Questions to Ask When Buying at Auction

[Bucky]

My husband and I are planning in invest in some 600 lb feeder steers to pasture for the summer and sell in the fall. We don't want to have to get them at the stock yards but in the case we have to what questions would you seasoned pro's ask and what things specific things would you look for? I know it is somewhat common sense but......... :?

 

[dj]

Most auctions don't allow time for a q&a session.
They run them in the ring and start taking bids.
The one I attend the ringman setes the price in and it takes off from there.
Here are some things I've heard announced
Their good for the rest of their life.
Poppin Good calves.
Fine Fine cattle/heifer/steer/etc.
Best in the ring.
If the auctioneer happens to like something coming off the scales any commits are preceded with this;
AAHHHHHHH BOYZZZZZZ Look here now.
Study your lesson now.
Other than the weight and a reference to the parentage
it's pretty much buyer be aware.
I'd suggest maybe the first time or two try to locate Caustic or his local peer and explain your situation and ask if he would consider buying for you and letting you watch.
With alittle luck he might do it for free just to stir up the professional buyers.

 

[Bullbuyer]

A couple more of my favorite comments:
Used especially with wild ones:
"Hey boys, first trip to town"
And with wild cow/calf pairs:
"Here she is ain't she proud of that calf" - this is usually after everyone in the ring has climbed, jumped or been thrown clear.

My advice for buying - go to a few sales, watch how things are done. If you don't have time for that, contact a neighbor farmer - I for one would be glad to help someone.

 

[Caustic Burno]

A couple more of my favorite comments:
Used especially with wild ones:
"Hey boys, first trip to town"
And with wild cow/calf pairs:
"Here she is ain't she proud of that calf" - this is usually after everyone in the ring has climbed, jumped or been thrown clear.

My advice for buying - go to a few sales, watch how things are done. If you don't have time for that, contact a neighbor farmer - I for one would be glad to help someone.

Another one as she runs in the ring blowing snot and pasture protien out the exhaust is Boys here is Granny's milk cow.

Or Boys that cow aint old and poor grass is just short where she came from.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Most auctions don't allow time for a q&a session.
They run them in the ring and start taking bids.
The one I attend the ringman setes the price in and it takes off from there.
Here are some things I've heard announced
Their good for the rest of their life.
Poppin Good calves.
Fine Fine cattle/heifer/steer/etc.
Best in the ring.
If the auctioneer happens to like something coming off the scales any commits are preceded with this;
AAHHHHHHH BOYZZZZZZ Look here now.
Study your lesson now.
Other than the weight and a reference to the parentage
it's pretty much buyer be aware.
I'd suggest maybe the first time or two try to locate Caustic or his local peer and explain your situation and ask if he would consider buying for you and letting you watch.
With alittle luck he might do it for free just to stir up the professional buyers.

Good post as there is no Q&A at any salebarn I have attended.
You would get white eyed if you went to the front desk and ask where is buyers 101.
You better find you an old mentor to teach you at the salebarn or have a pile of frogskins.
Private treaty would probablly be a much smoother road for you to take. At the salebarn you are trying to hunt with the big dogs this is where a whole lot of puppies find out they where better off under the porch.

 

[alacattleman]

The main thing too worry about is the health their in are can get in after you turn them out. get with the vet at the sale barn he will tell you how to get um started. and buy a bottle of nuflor to have on hand. if you can keep um healthy you can make something out of them. this was more of a concern of mine than what i bought that was secondary

 

[Bucky]

Thank you for replying to my question and for the words of caution. We will definately get someone to help us, hopefully we can get some private treaty.

I get much amusement out of auctioneer comments. I went to a horse auction last weekend and they had a country singer on a buckskin horse singing to the crowd to warm them up. It was one of the funniest things I had seen in a while, :cboy:

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Some More Thoughts to Ponder:

1. What you see is what you get.
2. What you DON'T see is what you get.
3. Caveat Emptor!

Other possible auctioneer comments (when he/she can't think of anything GOOD to say):

"Now THAT is a COW!"
"Is THIS a BULL for you or not?"
"Look how energetic that bull is! He's ready to Go, Go, Go!"

And, those "trite" comments on people's Web Sites:
"We wouldn't sell any _____ that we wouldn't want to keep ourselves"

"We hate to let _____ go; but, we can't keep them all!"

;-) :cboy:

 

[BC]

My suggestion is to pay an order buyer to make your purchase. They are in the market day in and day out. They know when to quit bidding when a lot gets to high.

Their reputation is on the line so for the most part they will get you good animals. Ask the barn operator to recommend one or two. It will save you money in the long run as you will not have all the regulars lining up on the "fresh" meat.

 

[Bucky]

It will save you money in the long run as you will not have all the regulars lining up on the "fresh" meat.

By regulars do you mean career cattle buyers/traders?

 

[Dave]

Watch for a buyer or two who buy lots of good cattle. Only bid on cattle they are bidding on. Never be the first one to bid. Only bid one bid more than the big buyers do. Look for cattle that are bright eyed. Don't bid on cattle that are dull eyed or seem cheap. Watch how they are breathing. Bad lungs are not a good thing in feeder cattle and one of the most common things that will get you in trouble. Watch how the cattle move. Again bad feet and legs are trouble. Pay little attention to the auctioneer, watch the cattle and the other buyers. Set a price limit and stick to it. Don't get caught up in the excitement of an auction. Bid slow, this forces the auctioneer to slow down and allows you to study the cattle more (auctioneers don't like this but it isn't his money you are spending).
In my area none of the cattle go across the scale before they are sold. They get weighed after they are sold. If this is the case at the sale you go to you better get good at guessing the weights. You can request that they weigh the cattle sometimes they will sometimes they wont. It slows things down so depends how much they want to please you.
If you can sit right beside one of those big buyers and tell them what you are looking for. They will generally help a person out.
Dave

 

[mitchwi]

The Sale barns I attend, let you in the back and wander and look. Some have cat-walks, some don't. Many times I will be at the off-load area, and talk to the haulers. Of course you have to use judgement also, but I would say most people are honest, even then you have to read between the lines a bit. I think it is easier for me to judge the cattle when they are in the pens rather than in the auction pen when they have them running every which way. Of course please remember I am not "experienced" in the cattle business, and have only bought at the sale barns last year as my first time (several visits) without buying a thing.

 

[AngusLimoX]

The Sale barns I attend, let you in the back and wander and look. Some have cat-walks, some don't. Many times I will be at the off-load area, and talk to the haulers.

Great advice if you intend to go it alone. If there is no provision for a little recon it is not likely a sale I would bid at, unless I knew some of the sellers. Amazing what you will see from the catwalk. Go at least an hour early depending on the size of the sale.

If you are ever lucky enought to hook up with a drover you can trust, your worries are almost over. Ask around you may have a good one in your area.

If you are not familiar with auctions it will take a bunch of them before you get your feet under you. There are a thousand tricks pulled at these things, a few have got me, and I have been part of a few. ;-)

Caveat Emptor! :lol: :lol:

 

[BC]

Bid slow, this forces the auctioneer to slow down and allows you to study the cattle more (auctioneers don't like this but it isn't his money you are spending).
Dave

You are right, they do not like this. Slow bidding will often times get you overlooked or ignored. I do not know about Washington, but here in Texas most of the sales average 250 to 300 head per hour and that is selling them one at a time. Know what your limit is and pay attention to the calf and to the auctioneer. Never make the man beind the micriphone mad.

 

[BC]

It will save you money in the long run as you will not have all the regulars lining up on the "fresh" meat.

By regulars do you mean career cattle buyers/traders?

Both. Some order buyers will push above what they have on a certain class of calf when they find a novice is bidding just to see how high the novice will go. They also do not like new order buyers encroaching on their turf and will make that person "buy" their seat.

 

[msscamp]

My husband and I are planning in invest in some 600 lb feeder steers to pasture for the summer and sell in the fall. We don't want to have to get them at the stock yards but in the case we have to what questions would you seasoned pro's ask and what things specific things would you look for? I know it is somewhat common sense but......... :?

Arrive early, wander around the pens (most auction barns have a cat walk that will allow you see most, if not all, of the pens) and watch the calves. Make sure there is hay and water in the pen. Look for droopy ears, hunched up stance (their back will be rounded up in the middle), not eating, cloudy eyes, general attitude of apathy, coughing, snotty nose, labored breathing, calves that just don't 'seem right', etc. Make a note of the pen number of calves that appear to be healthy, alert, and will fit your needs. Usually (around here, anyway) the auctioneer will announce the pen number as the calves come through the ring so you will know when the calves that you are interested in are being sold. Once in the ring, look for excessive nervousness, flightiness, wall-eyed appearance, aggressive stance, head held high, etc. This will not work 100% of the time, but is will get you pointed in the right direction. Once you have them home, isolate them from any other animals you might have, feed them carefully so as not to overdo it and cause an upset, and watch them. Refer to the above for indications of sick animals due to stress or something that didn't show up at the barn. Treat accordingly. I hope this helps. Just my thoughts.

 

[GaryDG]

We got lucky on our first cow purchase at our local auction. I know we were lucky based on our subsequent experiences.

I knew in advance of the auction we wanted to buy calves (@ 5-7months) that were sold in 2's, 3's, or 4's. I believed that these calves were playmates (since they were being sold by the same seller) as young calves and they would adjust to our environment with a limited amount of stress.

We saw four come up for sale and we bought them. We had never bought livestock before nor been to livestock auction. The calves looked very healthy, compared to other we saw earlier in the auction, and we began bidding. Our strategy was to "overbuy" based on other, more seasoned, buyers bids.

These bull-calves were delivered, and while we had problems keeping them in, initially, they turned out very healthy and vibrant. We castrated them all early on but we (my wife) keep one as a "pet" today. We now have migrated to a angus herd focused on superior genetics and natural, almost organic environment.

The lessons learned:

Don't be afraid of overbuying if you are a beginner

In our area it is difficult to make $$ if you buy spring calves and sell in the fall. Prices are higher for calves weighing less and prices ($/#) lower when they weigh more. So, here, that strategy wouldn't work unless there was a positive bias to the market such as that which has existed over the last year.

Engage as many people as possible in your process. Ask them their opinion. Everyone, has one, and are anxious to give suggestions / direction.

Good luck!

 

[AngusLimoX]

Ive seen some dishonest things going on at sales. Namely people bidding on their own cattle or having someone they know (silent bidder) to drive up the price of their cattle.

Nothing dishonest about that, it's done all the time. Called "bidding them in" I believe.

Auctioneer still gets his cut, why would he care?

What is the diff between that and a reserve bid?

Now "ghost bidders" , thats a different story.

 

[bcox]

Here is some things I do when I go to the cattle sales.

Sometimes sale barns will have special sales along with their regular sales. Find out what may be selling before the day you go. There is nothing like showing up at the sale barn to buy feeders on a day they are having a cow and calf sale. (been there, done that)

As it was mentioned before, take notice of cattle you want may be interested in. Write down their pen numbers or individual numbers. Also, make a note of cattle you do not want to buy; the ones that look sick or injured.

Select a weight range. Feeder cattle should be around the same weight range.

Learn the graded scale. Here in WV we have L, M, S frame size, then 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 mass size. For example, L1 & M1 being better cattle than M3 or S5. I think the grading system varies for each state.

Take a calculator. Check to see what the cattle in a particular weight and grade range are selling for that day. Price seems to be change all the time.

Check prices on the cattle you plan to buy before going to a sale. You can find this information on your state agriculture web page. Here in WV they have information on the state sale sites and other large national sale sites. The site also gives futures on all types of cattle.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsmnpubs/CFAWV.htm
http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsmnpubs/NatSum.htm

Hope this helps.

bcox

 

[Bucky]

Thank you very much for those links, I was looking for that for much of the morning without success!

Thanks everyone for taking time to write down your experiences/tips, they are very interesting and helpful. :clap: There is lots to learn in the cattle business, even though I grew up around it!