Are prices going down

[Limomike]

From what you posted and what you got for your calves, I would say it is definitely out of whack. Find another auction barn to take your calves to from now on.

 

[GMN]

Is there any chance that your animals got switched for someone elses? The tags mixed, and you got paid for someone elses animals? I'd check into it, seems way to low a price for that size animal, and mistakes do happen.

GMN

 

[tmaygspeara]

You have got to learn how to read these reports and this thing speaks volumes

"FEEDER HEIFERS: Medium & Large 1-2 300-400 lbs 100-107; 400-500
lbs 99-105; 500-600 lbs 87-96.

Medium & Small 1-2 200-300 lbs 90-102.

Medium & Large 3 200-300 lbs 110-120; 300-400 lbs 89-100; 400-500 lbs
85-93; 500-600 lbs 75-84."

WHAT does this tell us???
You are trying to sell 7 weight heifers in a barn where there were not enough 6 weight heifers to even report a price.

And then there is this
"Feeders under 600 lbs 72%; over 600 lbs 2%;"

Do the math. There are 889 head at the sale so there was only 18 head of calves that topped 6 weight.

I bet you they NEVER have more than a dozen seven weight heifers at this sale, therefore an order buyer who's business is buying seven weight heifers is highly unlikely to ever attend this sale and IF he did he walked through the barns twice got a sandwich at the cafe and headed to the house. There aren't enough animals there in that weight class for him to sit there and wait 5-8 hours for. Your heifers didn't have any buyers. The stockyard scr*wed you by letting them go for canner prices (and I would never forgive or forget); but NEVER grow them TOO big for your auction (and I have been burned like this before....just NOT THAT BAAADD). This is why you scout a sale 2-3 weeks in advance. You don't care what the classes you aren't selling are bringing...just what your classes are bringing.

Another thing.....I know a lot of this is THE drought; but the fact that everybody who uses this sale barn is selling sub 600 pound calves (IN NOVEMBER.....where a decent March 1 steer calf ought to weigh 650 lbs easily) tells me that your better cattle people are avoiding this sale.

man i really appreciate you reply, i believe you hit the nail on the head, and i never thought about it that way. It was my fault for not scouting the barn before time, but like i stated before these 5 heifers were always trying to tear up the fence. All day they were away from the herd with their head under the bob wire fence and i was tired of it.

 

[cowsrus]

This is the reason that when I take something to the sale barn, I stay and watch my stuff sell. That way you can either P O them or bid on them yourself. I have brought calves back home before because I didn,t want to "give" them away. Twice at a local sale barn if I hadn't been there I would have been cheated so after that happened I just stay and watch them. I enjoy the sale anyway.

Anyway I think you got cheated, I would at least call the sale barn and raise hell with them. There is no way healthy heifers that size should have sold for .30 cents a lb. jmo