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What Bull Supplier Provides Some Good Customer Service?

Good Beef

New member
I am new here, but have been watching for quite some time.

I am a commercial breeder and am very intrigued in how some seedstock producers are trying to become more customer service friendly, whether it be through a buyback program, bringing order buyers/feedlots out, or whatever. So my question is, besides quality, who(bull supplier) do you think provides some good service to his customers, and what do they provide to make you happy. I know of a few, but I am curious on what everyone else thinks. So lets here them.
 

Red Robin

Well-known member
Is there a particular area of the country you are interested in? Lots of providers are very good at customer service. Close neighbors are the best kind. If you get your tractor stuck they might let you borrow theirs. :lol: That's my kind of customer service.
I guess another question would be what service to you value? Buying calves back?
 

Good Beef

New member
The service I am talking about is something more than the averge bull supplier will do. Nearly everyone delivers for free and has a breeder guarantee, and some have ranch visits. But I mean service where they will go out of the way to help your bottom dollar. I am not looking for a specific breed, just want to know who is doing something diffent and good for your business and wallet. Especially since we are starting to head into the down swing of the cycle, every $ helps and if it comes from customer service from my bull supplier, great. I will stick with him.
 

Red Robin

Well-known member
Here is Gill Red Angus's customer service promotion.

"You buy our bulls, and we will bid on your calves!"
This is as easy as it sounds. If you are a customer of ours, and you let us know when you will be selling your feeder cattle, we will be at ringside to bid on them to make sure that you get what they are worth that day. The price we can pay depends on the futures market.

By purchasing our customers calves we can also find the strengths and weaknesses in our bulls and your feeder cattle, so we will know what to fix in our herd so you can have a better end product.

Since September, we bid on approximately 7000 head and bought around 20% of them. This has given our customers the upper edge, it brings in one more buyer and ussually several dollars higher. The profit margin is already pretty tight so this is designed to widen the gap for you, the customer.

Sincerely,
The Gill Family
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
Red Robin said:
Here is Gill Red Angus's customer service promotion.

"You buy our bulls, and we will bid on your calves!"
This is as easy as it sounds. If you are a customer of ours, and you let us know when you will be selling your feeder cattle, we will be at ringside to bid on them to make sure that you get what they are worth that day. The price we can pay depends on the futures market.

By purchasing our customers calves we can also find the strengths and weaknesses in our bulls and your feeder cattle, so we will know what to fix in our herd so you can have a better end product.

Since September, we bid on approximately 7000 head and bought around 20% of them. This has given our customers the upper edge, it brings in one more buyer and ussually several dollars higher. The profit margin is already pretty tight so this is designed to widen the gap for you, the customer.

Sincerely,
The Gill Family

I don't think you could really beat that.
 

Angus Cattle Shower

Well-known member
The people that I but my Angus animals will take any animal back and give you any animal of equal value of your choice or that much off of next yearss animals, he gives you breeding suggestions, gets the paper in your hand ASAP and will try to help with any problems or concersn with any animal, not just the one that you got from him. If anyone wants his name and number just PM me.
 

Denny

Well-known member
All the gaurantees are just wind.Deliver an honest set of bulls for buyers and the gaurantees are'nt needed.If you buy a poor doing bull from someone I think your at fault if you looked for gaurantee's before quality.

Buy your bulls from an honest breeder of quality cattle.If you have quality cattle they will sell themselves.

If you want a gaurantee buy a toaster.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
There is a fellow up by Brockway, Phil Haglund, that sells Gelbvieh bulls and he has the best guarantee I have ever known. He guarantees his bulls for the first breeding season, PERIOD. I mean if a bull breaks his leg, he replaces the bull. I have known him to replace a bull in the second season. He really goes above and beyond.

Now to me, to ask the seedstock producer to replace a bull that broke his leg is more than should be asked. But guarantees get abused sometimes.
One thing I would want a breeder to stand behind is disposition. If you can't get along with a bull, he isn't worth much around here.
 

Good Beef

New member
Red Robin said:
Here is Gill Red Angus's customer service promotion.

"You buy our bulls, and we will bid on your calves!"
This is as easy as it sounds. If you are a customer of ours, and you let us know when you will be selling your feeder cattle, we will be at ringside to bid on them to make sure that you get what they are worth that day. The price we can pay depends on the futures market.

By purchasing our customers calves we can also find the strengths and weaknesses in our bulls and your feeder cattle, so we will know what to fix in our herd so you can have a better end product.

Since September, we bid on approximately 7000 head and bought around 20% of them. This has given our customers the upper edge, it brings in one more buyer and ussually several dollars higher. The profit margin is already pretty tight so this is designed to widen the gap for you, the customer.

Sincerely,
The Gill Family

That's what I am talking about. Pretty nice to have bull suppliers like this.

Keep them coming!!!
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
I've talked to a few that will bid or buy back all of the calves sired by their bulls. I have also talked to a few that have vaccination programs that you can buy into and supposedly get a discount on your vaccines and wormers for your herd. I have never bought bulls from these folks but always consider it...
 

Jason

Well-known member
In my experience as a seedstock producer, those that have had cattle for a long time won't take advice. They buy what they want no matter if they really need something different.

I have learned not to argue with them.

The guys that come to the cattle business from another industry and apply the things they have learned in their other ventures are a pleasure to deal with. The expect straight up answers and ask some great questions.

I have offered to help customers with buyers names, hay buying and selling, lots of things that would help them help themselves. Some use them some don't.

It is nice to get a producer to bid on your calves, but some of us aren't feedlots, we actually are cow/calf operations like our customers. I would love to feed the calves from some of my customers, but I don't have the resources.
 

Soapweed

Well-known member
From the soapweedy side of the hill, I don't want a lot of bells and whistles from a seedstock producer. My goal is to buy bulls of quality,in quantity, at a reasonable price. If the bulls look good, have decent dispositions, and have passed a fertility test, that is all I ask.

Peach Blossom and I just spent the morning hauling home 30 bulls that look pretty doggoned good. We weighed them on the trailers, and they averaged 1130 pounds each. They have their sleeves rolled up and are ready to go to work. They are not dressed in their Sunday best; they're not halter-broke, trimmed, or shined up. They don't have registration papers, EPDs, or other credentials to hold them back. I'm guessing our cows will think them to be pretty handsome dudes.

From here on out, they are my problem. They look good as of today, and the rancher that raised them is hereby off the hook. I am "self-insuring" them. Time will tell, but they look like meat-making machines as of this writing.
 

BRG

Well-known member
I, being a seedstock supplier who does have a buy-back program think it is very important and the future of the seedstock industry. When the competition is very tough in this business, we need something a little different and better than the next guy. Quality is absolutley the most important part, but when their are several thousand bulls for sale and the commercial man is looking for 1 supplier to go to. I think service will then take its lead. Every other business out there has a customer service department, why shouldn't I, the seedstock man do the same. I guarantee that I will bid on my customers calves if they let me know when and where they will be selling. They may not top the sale, but they will almost always get a premium that day. If I had not been there, they would have not brought quite as much. If it only increases the sale by $5 head(It is ussually more like $15 or $20). On a load of 5 weight calves that is $500. If nothing else, that will pay for the trucking bill on them calves. With the profit margin as small as it is, and it will be alot smaller in a few years, I think the commercial man needs some more help. So, if the quality is good enough, why not use the breeder who wants to help you.
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
I sell quite a few bred heifers with the deal that I'll buy the heifer calves back for a premium-as of yet no one will sell them to me. Says something about A'I sired heifers-from the right kind of bulls-packing A'I sired calves. Can't wait to try and get some baldy calves back from my heifer customers.
 

lazy ace

Well-known member
BRG said:
I, being a seedstock supplier who does have a buy-back program think it is very important and the future of the seedstock industry. When the competition is very tough in this business, we need something a little different and better than the next guy. Quality is absolutley the most important part, but when their are several thousand bulls for sale and the commercial man is looking for 1 supplier to go to. I think service will then take its lead. Every other business out there has a customer service department, why shouldn't I, the seedstock man do the same. I guarantee that I will bid on my customers calves if they let me know when and where they will be selling. They may not top the sale, but they will almost always get a premium that day. If I had not been there, they would have not brought quite as much. If it only increases the sale by $5 head(It is ussually more like $15 or $20). On a load of 5 weight calves that is $500. If nothing else, that will pay for the trucking bill on them calves. With the profit margin as small as it is, and it will be alot smaller in a few years, I think the commercial man needs some more help. So, if the quality is good enough, why not use the breeder who wants to help you.

I agree with you about good service but where do you stop? If a commercial guy has one bull from you do you still buy the calves? What if they are loyal customers but only need one bull every four years and just use them on heifers for their terminal program? What if you know the heard health is just the bare minimum for pre weaning shots does that person get the full benifits?

We have talked about these same questions before but after buying for a couple of years have you run into any of these issues? Sorry to pick on you and put you on the spot but these questions are basically for everyone who does this or are thinking about doing this.

Have a good one and say hello to the Mrs.

Lazy ace
 

BRG

Well-known member
Lazy Ass I mean Ace :lol: Just kidding bud, I need to take a shot at you whenever I can.

To answer your question. We treat everyone the same, as if we are going to bid on them or not. We will bid on everyone of our customers calves no matter what vac program they are in or how many bulls they have bought. But we might bid a little higher on cattle that have more of our genetics, better genetics, or have a better vac program. We will especially bid a little more on certain people calves if they have a history on them already. Like the calves I put on another post the other day. We will really go after them this fall because they did so good from COG to End Weight, and to carcass. It put it all together in one package. We have also bought calves from a customer whose cattle were 50% simmental, and I mean the older style with white stipes up and down. They graded terrible and health was not good, and had an expensive COG. We had these calves 2 years in a row, and both years the same thing. We can't afford to go to high on them, until they get most of that simmi out of there, but we will bid on them again. As it is our promise to our customers.

I hope that helps. Have a good one, and try to round up some rain.

I will be down at the ranch Sunday to Wednseday or Thursday. We are ultrasounding bulls and putting cedars in a neighbors cows that we are using for embryos.

Catch ya later.
 

lazy ace

Well-known member
BRG what young bulls have you got over there or are they up at professor ED's? We might have to get together and talk philosophy, over some silver bullets. :D As far as the lazy ass comment your wife needs to keep you in line better.


have a good one

Lazy ace
 

BRG

Well-known member
The only new bull we have at our place is the Pieper bull we bought. The other 2 are breeding cows at the professors. Most of our bulls are at the other owners place right now. We do have the Milk Creek bull at home too.

I could go for some bullets myself. Come on over and have a look and bring some with ya.
 
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