Sale Barn polices?

[PAaugus]

Hi, new here, but been checking in for about a yr. I delivered a 1700 lb, 8 yr old cow to our local auction this past Monday. Wednesday, I got a check for $ 00.00 and the slip is marked Dead ! I took the cow there because her week old calf died, and it was the third year now that I had to bottle feed and put up with her not taking taking care of her calf. I have no reason to supect that there was anything wrong with her. She walked on the trailer fine and walked off at the sale barn. It was hot here this week, and I supect that in the sale barn it would have been well over 100* . I dropped her off at 4:15 PM . After receiving the bad news,I called the sale barn and spoke to the manager. The manager stated when the yardman went back to get her, she was dead in the pen. I asked what she died of. She didn't know. but stated " cows died here all the time" ! I asked why they didn't contact me the next morning? I told here I would of liked to have seen the cow. Now she stated, " you wanted to see the dead cow? " I asked her what time the cow would of been sold, she told me " about 1 AM in the morning ". As a note, she said, " You didn't bring her over because there wasn't anything wrong with her " ( the cow ) I might state that the week before , in the Lancaster Farming paper, they showed nearly 300 cows sold. I guess farmers had 300 bad cows to sale last week!

I asked about if it was insured, since every time I sell there I get charged insurnace and yardage fees. She stated the insurnace is if a animal gets loose, so they are protected.
In this case, my cow was on the trailer for a hour, then stood in the pen for 9 hours with no water! I did see it standing at my waterer before I loaded here, but I didn't see her drink.

So my questions to you guys are. Does this seem right? What are we paying yardage fees and insurnace for. Is the yard responsible?
Does anybody know exactly what is their legal requirements? Seems to me if a cow is standing for 9 hours in 100 * temps. and they didn't supply it with water, or water spray that the minnuum, then they should be responsible. She told me she would have the owner call me, so far he hasn't called, but yesteday and today are sale days for them. Hopefully he will be man enough to call and talk to me.

 

[J&D Cattle]

Around here the salebarn would have paid you fair market value and turned it in on their insurance.

 

[M-5]

when you leave the barn and its in their care THEY ARE Responsible. You should have been paid the avg value of the cow. You need to speak to the owner. your getting screwed.

 

[M-5]

sample from a livestock market.

http://www.fairviewsalebarn.com/commiss ... rance.html

 

[highgrit]

I agree the sale barns insurance should pay you fair market value. Someone needs to check up on that yard. Cows don't die all the time at a sale barn.

 

[Ojp6]

If your cow had anything wrong with it, even if it seems like it didn't have anything to do with the reason it died, the barn is not responsible. If the cow was really wild or mean, limped, looked like it was sick, or anything like that you will not receive insurance unless the barn decides to give it to you. Cows do die all the time at sale barns that sell very many slaughter cows because if you have 300+ kill cows every week there are going to be a bunch that are in really rough shape, especially used up dairy cows. Now if you dropped off a perfectly healthy cow there and it died for no reason they should pay you. I would add that it is extremely unlikely that the lack of water for 10 hours killed it unless it was sick when it left your place. When we shipped fats to the sale barn we penned them off water the night before and then hauled them to the sale so that they wouldn't be full when they went through. They would be off water for 24 hours or more a lot of the time in the heat. It is very rare that a cow will die in the pen at the sale barn within 9 hours of it getting there that had nothing wrong with it when it came in. That is why they are so suspicious of the reason behind the cows death.


Bottom line is if you think they killed your cow you can probably get paid by raising he ! ! with the owners until they are sick of hearing from you.

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm sympathetic with you, but perfectly healthy cows don't drop dead.

 

[Ojp6]

I'm sympathetic with you, but perfectly healthy cows don't drop dead.

That's what I was trying to say, I just used a few more words.

 

[PAaugus]

I understand what you are saying, but this was a quiet easy cow, you could put her in an corner in the stall and hand milk her. It was a tought decision for me to even sell her. but as I stated this was the third time I had to bottle feed her calf. My problem with the sale barn is 1. I have no proof the cow died. 2, If I put you in a pen with over 100* temps and no water, it would be very stressful. You and i both know that if you put strange animals together sometimes one of them is a bully and will pick on one. Next this sale barn was built in the '30's it advertizes it has 50 pens to hold the animals. ( Monday report shows they had 527 hd of cattle, 510 calves, 115 sheep, and 139 goats. How much heat do all those animals put out? It's 90* outside, very few fans, ( and most of those are blowing down the alley for the workers ) They can't prove there was anything wrong with the animal, ( anymore than the other cows there, but as I stated and other's agree. It walked off the trailer fine, What am I paying for in yardage and insurance fees if I am not getting anything for them. Other's please voice your opinion.

 

[PAaugus]

"When we shipped fats to the sale barn we penned them off water the night before and then hauled them to the sale so that they wouldn't be full when they went through. They would be off water for 24 hours or more a lot of the time in the heat."

Why would you knowing keep water from cattle? That's animal cruely.

 

[dun]

I would want to know who they have insurance with. The whole deal sounds bogus to me.

 

[jscunn]

Bigfoot,

You are right but how does the seller know she is dead.. He was just told she was dead..

Could be something like these
1. the barn stole her and sold her without paying.
2. The backtag got entered wrong when she sold so the barn sent him a receipt with no cows on it.. manager would rather be an a$$ than figure out what the cow went for.

I dont think it is either one but more likely 1 vs 2 down here, especially at smaller barns with small margins of profit..

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I would want to know who they have insurance with. The whole deal sounds bogus to me.

:nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

Interesting thing keeping them off water prior to hauling. I've never heard of that particular practice. Where I used to work, we'd haul/send 200 to 500 at a time and they had access to water right up until they were loaded out.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

"When we shipped fats to the sale barn we penned them off water the night before and then hauled them to the sale so that they wouldn't be full when they went through. They would be off water for 24 hours or more a lot of the time in the heat."

Why would you knowing keep water from cattle? That's animal cruely.

Maybe an unusaul practice to some, but it may be a strecth to call it cruelty. Taking into the fact that that person lives in MN, I would think there are times during the year where the weather would probably not kill large stock without water for 24 hours or so. I personally know that in the show world, it is not unusual to with-hold water from stock for well over 12 hours at a strecth to make a weigh-in, or just to make them good and thirsty before a show so they tank up. I'm not saying its right or wrong, but for the most part, when people have the kind of money invested in something like a load of fats or a high-dollar show steer, they try not to kill them off before they get the check.

 

[tom4018]

I would think in today's high world they could take a picture of the dead cow showing the tag number as proof that it died.

 

[talltimber]

I would think in today's high world they could take a picture of the dead cow showing the tag number as proof that it died.

You would think so.

 

[Bigfoot]

Don't get me wrong, the whole thing would put a bad taste in my mouth for sure. As if this story fit with the discussion, but--------Been a few years ago, at a local yard. Actually it was two owners ago. I sat and watched one of the day workers (not salaried), he would stand and tempt cattle with a slightly open gate. As one would try to come through, he would pull the gate closed, so though pinch themselves in it. Saw him take a fiberglass prod, hit em down the side of the rib cage just for fun, it appeared. The guy that owned it at the time wasn't the most mobile, or the most observant. It's really not like to meddle, but one day, while he was pinching calves in a gate, I left the seats, and went to the back, and told him he just had to stop. He was actually amiable about, and did stop. I'm sure later, he took it out on some more calves, probably even worse. I just couldn't watch anymore. Anyway--------- that was atleast 10 years ago, maybe longer. I read the other day that he had been put away for abusing children. I've thought about that incident a 1000 times since then. He was just the kind of person, that likes to see things/people suffer. I don't know why I even told that tale.

 

[Ojp6]

"When we shipped fats to the sale barn we penned them off water the night before and then hauled them to the sale so that they wouldn't be full when they went through. They would be off water for 24 hours or more a lot of the time in the heat."

Why would you knowing keep water from cattle? That's animal cruely.

Slaughter cattle are usually held off water prior to selling so they don't shrink as much. The bigger the water belly the poorer they sell. An empty slaughter animal that is shrunk when she enters the ring will top the market. If your one of these people who want to cry animal cruelty whenever they can you are one of the biggest problems in the livestock world today. 24 hours off water doesn't hurt them a bit and they go straight back on water after they go across the scale. We never lost a single animal because they stood off water over night and my grandpa did it that way with thousands and thousands of fat cattle.

You suggested that 9 hours off of water killed your cow and I told you that it was extremely unlikely and you come back with an animal cruelty accusation. That's a joke. Learn something about the industry. If nine hours without water in the heat killed cattle it would be impossible to haul them in the summer. How do you think all the cattle that make the 18 hour trips out west survive in the summer. I suppose it is cruelty to ship them that far as well.


Fact of the matter is if you don't trust the barn and don't want to stay and watch your cow until it sells then find a different way to sell it. If they killed your cow and it was healthy bug them until they get sick of it and pay you. That's what everyone else does to the owners that I know when they want money.

 

[Aaron]

The average price across all cows sold that day would be the price you would receive here. Animals are fully covered by insurance here from the time they leave the consignors yard on the truck/trailer to when they leave the market on the buyers truck/trailer. Covered by Hartford Insurance - as are many sales barns. A number of cows die of pneumonia at yards, they can be carriers and the immense stress of the barn can weaken their immune system. Some cows, like yours, die before they even make it through the ring. No big deal here. Vet is called out (and she is happy as can be - Saturday - after hours - big paycheck), does a post-mortem and all the paperwork is faxed to the insurance company.

Anybody who pays insurance to the barn and isn't getting paid out on deads, is getting shafted. Poorly-run barns don't payout because too many claims makes their premiums go up.

 

[PAaugus]

I don't want to be argumentive, but if the animal sold get a few cent less, but weights more with water in it's belly, what's the difference? The fellow that Bigfoottalked about making calves suffer showed his nature. My nature is to treat people and animals fairly. Yes, without water, it may not kill them, but it's not right. maybe if someone would move you around the country in a car or truck under stressful conditions for you and kept food and water from you for 24 hrs , you would have a chang of mind. When I died, and stand before the Lord, amimal cruelty shouldn't be an issue, because my heart tells me it's not right to withhold food, water, and shelter from an animal. Or for that matter, Chaining a dog to a box, keeping birds in a cage in the house. You get the picture. Peace Brother. even if I don't agree with your practice, I used the word cruel in the lighter sense for I believe most farmers treat their animals good. God had to put a sense of caring in their heart's or they wouldn't want to be livestock farmers