cattle on the rail

[txshowmom]

Have any of you guys sold your cattle on the rail? If so how did it work for you. Do you think it was a worthwhile endevor?

 

[ollie]

I have sold them yield a grade. It works better if you know what you have. If you have the average cattle across the nation I think you might get more money standing. We ultrasounded ours in the feedyard , took the premimums and sold the discounts standing.

 

[txshowmom]

Being able to ultrasound them would be ideal. Like you said, that way you know which ones would grade out for a premim and which ones would be dark cutter and are better off selling across the scales.

 

[PLR]

Have any of you guys sold your cattle on the rail? If so how did it work for you. Do you think it was a worthwhile endevor?

I sell all of my steers on the rail. Of course I sell straight to the consumer via Custom Exempt. I got $2.25 a pound hanging this year and got 4 new customers, and this is just mix breed beef.

Shelby

 

[txshowmom]

That great. What is Custom Exempt?

 

[kjerckie]

So now assuming 'rail' is not referring to trains (as was my first thought), what does 'selling off the rail' mean.

 

[la4angus]

So now assuming 'rail' is not referring to trains (as was my first thought), what does 'selling off the rail' mean.

Selling on the rail refers to selling the carcass's hanging weight.

 

[PLR]

That great. What is Custom Exempt?

Custom exempt is the washington (US?) law that allows you to sell half and whole animals directly to customers. You have to have a buyer for the animal before it is slaughtered and when it is slaughtered it is slaughtered in their name. Then you are paid based on what the carcass weighed on the Rail.

 

[txag]

Being able to ultrasound them would be ideal. Like you said, that way you know which ones would grade out for a premim and which ones would be dark cutter and are better off selling across the scales.

ultrasound definitely has its advantages, but i don't think eliminating dark cutters is one of them. dark cutters mostly occur if cattle are stressed 12-14 hours before slaughter. if you wait & ultrasound that close to slaughter, i would think it might even increase the number of dark cutters due to the extra handling.

 

[kjerckie]

I've added these to my growing list of definitions. Thanks.

 

[TheBullLady]

We retain ownership on our steers in a drought year, and prices aren't as good at the auction barn. They bring more when we rail them, but takes longer to get your $$$, as you don't get paid until they are processed.