SALE BARN injury

[Allenw]

It all depends on what your definition of a crook is. Every sale barn is in business to make money. They all run on the ethical edge, do things that some would deem as wrong, while other see as just part of day-to-day business.

The sale barn I worked for would set a floor on the cattle price for the day. The sellers loved it, some of the buyers not so much.

In a big sale is it wrong to buy single calves or small groups early in the sale when prices tend to be softer then midway through resell them?
Maybe, but it happens more than you think. That single blk str that brought 1.40/lb because he was a single now brought 1.48/lb simply because he is now part of a group.

Bred cows that are being sold to slaughter end up at bred cow sales every week all over the country.
Ever seen a group of blk cows at a sale that all have brand new clean matching ear tags? And they magically forget to announce the seller when they enter the ring? And they are not as even a group as you would expect from one farm?
SIT on your hands and let someone else deal with them.

The sale barns around here that are considered crooked just don't do a very good job of hiding what they do. Anyone can pick up on it if you watch long enough. The reputation barns just play the game on a much higher level.

I don't know of any barn that would intently injure an animal to financially hinder a seller. Thats just bad business. No matter how carful people are cattle get injuries. Strange place, loud strange noises, co-mingling. Can all lead to unforeseen circumstances.

Is it wrong for someone to make a dollar because they understand how things work?

A lot of what I know come from guys doing things about like what your talking about.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Is it wrong for someone to make a dollar because they understand how things work?

A lot of what I know come from guys doing things about like what your talking about.

I don't think it's wrong, but a lot of people who only go to a sale once or twice a year do.

I think there is a fine art to making money trading cattle.
I know a cattle buyer that can watch a whole market cow sale. Buy 30 cows, have the vet preg them and 28 will be 4-5 mos bred. He has an eye for picking out bred cows. But he should, he buys kill cows and fats at a sale 6 days week.

 

[Warren Allison]

Is it wrong for someone to make a dollar because they understand how things work?

Not at all. I have made a lot more money buying and selling cattle and horses than raising them. And often the ones I made the most on., I bought and sold at auctions the same day. Or night, at horse sales.

 

[Travlr]

Not at all. I have made a lot more money buying and selling cattle and horses than raising them. And often the ones I made the most on., I bought and sold at auctions the same day. Or night, at horse sales.

Me too...

I made a lot more money dealing cattle and buying for the neighbors in Arkansas than I did with a place three times the size and with twice the cattle in South Dakota.

 

[greybeard]

The only problem I had was from a guy that hauled my calves to the sale one time when I was working too much to do it myself.
My grandpa said when they loaded them the hauler was commenting on how pretty one of the heifers looked.
When I got the check we knew he probably switched out a lesser heifer for her.
She was the biggest in the bunch and the weights on the ticket didn't match up.

He didn't by chance also work as a logger?

 

[faster horses]

Our daughters 4-H cow slunk her calf, so after waiting a few months, we sold her. She was a big beautiful cow. When Mr. FH took her to the sale, he helped unload some cattle that was in the trailer before ours. One was definitely crippled. He didn't stay for the sale. When we got the check it was for a much lighter, CRIPPLED cow. We call the auction yard right away and luckily,
our daughters cow was still at the yards, so they could see for themselves, she was not, nor had she ever been a cripple.

So saying that, things do happen. Good luck to you.

 

[CJ John]

Our daughters 4-H cow slunk her calf, so after waiting a few months, we sold her. She was a big beautiful cow. When Mr. FH took her to the sale, he helped unload some cattle that was in the trailer before ours. One was definitely crippled. He didn't stay for the sale. When we got the check it was for a much lighter, CRIPPLED cow. We call the auction yard right away and luckily,
our daughters cow was still at the yards, so they could see for themselves, she was not, nor had she ever been a cripple.

So saying that, things do happen. Good luck to you.

The sale barn manager has finally got back with me and now said that my heifer wasn't CRIPPLED as the description stated --- it just wasn't a good black heifer! He said he'll send me the video of it going through the ring!
WELL -- it certainly wasn't SCRAWNY at all --- and 59 cents is a long way from $1.20-1.30!
I'll see what the video shows --- but it's been a couple of days.

 

[Brute 23]

Injuries should be covered under insurance or they just pay it. I have had it happen more than once. I actually sold a pair recently and the calf got injured at the barn. They owner just pulled up a comparable calf a paid off that.

I have also had calves get swapped and not bring the right amount. Recently I had a big R&W yearling we finally caught. When I hauled him and got paid it said like #400ish pounds for one that went over 600. I got my check and walked back in and said that not my calf, mine was over 600. The lady was really nice and pulled up a list of questionable calves. She found a r&w bull that was like 655 so she swapped it.

I've started snapping pics of cows and calves in the pens or trailers as we load. It's not a 100% but it get their attention when you have some photo proof.

If you stay and watch sales it's clear to see how you end up with errors. Every thing can't be perfect, always.

With that said, we have multiple auctions barns in this area, one or two in each direction. There us a family that owns 2 and I do not do business with them. I have had issues and when I call they just feed you bs. They have no intentions of correcting any thing.

Another one I do not do business with refuses to put descriptions or match tags or any thing. Their tickets are trash. I have no use for that either.

 

[branxchar&charx]

Recently had a sale barn im 90% sure switched out a cow on me. Not 100%, hence no complaint made to the barn, as i was pretty active on bidding that day. Ended up with 3 cows. The first should hav been a black baldy but i got an all black cow. But the ear tags matched on age and bred, but u could see where the sticker on the cow was removed and handwritten. Cow settled down and will now try to knock the bucket out of your hand.lol. i had no interest in doing business with this barn but cousin runs the restaurant and was there chit chatting with them and bought 3 cows in the process.

 

[Travlr]

Recently had a sale barn im 90% sure switched out a cow on me. Not 100%, hence no complaint made to the barn, as i was pretty active on bidding that day. Ended up with 3 cows. The first should hav been a black baldy but i got an all black cow. But the ear tags matched on age and bred, but u could see where the sticker on the cow was removed and handwritten. Cow settled down and will now try to knock the bucket out of your hand.lol. i had no interest in doing business with this barn but cousin runs the restaurant and was there chit chatting with them and bought 3 cows in the process.

If you bid on a baldy... and got a solid black cow... I'd call that 100% sure.