You ought to come down here some day and watch. The vast majority of calves come from people with 5 or less cows. A 20 cow operation is a good sixed, operation. 50 cows and up, is like the 6666 ranch down here, Not many of them. Head cattle are sometimes sold in a 2 or 3 cow group, if the owners asks for it. But you always bid on one, and bidder takes as many as he wants. Usually just the best one, unless they sold for less than what the worst one is worth And if you are bidding on a group of cows, you always bid on the worst one. And the winning bidder gets to pick the best one of the three, so he gets the best deal. He is getting the best cow for what the worst one is worth. You almost never see a "group" of calves sold by the pound. If they were, they'd bring what the worst one was worth. The sale I go to every week just about closest to my house, the first hour and a half is spent selling the 100-200 goats and 100-200 sheep that are there every week. Then a horse or pony or donkey or two. Then about 15-30 minutes on what hogs are there. The head cattle sell next, and there you have people stand up and tell about them, or the auctioneer will tell about them if the owner isn't there. Age, vet records, pregnancy status, ( but that is usually marked by the vet, too) , what bull she is bred too, etc. After those, the weigh cattle start, and these are run through one at a time, spending 1- 3 seconds each in the ring. The announcer calls out heifer or steer (or bull) calf and starts the bidding. There no "pot loads" brought in, and no buyers trying to fill a semi load. Calves are trailer weaned at 6 mos or so. Once the weigh cattle starts, there will be handful of people buying them. Usually the owners of other sale barns. They take them home and condition them, til they get a load to send off to a feeder. Or to a sale out west like you are used to, that sells feeders.