beating the sale barn

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Dixieangus

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ok so as most of you think that sale barns are where "junk cows" go...Well i agree to a certain extent. I know that junk does go through sales but i also know thatgood quality cows/calves/bulls/steers go through to...One reason i like buying from a sale is cattle are cheaper but they can get sick so if you dont know to much about cattle it wouldnt be an good idea to go with the indent on buying so bring a well knowledged cattle producer.so back to the junk cow part who sells there cows at the sale barn i know i do and my cow definatly arent junk,but hey if someone comes along wanting to buy my cows for a decent price yeah ill sell em cause that saves me commission and time and hauling...I also like to buy from a producer.They normally have nice cattle that wont get sick on you but could cost alot MORE..Thes last cows i bought i bought from a producer for market price and am having good luck eith them...So about the title beating the sale barn i think this may work and have read about people doing this... They go to the sale several weeks in a row and wind up with 30 decent cow/calf pairs...Why cow/calf bercaus if the cow has a decent calf at her side chances are she will next time she may be skinny but with grass she be beatiful in 4 months..Ok so you have your cow/calf pairs in spring and you turn them out on grass.then come whenever time to sell them.well you cull and sell calves and you break even or a little ahead then next year when you sell calves you take the profit and buy more cows/calves and do it over or take you money and go on.. The third option sell all cow calves and take profit and money go to a production sell and buy the NICE stuff..
 
I agree with you NOT all cows that go thru the sale barn are JUNK but alot are
I send my cull cows thru the sale barn just because they are CULLS for me don't mean they won't be a good producer for someone else,they just don't fit my program.

I try to sell my good culls to individuals but that doesn't always work if it doesn't they go to the sale barn

if I truly have a cull (non-productive or has a problem) then she goes straight to the barn
because I would not pawn a problem cow off on someone as a good cow if she is at the barn it is
BUYER BEWARE

I have bought 1000s of hd of cows at the barn and I have bought some good cows and some dinks
anyone who buys cows consistently thru a sale barn ha bought some dinks if they tell you different then they are LIARS
I won't sell calves thru the barns because you take a hit everytime as mentioned in an earlier post if you don't run enough cows to sell to buyers direct you need to try and form some type of co-op where several smaller producers get together and sell their cattle together to a buyer so you can cut out the middle man
(the sale barn)
 
Angus Cowman":1538zbjx said:
I agree with you NOT all cows that go thru the sale barn are JUNK but alot are
I send my cull cows thru the sale barn just because they are CULLS for me don't mean they won't be a good producer for someone else,they just don't fit my program.

I try to sell my good culls to individuals but that doesn't always work if it doesn't they go to the sale barn

if I truly have a cull (non-productive or has a problem) then she goes straight to the barn
because I would not pawn a problem cow off on someone as a good cow if she is at the barn it is
BUYER BEWARE

I have bought 1000s of hd of cows at the barn and I have bought some good cows and some dinks
anyone who buys cows consistently thru a sale barn ha bought some dinks if they tell you different then they are LIARS
I won't sell calves thru the barns because you take a hit everytime as mentioned in an earlier post if you don't run enough cows to sell to buyers direct you need to try and form some type of co-op where several smaller producers get together and sell their cattle together to a buyer so you can cut out the middle man
(the sale barn)
Are cull cows there not required to be tagged with back and hip tags for slaughter identification?
 
options":gn6sjh0m said:
Angus Cowman":gn6sjh0m said:
I agree with you NOT all cows that go thru the sale barn are JUNK but alot are
I send my cull cows thru the sale barn just because they are CULLS for me don't mean they won't be a good producer for someone else,they just don't fit my program.

I try to sell my good culls to individuals but that doesn't always work if it doesn't they go to the sale barn

if I truly have a cull (non-productive or has a problem) then she goes straight to the barn
because I would not pawn a problem cow off on someone as a good cow if she is at the barn it is
BUYER BEWARE

I have bought 1000s of hd of cows at the barn and I have bought some good cows and some dinks
anyone who buys cows consistently thru a sale barn ha bought some dinks if they tell you different then they are LIARS
I won't sell calves thru the barns because you take a hit everytime as mentioned in an earlier post if you don't run enough cows to sell to buyers direct you need to try and form some type of co-op where several smaller producers get together and sell their cattle together to a buyer so you can cut out the middle man
(the sale barn)
Are cull cows there not required to be tagged with back and hip tags for slaughter identification?

Options, the sale barns that I attend have two tags if they are preg checked or have a calf by their side. One tag has a sequential number that the barn assigns for tracking and pay purposes; the other has their age and months bred. If the seller doesn't have them preg checked, they only have the tracking tag. The buyer can slaughter or take them to the farm, his choice. You need to attend some sales. It's interesting and fun.
 
Cowdirt":18so2wa1 said:
options":18so2wa1 said:
Angus Cowman":18so2wa1 said:
I agree with you NOT all cows that go thru the sale barn are JUNK but alot are
I send my cull cows thru the sale barn just because they are CULLS for me don't mean they won't be a good producer for someone else,they just don't fit my program.

I try to sell my good culls to individuals but that doesn't always work if it doesn't they go to the sale barn

if I truly have a cull (non-productive or has a problem) then she goes straight to the barn
because I would not pawn a problem cow off on someone as a good cow if she is at the barn it is
BUYER BEWARE

I have bought 1000s of hd of cows at the barn and I have bought some good cows and some dinks
anyone who buys cows consistently thru a sale barn ha bought some dinks if they tell you different then they are LIARS
I won't sell calves thru the barns because you take a hit everytime as mentioned in an earlier post if you don't run enough cows to sell to buyers direct you need to try and form some type of co-op where several smaller producers get together and sell their cattle together to a buyer so you can cut out the middle man
(the sale barn)
Are cull cows there not required to be tagged with back and hip tags for slaughter identification?

Options, the sale barns that I attend have two tags if they are preg checked or have a calf by their side. One tag has a sequential number that the barn assigns for tracking and pay purposes; the other has their age and months bred. If the seller doesn't have them preg checked, they only have the tracking tag. The buyer can slaughter or take them to the farm, his choice. You need to attend some sales. It's interesting and fun.
I have attended a sale or two in my life, at all sales I have attended all nonfed cattle display the back and hip tags that identify them during slaughter.
 
Cowdirt":1iy92tl3 said:
Options, the sale barns that I attend have two tags if they are preg checked or have a calf by their side. One tag has a sequential number that the barn assigns for tracking and pay purposes; the other has their age and months bred. If the seller doesn't have them preg checked, they only have the tracking tag. The buyer can slaughter or take them to the farm, his choice. You need to attend some sales. It's interesting and fun.

Same here but some of our own kind are trying to go against us on this. They want everything going through the sale barn to go for slaughter. As far as I am concerned these breeders may as well be joining PETA.
 
backhoeboogie":ef4v5l6g said:
Cowdirt":ef4v5l6g said:
Options, the sale barns that I attend have two tags if they are preg checked or have a calf by their side. One tag has a sequential number that the barn assigns for tracking and pay purposes; the other has their age and months bred. If the seller doesn't have them preg checked, they only have the tracking tag. The buyer can slaughter or take them to the farm, his choice. You need to attend some sales. It's interesting and fun.

Same here but some of our own kind are trying to go against us on this. They want everything going through the sale barn to go for slaughter. As far as I am concerned these breeders may as well be joining PETA.
What could possibly be their motive for this? I could see where it would help stop some disease transfer but that is it. If I don't have a ready buyer for good culls then to the sale barn they go.
I grew up in sale barns across Texas. There are many that still make a living buying and selling through them. The sale barn for many is the only way they know how to sell. The sale barn is the only place for many to buy stockers or put together a herd of cows.
There are a lot of part time cattlemen these days. I don't know how they would conduct business with out the barn. They simply don't have the time to do otherwise.
 
i to have spent meny a day at the sale barn.an have bought alot of cattle through the ring.an im not afraid to buy there.it takes a good eye to judge the cattle.you have to know a cull from a good cow.now i buy cows from assoc sales.an some from private treaty sales.
 
Angus Cowman":lrmxjblu said:
I agree with you NOT all cows that go thru the sale barn are JUNK but alot are
I send my cull cows thru the sale barn just because they are CULLS for me don't mean they won't be a good producer for someone else,they just don't fit my program.

I try to sell my good culls to individuals but that doesn't always work if it doesn't they go to the sale barn

if I truly have a cull (non-productive or has a problem) then she goes straight to the barn
because I would not pawn a problem cow off on someone as a good cow if she is at the barn it is
BUYER BEWARE

I have bought 1000s of hd of cows at the barn and I have bought some good cows and some dinks
anyone who buys cows consistently thru a sale barn ha bought some dinks if they tell you different then they are LIARS
I won't sell calves thru the barns because you take a hit everytime as mentioned in an earlier post if you don't run enough cows to sell to buyers direct you need to try and form some type of co-op where several smaller producers get together and sell their cattle together to a buyer so you can cut out the middle man
(the sale barn)


Good post.
 
novatech":1r4c31fj said:
What could possibly be their motive for this?

My guess is some producers want you to buy registered from them. If you can't buy commercial cows, there is no other option.

Just another nail for the cattle coffin if they have it their way.
 
options":1gvcf8xx said:
Are cull cows there not required to be tagged with back and hip tags for slaughter identification?

Not in my area. Why would a cull cow automatically be designated for slaughter because someone culled her? There are a lot of reasons to cull a cow, and just because she does not fit into one person's plan does not mean she will not fit into another person's program. Around here an owner has to specifically state that she is for slaugher only before she is so marked.
 
An older gentleman I know passed on last week. His son in law came in to town and they hauled the entire herd to the sale barn. Everything he had was excellent. He had culled for a lot of years to get the bunch he had. There's no way his widow could have taken care of that many head by herself.
 
I just bought 4 nice Hereford heifers from the sale barn just last week. Up here everyone likes black cows so I got these cheap. I guess you could call these culls. They will work good for me. I have had good luck with sale barn cows. I hope my luck doesn't change.
 
Millions of darned good cows and calves go through the sale barns of North America every year.

If we did not have them the business would fall apart over night - not that is is any darned good at present.

Sale barns get a bad rap over all.

I can name quite a few ranches that put more than a thousand head a year through them

I have been to some excellent dispersal sales as well.

Remember - every person here that has raised animals for any length of time has culled at least one animal and sent it to the sale barn.

Someone had to buy it

I find it quite interesting that a large number of those same folks have been quite willing over time to run them down

Bez+
 
Bez+":1s1ugpx6 said:
Millions of darned good cows and calves go through the sale barns of North America every year.

If we did not have them the business would fall apart over night
Bez, I sorta feel that way myself. Yes, we've taken some to the sale that just needed to be unloaded because of injury or calving problems, but we also have taken some perfectly fine calves that were born too late to fit with the next breeding season or otherwise didn't fit what we wanted for our herd. This year we also had a lot more steers than we wanted to feed out, so off to the sale barn they went.
The sale barn serves a useful purpose, even if it's not an ideal situation.
 
msscamp":3rb3vp4f said:
options":3rb3vp4f said:
Are cull cows there not required to be tagged with back and hip tags for slaughter identification?

Not in my area. Why would a cull cow automatically be designated for slaughter because someone culled her? There are a lot of reasons to cull a cow, and just because she does not fit into one person's plan does not mean she will not fit into another person's program. Around here an owner has to specifically state that she is for slaugher only before she is so marked.
At sales here when a cow comes off the trailer one of two things will happen she will either be tagged with hip and USDA back tags for slaughter and go to the cull pen, or option 2 if the owner does not want her in the cull pen he or she will be required to pay for preg check and cow will be mouthed at owners expense. If the owner doesn't want to pay, said cow will be tagged with hip and USDA back tags and put in cull pen. Cows can be bought from the cull pen but rarely does it happen. On occasion someone will buy a fat cow for personal slaughter.
 
options":18o1a9nz said:
msscamp":18o1a9nz said:
options":18o1a9nz said:
Are cull cows there not required to be tagged with back and hip tags for slaughter identification?

Not in my area. Why would a cull cow automatically be designated for slaughter because someone culled her? There are a lot of reasons to cull a cow, and just because she does not fit into one person's plan does not mean she will not fit into another person's program. Around here an owner has to specifically state that she is for slaugher only before she is so marked.
At sales here when a cow comes off the trailer one of two things will happen she will either be tagged with hip and USDA back tags for slaughter and go to the cull pen, or option 2 if the owner does not want her in the cull pen he or she will be required to pay for preg check and cow will be mouthed at owners expense. If the owner doesn't want to pay, said cow will be tagged with hip and USDA back tags and put in cull pen. Cows can be bought from the cull pen but rarely does it happen. On occasion someone will buy a fat cow for personal slaughter.

It all sounds to absolute to me. Some cows are not intended to be sold for hamburger here but they bring more money that way because they can be certified black. If someone happens to buy one of these for commercial reasons, how do you know? Tags on front and back don't last long :D
 

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