I can see the results of, females and their calves, that are right here in the county before I use them. Much better results and cheaper too.
 
Life is too short to spend it dealing with nasty cattle, especially if it's the poor mother kind of nasty.

Speaking of which. :wink:

Some things we've learned at the auction to add to the list.

1. Be there when they go through the ring.

2. Shrink is your enemy. Don't delay getting them gone once they're sorted. Giving them some good grass hay before you load them helps cut shrink, especially if they've got a long ride.

3. Take clean cattle with healthy coats. A thick fluffy (in the winter :wink:) and clean coat is an indication of health, and the buyers know it, even if they don't say it.

4. If it's sick, or recently been sick, keep it home. Don't try and slip one by. :shock: :shock:

5. Keep it calm when loading. Helps keep shrink under control. Not so easy if the cattle are high strung, but it never hurts to give it a try. Shrink is your enemy. (Can't say that enough. :wink: )
 
NR I would like to add to your list if I may. If you have a nice group of calves or yearlings leave the sorts or odballs at home. Nothing hurts the looks of a load of cattle than selling singles for twenty minutes after the load has sold. Sell them another day. Also be there to represent then be proud of them your selling your years work. Just my opinion. Have a good evening. RD :wink:
 
At the presorts they just get thrown together and sold as a lot in our yards anyways-we sell maybe a half dozen 'tags' at the end of the sale. Grassfarmer I'm sure you know your stuff but I don't think any yard needs the producers in the alleys telling the yard crew how to sort-yjthe guys I work for are pretty good-we sell alot of 80-100 head lots not too many smaller-wee get through 2,000 head in usually under two hours.
 
Just a different way of doing things I guess NR. Where I grew up the producer penned their cattle they way they were to be sold. There was no buyer splitting of cattle in the ring either - if they didn't like your sort they bid you less.
I see it as just another way to maximize my return on my calves - no offense to auction yard sorters but you can't sort my calves as well as I can because you see thousands in a day and only get a quick look at them. I've been looking at them all summer. I guess the system works for the guys that just dump their calves off at the auction and get their check in the mail. It's not what I would call marketing.
You must have a very different herd profile in your area - here the auction is full of loads split into 2-5 head it seems. Even guys with 80 calves coming in will often only have 4 in their first pen. Then there are the horns, the bulls and the stags. I suspect most of the bigger number guys here sell their cattle on the satellite or internet sales.
 
We get alot of bigger herds-We sold 300 plus calves for a neighbor this week in four drafts-basically close to semiload lots. alot of people can look at their cattle 24/7 and still not be able to sort-emotion clouds realities at times-a person who sells cattle should buy cattle. I don't know how many times I've heard the 'You stole the cutbacks' speech it's amazing how no producer wants a semiload bought for him just like them. The gist of my post was the more work you can do at your leisure at home the better it will be.
 
Attention All Cattle seller's and Buyers- Fallon Sale yard's (Fallon Sale Yard's)
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Reply to: sale-j7tgz-1064292530@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-03-07, 7:37AM PST


I just need to get this out in the open. I work at both sale yards in Fallon. There has been several times now in the last 6 months where a seller brings in his cow's and sure enough one or two have calfed. Well depending on who is around one of the crew or Mgr's will take this calf and put it on a nurse cow than run this cow thru the sale dry... This is top secret, it happened a couple of times again in the last two weeks. I just cant stand it anymore... You would not believe what goes on down there, those guys are not your friends.

Also during the "SPECIAL SALES" there is at least 2 "Inside House Bidder's" bidding up your sale... They know "The Good OL' Boy's " that come to town, with the check book ready to buy...

Also if you sold your horse at any of the horse sales and he brought LESS than $500.00 than that horse ended up in Canada, at a Slaughter house. Where there are NO regulations as to the humane way to SLAUGHTER a horse... 32 horses ended up on a truck for the slaughter house, was one of them your's?????----- ---(You guys were talking about sales yard etiquette and I was on farm and garden on craigslist and saw this.This person won't be working at either yard in the future,i'm sure. :? )These are both damn good yards.They do thier best to get as much as they can for you.
 
Just a second there Willy WhistleBlower-to start with horse slaughter is both legal and regulated as to being humane. I can't comment on what happens in Mexico as I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Much like whoever wrote this hogwash about Canada. I find it interesting how some Americans know the intricacies of our slaughter system and cattle inspection but would be hard pressed to find the country on a map. I've travelled enough stateside to know that to be a fact.
 
Blkbuckaroo said:
Attention All Cattle seller's and Buyers- Fallon Sale yard's (Fallon Sale Yard's)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: sale-j7tgz-1064292530@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-03-07, 7:37AM PST


I just need to get this out in the open. I work at both sale yards in Fallon. There has been several times now in the last 6 months where a seller brings in his cow's and sure enough one or two have calfed. Well depending on who is around one of the crew or Mgr's will take this calf and put it on a nurse cow than run this cow thru the sale dry... This is top secret, it happened a couple of times again in the last two weeks. I just cant stand it anymore... You would not believe what goes on down there, those guys are not your friends.

Also during the "SPECIAL SALES" there is at least 2 "Inside House Bidder's" bidding up your sale... They know "The Good OL' Boy's " that come to town, with the check book ready to buy...

Also if you sold your horse at any of the horse sales and he brought LESS than $500.00 than that horse ended up in Canada, at a Slaughter house. Where there are NO regulations as to the humane way to SLAUGHTER a horse... 32 horses ended up on a truck for the slaughter house, was one of them your's?????----- ---(You guys were talking about sales yard etiquette and I was on farm and garden on craigslist and saw this.This person won't be working at either yard in the future,i'm sure. :? )These are both damn good yards.They do thier best to get as much as they can for you.
Click to expand...
That's the bad part about the net,one can go on a public forum {craigslist} say this stuff and there's Peta people all over waiting to jump on this....Sounds like a disgruntled employee who's going to lose his job soon....
:?
 
Sale Yards:
At this One Yard in the Valley my Boss would get to Talking _ The Auctioneer would stick him with all the Culls he could not Sell when he was not Looking (((Talking)))

The next week when he wanted me to go with him "I Said NO" and told him Y _ ""Being Broke All I Had Was My Reputation"" 8)

He Talked me into going (BUT on my Grounds)

At the end of the Sale I Pulled off 12 Head that he did not buy. That went over with the "Yard" Like a Lead Balloon...

After that "I was The Buyer" and He Just went along to Talk... :wink: :!:
 


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