Cattle guarantee question

[KNERSIE]

MikeC wrote the following on the "Bred Heifers" thread that made me think.

That is, if she ain't a bag of bones......Been there too.

If you sell cattle, especially bulls that are more likely to get a temporary infertility problem, how do you safeguard yourself as a breeder against mismanagement on the part of the new owner?

When I started selling bulls I wrote a guarantee on my letterhead basically stating that I guarantee the bull to be a breeder as long as he is kept in forward breeding condition and his health program is kept up to date. In case a problem arises the buyer needs to get a report from a vet stating the problem and the possible cause and I'll replace the bull if possible or give the money back. I don't think this really means much, but thought it might discourage the chancers. I have since given up on doing this as there is just too many loopholes. How do you guys do it?

 

[andybob]

My bulls were sold with a veterinary certificate including semen quality and motility within a few days of sale, those I exported to South West and South Africa, were re-tested at Kempton park Quarantine station prior to release, I had no comeback on these. On two occasions, locally sold bulls went lame within a month of sale, I replaced these rather than risk my reputation, both were lower value commercial bulls so were not worth the possibility of an upset between neighbours.
I never sold bred females.

 

[MikeC]

Breeders are expected to make the animal good whether it's the fault of the buyer or not.

I had one guy buy a bull in November, got all his cows bred by Jan 1, and wanted to return and a refund on the bull cause he got out of a pen that had no grass and bad fences. The bull was just hungry, but the new owner was looking to get his cows bred for free.

I didn't take the bull back but sure wish I had because he made several comments about me to others that I didn't stand behind my cattle. Course, I told those that knew of the incident the whole story, but how many know that I didn't tell?

Best way to do it is just bite the bullet and be particular who you sell to. I usually ask new customers who they had bought bulls from and call for a reference.

I even had a guy that I loaned a bull to for free once to ask for compensation for a dead calf at birth. :lol: :lol:

 

[Frankie]

It depends. Sale venue requirements are different. We sell quite a few of our bulls through our bull test station. The requirement there is a six month gurantee on the bulls. We guarantee the bulls we sell from home for a year. That's not a health or life insurance policy, just that they're fertile and willing. I've heard several stories from breeders who say their bulls were misused and then brought back, but we've not had that problem. I think most people are honest. But I'm of the opinion that you do what you've got to do to keep the customer happy. If you feel like he's taking advantage of you, mark it up to experience and don't sell him anything else.

 

[CSM]

I have always asked the buyer to come and talk to me and not their neighbor if a problem comes up. The neighbor can not help you, but I probably can.

CSM

 

[CWT Angus]

Interesting you brought this up. I sold a bull calf last August @ 7 mo old. The buyer wanted to use him as a yearling to cover a few cows. He contacted me a few weeks ago & says he is breeding the cows but they are not getting settled. We get him semen tested & he is pretty low. Definitely not a satisfactory breeder at 12 mos old. I know yearling BSE's can be a shot in the dark, but I have never had a problem with a yearling not passing. Either way I offer to refund him or swap him out for another bull of the same age that I have deleloped here. I go over there to swap him out & am shocked at how underweight the 1st bull is. That's why the poor guy isn't even close to doing his job. So we have a long talk about developing yearling bulls to serve the purpose he needs & I swap out bulls & go home.

Long story short, in the future I will also be very selective in who I sell cattle to. I had to make good on this deal that I had gotten myself into. My mistake. Now I have a yearling bull at home in desparate need of groceries. Time will tell how it all works out. Live & learn I guess.

 

[double v]

Many breeder's guarantee the first breeding season, but I do it a little different it depends on the bulls age. I give a six months money back or replacement if the bull is hurt breeding or suddenly becomes infertile. Depending on the breed some bulls have to 18 months before they are ruled no good(late bloomers). You have to be careful because many try to play the breed there cows bull no good game. Keeep your eyes open and be fair, good luck.

 

[Frankie]

We will hardly sell a bull calf. We've had people come here to look at 12-14 mo old performance tested bulls. After they decided not to buy the bulls, they'd point to a calf and ask how much for him. I think some people don't understand the time and cost of growing out a bull calf. We have sold a few and had no problems with them being brought back. But we knew the people well. They understood that the calf probably wouldn't weigh 1100 lbs as a yearling under their management and were ok with that.

 

[KNERSIE]

I have always asked the buyer to come and talk to me and not their neighbor if a problem comes up. The neighbor can not help you, but I probably can.

CSM

This the exact words an old friend and mentor of mine use. He is in his seventies and a lifetime hereford breeder, guess he has seen it all.