Auction Markets

[randiliana]

I've been curious for a while, and finally, I am going to ask the question. How do your auction marts work, as in how are the sales run?

Here is how ours work.

Calf sales are usually presorted sales. You bring the calves in 1-2 days before the sale, they are sorted on weight, and often on color, and then "graded" in with other consignors cattle that "fit". They are left on feed and water, and sold on a graduated shrink, depending on how far they travelled before they came into the auction and were weighed. Depending on the auction mart, they can also be put on an overnight stand (no feed or water) and then weighed and sorted.

Yearling sales are done similar to the calves. Our little auction mart, weighs and sorts them the day before the sale, and then they are 'overnight stood', and I think they must take the average shrink on the pen and deduct it from each owner's animals. Some of the bigger marts must 'overnight stand' them before they weigh and sort them.

I both of the above sales, if you bring in a big group of cattle, that are fairly similar (usually within 100 lbs of each other) you can sell them in a 'one owner' package. They are treated the same as any of the other cattle in the sale, just that they aren't sorted as much.

Cull cows in most auction marts, are sold individually, or in small groups if the owner brings in several of the same type. In our small auction mart, they presort the cows like they do the yearlings, although in this case, color is not an issue. Cows with bad eyes, bad feet etc are either sorted into a pen of similar animals, or if the issue is bad enough, they will be tagged. These sales often also have a few calves, a few yearlings and they are sold the same way the cows are.

Bred cattle in most markets around here are sold in groups of similar animals (from one owner). Usually if you want, you can take a 'gate run' of at least 5 head if you don't want the entire group of cattle in the ring. There is one auction in the area that specializes in bred cattle, and there, they run 2-4 head into the ring (usually similar animals) and you can take all or any of them that you want.

 

[grubbie]

Here they will also be sorted by size, grade, etc. but not so much on color. The auction owners know their customers and what they are looking for, and in what size lot. So they sell them accordingly. Shrink is not calculated, that's a new one on me. Around here, the sale ring itself is a scale. When the animals are run into the ring, a digital readout viewable from the buyers seating area gives the total weight of the lot, then the average weight per animal. A cow with a bad eye, lump jaw, mastitis, or whatever always goes through by herself. Not sure if I am answering your question here, but my two cents anyway.

 

[Dave]

Around here calves and yearlings are sorted for sex and size but they are never co-mingled. They may be sorted for color if the seller brought in enough to sort that way. The vast majority of cattle come in the day of the sale. They sell the smaller calves first and work there way up based on size. They sell butcher cows at the end of the sale.
There is no shrink allowance. They are weighed right after selling and that is the weight you get paid on. The scale is located right out the door of the ring. there is a bigger sale on the east side of the state with a ring scale but not our local sales.
It is possible to unload cattle and have them go straight to the ring. This is rare but it does happen. One time my trucker was late. When we got to the yard the sale was already in progress. I asked the yardman, who I knew, if he could push them toward the ring. He said yes. By the time I walked the 200 feet to the ring part of them had already sold. Good weigh on those calves for me!
Bred cows are generally sold as individuals or maybe small groups if they are the same owner. They are preg checked and the Vet's estimation of months bred is written on their hip. Butcher cows are almost always sold individually.

 

[mnmtranching]

Around here if you have 1 head or a thousand your cattle will sell as a group, sorted for sex and size. If the steer or heifers are uniform they may sell in semi load lots, filling the ring several times then buyers will bit on the works. These big groups will always top the market. You can bring cattle in the day before or unload them while the sale is going on. Your cattle will NEVER be mixed with others. And the ring is the scale.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Around here if you have 1 head or a thousand your cattle will sell as a group, sorted for sex and size. If the steer or heifers are uniform they may sell in semi load lots, filling the ring several times then buyers will bit on the works. These big groups will always top the market. You can bring cattle in the day before or unload them while the sale is going on. Your cattle will NEVER be mixed with others. And the ring is the scale.

Same except the scale is on the way out of the ring. (more fun to guess before you bid?! :lol: )

 

[Howdyjabo]

The weekly sales are run thru as singles-and are brought in the day of the sale.
Some are grouped in small batches(2-4) if it works out that 2-4 of the same type are run thru at the same time accidently .
If someone brings in several of the same type they will run them thru as a group.
I never heard of shrink being accounted for on the scales- they tend to let the buyers do that with their bid.Singles and small groups are wieghed in the holding pen right before the ring.

We have special sales where calves are consigned. They are brought in the day before fed and watered. Those will be weighed,graded and sorted into larger groups.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Here the cattle are brought in the day before. They are sorted as to size, sex and color for your animals. No presort here.
The sale is the next day. Animals are supose to have water while there, no feed.
The start of the sale are cows, then bulls, then calves and yearlings.
Bred animals are set for a special sale and they are advertised.
All animals are weight when they enter the ring.

 

[donnaIL]

Two different sale barns in our area.

You can drop off animals day before or day of sale. Animals are sorted by color, size, sex and penned together. If you bring a large group in they are penned together.

They both sell in this order:

fat animals (takes all morning). After lunch, its baby calves, breeding stock, feeders and finish with slaughter cows/bulls.

One barn sells all animals by the head one at a time.

The other barn sells fats one at a time by the head, baby calves are also sold by the head. But they sometimes group feeders and breeding stock together, sometimes 2, 3, 4 or 5 head (a few times I've even seen as many as 10) in the ring at once. If they are sold in groups they are from the same seller.

They are weighed on a scale before entering ring,weights are displayed on a digital sign, the door slides open and animal enters the ring.

Several times of year there are breeding cattle sales, and herd dispersal sales. Almost always the cows are sent through in groups of 3 to 5, sometimes a cow/calf pairs or 3-1's.

Last few years they have brought in (from Montana) some nice pure bred AI'd heifers and young cows (they even had the calves sexed one year) Those animals brought $1000 to 1500 per head makes it hard for someone who only wants to buy a couple and they are sending them through the ring in groups of 5. If you don't have alot of money to spend you have to wait until they send a single animal through.

 

[iafarmer07]

ive worked in a sale barn before and heres how they done it. pretty much the same around here really. some cattle are hauled in a day or two before the sale while others are hauled in the day of the sale, in fact..most of the cattle are hauled in the day of the sale unless they have too many to haul in before the sale starts. the cattle are then sorted before the sale according to size and color(some of the time, depending on how many you have) and then they are weighed before they enter the ring. if you have a large lot, they are normally sorted in half, or into potloads if you have enough.