Buyer beware

[Dave]

When I was still over on the coast there was only two kill cow buyers. They sold kill cows last. When the sale would start the cafe would empty out. Those two kill cow buyers would sit together in the empty cafe, drink coffee, and talk. I always wanted a hidden microphone to record their conversation.
The other thing that went on there was they basically had one feeder calf buyer. If someone else showed up that guy wouldn't let them get anything bought. Price would be through the roof. The next week that new guy wouldn't show up because it was a waste of his time to come there. But back to one guy and the price would fall through the floor to make up for high price last week.

 

[BC]

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.

Were you "slow bidding"? Waiting to the last second trying to get in will aggravate an auctioneer and some will send a subtle message to flag and get in by letting you miss a cow or two. I do not know about Kentucky, but here we sell nearly all the cattle one at a time. When they get on calves here, most sales will average selling 4 to 6 calves a minute.

 

[Ky hills]

Were you "slow bidding"? Waiting to the last second trying to get in will aggravate an auctioneer and some will send a subtle message to flag and get in by letting you miss a cow or two. I do not know about Kentucky, but here we sell nearly all the cattle one at a time. When they get on calves here, most sales will average selling 4 to 6 calves a minute.

No. They sell pretty quick here too, so you have to make an instantaneous decision as to whether to get in or not.