What Are The Best Ways To Market Your Livestock?

[NewAG]

What would be your ideal way to market your livestock.
Large Scales Operation 400 Plus Head.
If you could create your own Livestock Sales Representative
what characteristics would it/they/him/her have?
Examples: Inexpensive, Get the best price, Consistency, Video, Internet.
What are their best attributes.
WHAT ELSE?????
Thanks for your time.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

None of the above.....direct market from pasture to customers deep freezer.

 

[leanin' H]

:agree: :agree: :agree:

 

[talldog]

None of the above.....direct market from pasture to customers deep freezer.

That's what works for me and mine !!!

 

[NewAG]

None of the above.....direct market from pasture to customers deep freezer.

I agree that would be the best way. But Lets say you are a large cattle ranch operation where you are wanting to market 500 hd of Spayed 800 lb heifers?

 

[per]

NewAg, I have tried them all. If you can get bids at the farm and agree on terms that is the easiest. Keeping in mind the the auctions are needed for price discovery (at least in my opinion) so some of the costs associated with the auction is probably worth while for that reason. Video suits the price discovery theory and is even a little bit fun and it also limits the stress on the cattle. ie, straight to purchaser from farm gate. Did you pencil out retained ownership? That could be the best of all if it suits your risk tolerance, or what about some value added chains like Laura's Lean?

 

[Hay Feeder]

I am going to try personal representive for purebred cattle this year. I am using two personal represetnives that are new to the business hoping they are going to try to establish themsevelves.
The problems with the private treaty is in timing. I am at there mercy when they want to buy and the money comes in slower. Bull buyers have a deadline but heifer buyers come and go throughout the year.
Auction markets get you your money right now so you can use it. The markets that have sold ones cattle for them in the past are more reliable t(if you have quality cattle and are sold when the market demands your weight and class of cattle) However no extream tops for the top end. Fifty dollars of market is a big deal for those places. However its the multiplication factor $50 X 400 hd. $50 x 2 head does not go very far.

Saw a confuesd buyer and a very happy seller today. Two trailers with horses. When they left one trailer had one horse in it the other had five in it. Pretty easy to understand which one was the happpy one.