Paris sale barns

[RanchMan90]

"OKC is over 5 hour drive. We put pen to paper and it didn't come out good enough to make it worth it."

If you owned and used a set of scales you would no it is by far a better option.

I hauled a load yesterday and its five hours one way for me and I have a sale barn only 15 miles away from the ranch. But then again I'm small potatoes, I'm sure you big ranchers know what your doing.

Well, seems you little guys know way more than I ever will....
On a load of 100 5 weight steers, you're making around 7-800 here..... Tell me what that same load would get me in OKC.... We have semis, but we have to get permits to cross over into OK with a load like that. Then, you have to pay for fuel and we'd have to rent a trailer. Not to mention our time... Would not make sense to haul in our stock trailer where we can fit about 20.. And its always possible for a calf to get hurt during the haul, so you may have to cross someone out.

Okc sale is live on LMA auctions.com right now, you can see for yourself. Freight from your location is only 4¢ a lb on a 48000 lb pot load, and that's paying someone to haul. Savings in commission and shrink will pay for that :2cents:

 

[cowgirl8]

So 2000 to haul... OKS barns charge commission right?

 

[cowgirl8]

We sold 20 heifers last year that we culled from our keepers and got 850 pr head..Sale barn was bringing around 600 for the same type. I advertised them on FB and had them sold in a matter of minutes to one guy who bought them sight unseen and got them that day.
I'm thinking there is a way better way to sell that cuts out as many middlemen as possible. Stockers should take advantage of social media so they'd never have to buy at a sale barn....I know there are sites who do this...just need to investigate..Still have around a month

 

[Ol' 243]

Well, seems you little guys know way more than I ever will....

It's looking more and more like that may be the case . . . . . . . . . . . .except for arrogance, you got a lock on that.

 

[RanchMan90]

So 2000 to haul... OKS barns charge commission right?

$1200 = 300 miles @ $4 per loaded mile

 

[cowgirl8]

So 2000 to haul... OKS barns charge commission right?

$1200 = 300 miles @ $4 per loaded mile

But the OKC barns don't charge commission?

 

[RanchMan90]

Yep, seems you have a problem for every solution though. Good luck in your endeavors.

 

[bird dog]

Commission runs about $27 per head regardless of their size or what they bring. It was a bargain when 700lb calves were bringing $1400, not so much now. Its worth it to take them up there for me because I can control my shrink. At a regular sale barn, even a weaned calf will lose 5-7% in the summer time. Some up to 10% if you take them in early. Calves eating good will have 0-2% shrink at OKC. My last batch lost only 150lbs on a 12,300lb load.
Add the reduced shrink, a little better price, plus a little less commission than most places, and the decision is easy. Plus they don't dock you so much for a color or spots.
They need to be weaned to get full benefit and it helps if your commission guy will announce your vaccination program.

 

[Craig Miller]

Why do y'all get less shrink in okc versus a "regular barn"?

 

[Craig Miller]

Cg I have an uncle that sells straight off his farm about 150 calves a year. They bring the trucks out and load them at his place and he gets paid an agreed price. That's about all I know about it. Have you looked in to that before? If he can do it here in alabama surely you can there in texas.

 

[cowgirl8]

Mt Vernon gets 20 a head commission(may be more, but last time we were there it was 20).... The others are a %..
Someone explain shrinkage, in the calves home vs OKC.... Seems a quick haul near, would be way better than standing around in a trailer for 5 hours...then in a pen... Explain how you control that, maybe its not what I think it is...

Craig, exactly.... With social media its a lot easier to do that now....I predict sale barns will be a thing of the past for calves. They are needed for cows though...

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Why don't you sell your calves in OKC and avoid the drama. Probably a better price to boot.

OKC is over 5 hour drive. We put pen to paper and it didn't come out good enough to make it worth it.

It's 7 hours for me. You get no shrink going there. Did you allow for that I your figuring?

Agree with Jed and Birddog. My experience with OKC is 4-5% less shrink on weaned calves plus lower commission plus usually a couple cents higher price. For my 275 mile haul the higher payweight will pay all the freight and part of the commission as compared to selling at any of my area barns. Even when hiring a big gooseneck load hauled up there I will net $5-600 more dollars on just a gooseneck load and around $2500 more on a potload. 4-5% less shrink and lower commission makes a big difference. Shrink at these local yards is rough. If you don't believe me, just weigh your cattle somewhere before get to barn and then compare to the payweight. My experience is 4-6% shrink at several different area yards versus 0% at OKC when shipped on Saturaday for Monday sale. FWIW last load I sold there, all commission,fees, and 2 days feed were only $25/hd. No local yards will be anywhere close to that.

 

[cowgirl8]

My experience is 4-6% shrink at several different area yards versus 0% at OKC when shipped on Saturaday for Monday sale. FWIW last load I sold there, all commission,fees, and 2 days feed were only $25/hd. No local yards will be anywhere close to that.

I'm guessing my shrink is 0 because we get up, haul and sell... We never take our cattle days before a sale... Is that a thing, really?

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Why do y'all get less shrink in okc versus a "regular barn"?

At okc we ship them on Saturday for the Monday sale. They are unloaded into small pens that have water trough and feed box that has alfalfa based stockyard pelleted feed in them. This allows the cattle to fill back up and regain whatever weight they lost during the haul and the pellets let them eat more lb of feed without looking too full like sometimes happens when hay is fed. Also at okc my calves are never comingled with other cattle prior to selling so no fighting (= even more shrink) as typically happens at local yards.

For several years, I weighed every load when it left my place and compared to payweight. Local barns would shrink 4-6% or more where at okc payweight is +/- 1% of weight leaving my place, with average being zero. If you haven't weighed any cattle before selling them at these small barns pretty sure you would be shocked at how many fewer lbs you get paid for compared to what left your farm.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

My experience is 4-6% shrink at several different area yards versus 0% at OKC when shipped on Saturaday for Monday sale. FWIW last load I sold there, all commission,fees, and 2 days feed were only $25/hd. No local yards will be anywhere close to that.

I'm guessing my shrink is 0 because we get up, haul and sell... We never take our cattle days before a sale... Is that a thing, really?

It's a big thing!! When cattle off feed/water understand they shrink about 1% per hour. They don't stop pooping and peeing between your place and the sale ring where they're weighed. At most salebarns they may have water in pens but probably not feed as buyers will dock he// out of full looking calf. I've weighed many, many loads when left my place and at every area barn I've used will sell 4-6% less lbs than left my farm. Average 0 shrink at okc. Even had a few loads that gained a little weight at okc. It gets back to how they are fed and handled.

Suggest you weigh next few loads when you ship them and then compare to weight you get paid for. Guarantee it will be an eyeopener.

 

[cowgirl8]

Why do y'all get less shrink in okc versus a "regular barn"?

At okc we ship them on Saturday for the Monday sale. They are unloaded into small pens that have water trough and feed box that has alfalfa based stockyard pelleted feed in them. This allows the cattle to fill back up and regain whatever weight they lost during the haul and the pellets let them eat more lb of feed without looking too full like sometimes happens when hay is fed. Also at okc my calves are never comingled with other cattle prior to selling so no fighting (= even more shrink) as typically happens at local yards.

For several years, I weighed every load when it left my place and compared to payweight. Local barns would shrink 4-6% or more where at okc payweight is +/- 1% of weight leaving my place, with average being zero. If you haven't weighed any cattle before selling them at these small barns pretty sure you would be shocked at how many fewer lbs you get paid for compared to what left your farm.

On another note, wouldn't buyers go to sales and buy calves that have shrunk. I think buyers would kind of balk at paying, more for the calves a few miles away and paying more because they weigh more.....just a thought.
I'm just considering a different way other than sales. Just throwing around thoughts...not arguing, just pondering..
And if I could get 2500 extra a potload, i'm having to fork out 1200+ just to haul them there.. When I can just do it like ripping off a bandaid like we've done for many years...that's gotta be worth something... 1500 bucks just aint worth that much trouble..

 

[cowgirl8]

Now, if I took a 500 pound calves there, 100 of them, and they brought 100 dollars more a calf after commission, hauling and us eating at Taco Bell while out, then we're talking about something....

 

[bird dog]

My experience is 4-6% shrink at several different area yards versus 0% at OKC when shipped on Saturaday for Monday sale. FWIW last load I sold there, all commission,fees, and 2 days feed were only $25/hd. No local yards will be anywhere close to that.

I'm guessing my shrink is 0 because we get up, haul and sell... We never take our cattle days before a sale... Is that a thing, really?

I guarantee you your shrink is not zero. I would bet at least 5%, probably more. Also the weight right off the pasture is gonna be about 2 or 3% larger than penning, loading and a short trip to the scales.

 

[bird dog]

I wish I was wealthy enough where $1500 wasn't worth the effort.

Its probably about $50 - $70 a head to the best of my figuring and I only haul 12000 to 15000 lb at a time of 7 weights

 

[cowgirl8]

My experience is 4-6% shrink at several different area yards versus 0% at OKC when shipped on Saturaday for Monday sale. FWIW last load I sold there, all commission,fees, and 2 days feed were only $25/hd. No local yards will be anywhere close to that.

I'm guessing my shrink is 0 because we get up, haul and sell... We never take our cattle days before a sale... Is that a thing, really?

I guarantee you your shrink is not zero. I would bet at least 5%, probably more. Also the weight right off the pasture is gonna be about 2 or 3% larger than penning, loading and a short trip to the scales.

So you're saying, we take our calves to the sale the day before, they'll gain that 5% back and gain back what they lose in that 5+hour haul? HUM? The barns we take to have water and hay. Not every calf is going to in a day, siffle up to a hay bale or feed bin and eat up. If so, why don't that do that at weaning? Takes forever to regain that. And can I wonder why they aren't docked for being full of feed when they go into the sale barn? What buyer wants to pay that for a calf with a belly full of feed and hay? I've always been told a fat calf gets docked, no buyer is going to pay more for that added feed weight.