Buyer beware

[Buck Randall]

Your probably right. I like to think that when the owners have a day to day interaction with the cows , like on a small dairy. They would be more in tune with the well fair of the cows.
But I can see where the "we can fix them" mentally can perpetuate an already bad cow into death walking .

The small farms definitely are able to provide an individualized level of care that's tough for the big farms to match, but I find it tends to be balanced out by some of the advantages of the big farms. The end result is care that looks different, but not inherently better or worse. Large farms can afford to have the vet out frequently, and they tend not to have management decisions clouded by emotion on the cow level. A guy milking 50 cows is going to occasionally have a hard time making the decision to part with a worn out cow on time, because "Bessie Mae deserves one more chance". The guy managing 2000 cows is not agonizing over whether to give 26899 another chance, it's just a numbers game.

Of course, poorly managed large farms are harder to stomach because the scale of them just makes it look so much worse. When you go to a 50 cow dairy and one of the cows looks like hell, you can look past it. Scale up to 2000 cows and that one cow turns into a pen of 40, and it makes you want to call the SPCA.

 

[Dave]

One of neighbors bought 5 bulls from a large reputable breeder. The breeder was to deliver them about a month after the sale. When they unloaded the bulls one could barely walk. He refused delivery on that bull. After some discussion the breeder brought a different bull. Had he not been there when they were delivered he surely would have been told it was fine when they unloaded it.

 

[wbvs58]

We have very strict animal welfare laws, the responsibility of whether the animals are fit to travel are on the livestock carrier, "Are they fit to load?" Big fines can be incurred by all involved if your judgement is wrong with loading them. Many loads of drought affected cattle have been left behind until their condition improves with feeding. Again it will be the carrier usually that refuses to load them.

Ken

 

[Warren Allison]

LIER LIER CATTLE BUYER.
You show me an honest sale barn, I show you one that won't be in business for long.
There all crooked, the reputable ones just hide it better.

Liar, not lier. If you care to come to Ga I will take you to three that are honest, ran by honest people. I will introduce you to the owners, and you will be most welcome to call them dishonest or liars., Just make sure you have a good dental insurance plan in place before you do.

 

[kenny thomas]

We were supposed to buy 35 head of bred, corriente heifers from a guy (my son made the deal) and when they were delivered I said what the heck is this?
A lot of old cows ,1/2 were longhorn cows not heifers maybe 5 heifers in the whole bunch.
When we palpated them only 1/2 were bred.
Plus we paid way too much for them.
I was furious and told my son to call the guy that advertised bred heifers.
He did but nothing ever came of it.
I told my son to be very careful on the deals he makes in the future.
We should have knew better but the guy should have delivered what he advertised.
Too many dishonest people out there.

If I bought 35 bred corriente heifers I would have got 35 bred corriente heifers or he could have loaded them back on the trailer.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Liar, not lier. If you care to come to Ga I will take you to three that are honest, ran by honest people. I will introduce you to the owners, and you will be most welcome to call them dishonest or liars., Just make sure you have a good dental insurance plan in place before you do.

I used to enjoy watching cattle sales. Now I enjoy watching how sale barns work. Just sit and watch a sale. Watch who is buying. Watch the cattle that are sold when you can't find a bidder. Listen to what is said when a group comes in the ring, or better yet what isn't said. They all play the game. That's how sale barns make money.

 

[kenny thomas]

Liar, not lier. If you care to come to Ga I will take you to three that are honest, ran by honest people. I will introduce you to the owners, and you will be most welcome to call them dishonest or liars., Just make sure you have a good dental insurance plan in place before you do.

You have probably seen that I stop at several cattle stockyards across the US in my travels. Would love to see more.

 

[kenny thomas]

I used to enjoy watching cattle sales. Now I enjoy watching how sale barns work. Just sit and watch a sale. Watch who is buying. Watch the cattle that are sold when you can't find a bidder. Listen to what is said when a group comes in the ring, or better yet what isn't said. They all play the game. That's how sale barns make money.

I will agree and disagree. The sale barns make money by the number of cattle they sell, be it so much per head or % of what it brings. But yes lots of games go on at some sales. Very few people can set through a sale and really know what is happening. A bidder that's not there and never has been might bid on a lot of calves. That's a sign of a good auctioneer reading the orders of the buyers within the first few calves sold. Or me getting a call and saying get your calves there this week. Lots of things happen. If it actually gets crooked or lots of retrade cattle it will go down pretty fast.

 

[chaded]

Its not just craigs list. Two of the closest sale barns to my place are run by dishonest cattle traders. I won't even take my packer cows to them.

It can be neighbors as well. When i first moved here and bought my first herd i got a pretty bad deal from the neighbor down the road unfortunately. I was new (still am) and thought he was helping me out the way he went about it. Now that i know a little bit more i would take my chances at the sale barn before i bought anything off of him.

But you live and learn and what i lost in money i gained back in some experience. I learn pretty quick but up until then i can make some big mistakes. Lol.

 

[coachg]

I got into an argument through Craigslist with a lady a couple of years ago . Her cattle were not registered but were priced twice what cows were bringing at the sale . For some reason it got on my last nerve so I responded and ask her why so expensive . Her reply was to mind my own business. She had a closed herd , had hand raised all her own cattle , her breeding…. . I finally gave it up and told her I hoped she got them sold and could sleep at night . Feel the same for price gouging on hay !

 

[greybeard]

That's a sign of a good auctioneer reading the orders of the buyers within the first few calves sold.

A good auctioneer can sell anything.

"That's a good ol gentle cow there, gotta little gimp in her getalong but a few groceries and she'll drop you a calf in a few weeks and you can double yore money!"

(lame in her left front hoof, broke tooth, pins/hooks way too visible, maybe bred/maybe not, pushing 15 years or better..)

 

[Brute 23]

I dont have a problem with people charging what ever they want. That's there choice and the market will deal with it. It does how ever need to be what they advertise it as.

 

[TCRanch]

One of neighbors bought 5 bulls from a large reputable breeder. The breeder was to deliver them about a month after the sale. When they unloaded the bulls one could barely walk. He refused delivery on that bull. After some discussion the breeder brought a different bull. Had he not been there when they were delivered he surely would have been told it was fine when they unloaded it.

And yet . . . I bought 2 bulls from a small, but reputable breeder, and my fave new heifer bull got struck by lightning after I had him all of 3 weeks. Felt like I'd been gut punched. Called the breeder that evening to see if he had a replacement. He did have another bull that would fit my operation, but definitely not calving ease. Fine, I'd switch bulls around & make it work. He delivered the new bull 2 days later and refused to take my check, said he guarantees his bulls for a year. Clearly, an act of nature had nothing to do with breeding (or lack thereof). Honest sellers that go above & beyond are still out there.

 

[callmefence]

I used to enjoy watching cattle sales. Now I enjoy watching how sale barns work. Just sit and watch a sale. Watch who is buying. Watch the cattle that are sold when you can't find a bidder. Listen to what is said when a group comes in the ring, or better yet what isn't said. They all play the game. That's how sale barns make money.

Take notice to the order buyers typing a text message on their phone. Then watch the auctioneer suddenly appear to receive a text on his phone...happens alot.

 

[TCRanch]

Take notice to the order buyers typing a text message on their phone. Then watch the auctioneer suddenly appear to receive a text on his phone...happens alot.

Same buyer buys my calves and the next day when I picked up the check, the auctioneer (also a friend) told me the buyer kept texting, asking when mine were coming through. Well, that, plus the auctioneer pointed to me, sitting in the front row, and announced they were mine while listing their vaccination history. I don't see anything unethical about that if you establish a relationship and sell healthy, preconditioned calves.

 

[Warren Allison]

I used to enjoy watching cattle sales. Now I enjoy watching how sale barns work. Just sit and watch a sale. Watch who is buying. Watch the cattle that are sold when you can't find a bidder. Listen to what is said when a group comes in the ring, or better yet what isn't said. They all play the game. That's how sale barns make money.

Actually, sale bans like any other kind of auction, make money from a percentage commission on the sales. So, dunno what kind of game you think they play, or how it would benefit a commissioned sales person to try to lower the price!

 

[Ky hills]

Once went to a stockyards one day that was featuring a cowherd dispersal. I bought the first two little groups of cows sold, and intended to try to buy a few more. The very next lot they sold, I tried to bid on but the owner of the yards that sits up next to the auctioneer, quickly pointed to someone else on the other side and they were knocked off immediately. It defied logic in that when I was buying baby calves there, they would always seem to look my way after I had bought some, but on the day with those cows they completely redirected attention at that certain point kind of like a made up deal of some kind.

 

[Ky hills]

Quite a few people involved in the cattle business have figured out a lot of angles and a lot of ways of making money. Those folks that buy and trade are there at the auctions at all the sales and know all the ins and outs and how to make a little extra or save a little.

 

[Warren Allison]

Same buyer buys my calves and the next day when I picked up the check, the auctioneer (also a friend) told me the buyer kept texting, asking when mine were coming through. Well, that, plus the auctioneer pointed to me, sitting in the front row, and announced they were mine while listing their vaccination history. I don't see anything unethical about that if you establish a relationship and sell healthy, preconditioned calves.

Whenever I sold cows or pairs by the head, I would always stand up and speak on her when she entered the ring. I'd tell them her age, her calving history, her vacc. history. working etc history, and why I was selling her. If she was cross bred, I'd tell what her sire and dam was. And people would pay more for her, than one that entered the ring, and the auctioneer would ask " Whose cow is this?" or " Or anyone know anything about this cow?"

 

[TCRanch]

Whenever I sold cows or pairs by the head, I would always stand up and speak on her when she entered the ring. I'd tell them her age, her calving history, her vacc. history. working etc history, and why I was selling her. If she was cross bred, I'd tell what her sire and dam was. And people would pay more for her, than one that entered the ring, and the auctioneer would ask " Whose cow is this?" or " Or anyone know anything about this cow?"

The sale barn & buyer have a copy of my spreadsheet on my calves prior to the sale and I'm always there. I do provide the sale barn with the same info on my cows/bulls, but they're primarily cull and no way will I be at the sale; I may or may not bust out in the ugly cry, and that's just awkward for everyone.