sale barn shafted me

[Texas PaPaw]

If you don't want to risk getting screwed at the barn do what the big boys do and sell straight to the feed lots. My buddy sells truck loads straight to feedlot gets top price for all sound cattle and no commission. Only thing he sells at the barn are cripples and dinks.

You had better know who you are dealing with too. Remember the Eastern Livestock blowup?

Looks like as we speak, having a repeat with another long time big broker. Cattle recently sold and delivered per contract with no seller check from broker, but buyer feedyard has paid broker. Also other cattle contracted for future delivery at better prices than today's price. Feedlot that broker contracted them to said "we're out" so seller stuck with one load with no buyer and market several cents cheaper and another delivered load that feedyard has paid broker for but broker has no money to pay several sellers with. Still too early to tell just how big this mess is.

 

[dun]

Most of the time if we are getting rid o one I don't think she should go to some one else I let her go for slaughter. Once in a while we get rid of one that we have checked and sell by the head instead of slaughter. I don't want to pawn my problems off on someone else but if they buy here from the slaughter pen they take the risk.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

Maybe this should go in the "How to start an argument on the internet" thread, but I don't see anything wrong with taking a cow to the auction and having her palpated if she's less than perfect. Just because she doesn't work for me doesn't mean she won't work for someone else. And just to be clear, I'm talking about something like a cow with an attitude problem, or a bag that I don't like the looks of. I wouldn't do that with a cow that was diseased, or had prolapsed.

Besides, anyone that buys a cow at the auction barn and is later surprised when she turns out to have some issue shouldn't be allowed out of the house without a keeper.

We all have different things that we consider ethical.

 

[BC]

If you don't want to risk getting screwed at the barn do what the big boys do and sell straight to the feed lots. My buddy sells truck loads straight to feedlot gets top price for all sound cattle and no commission. Only thing he sells at the barn are cripples and dinks.

You had better know who you are dealing with too. Remember the Eastern Livestock blowup?

Looks like as we speak, having a repeat with another long time big broker. Cattle recently sold and delivered per contract with no seller check from broker, but buyer feedyard has paid broker. Also other cattle contracted for future delivery at better prices than today's price. Feedlot that broker contracted them to said "we're out" so seller stuck with one load with no buyer and market several cents cheaper and another delivered load that feedyard has paid broker for but broker has no money to pay several sellers with. Still too early to tell just how big this mess is.

Texas Papaw, I didn't want to bring this deal up because it is a sad situation. This broker handled more dollars than most of us would imagine. They have been solid as a rock until now. The story I have heard is so far everyone has been paid, but payment is slow. I have also heard of some loads of cattle that feed yard would only pay current market not the contract price (seller can take new price or still own the cattle).

 

[Caustic Burno]

Most of the time if we are getting rid o one I don't think she should go to some one else I let her go for slaughter. Once in a while we get rid of one that we have checked and sell by the head instead of slaughter. I don't want to pawn my problems off on someone else but if they buy here from the slaughter pen they take the risk.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

Maybe this should go in the "How to start an argument on the internet" thread, but I don't see anything wrong with taking a cow to the auction and having her palpated if she's less than perfect. Just because she doesn't work for me doesn't mean she won't work for someone else. And just to be clear, I'm talking about something like a cow with an attitude problem, or a bag that I don't like the looks of. I wouldn't do that with a cow that was diseased, or had prolapsed.

Besides, anyone that buys a cow at the auction barn and is later surprised when she turns out to have some issue shouldn't be allowed out of the house without a keeper.

The sale barn is buyer beware and not for the inexperienced everything to be bought from a train wreck to a gold mine. I will take my sale barn girls and put them up against anyone's commercial girls.
Bought three couple weeks ago two stayed one rode back lost fifty bucks in commission on that one.
Had an attitude I didn't like.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

You had better know who you are dealing with too. Remember the Eastern Livestock blowup?

Looks like as we speak, having a repeat with another long time big broker. Cattle recently sold and delivered per contract with no seller check from broker, but buyer feedyard has paid broker. Also other cattle contracted for future delivery at better prices than today's price. Feedlot that broker contracted them to said "we're out" so seller stuck with one load with no buyer and market several cents cheaper and another delivered load that feedyard has paid broker for but broker has no money to pay several sellers with. Still too early to tell just how big this mess is.

Texas Papaw, I didn't want to bring this deal up because it is a sad situation. This broker handled more dollars than most of us would imagine. They have been solid as a rock until now. The story I have heard is so far everyone has been paid, but payment is slow. I have also heard of some loads of cattle that feed yard would only pay current market not the contract price (seller can take new price or still own the cattle).

Just confirmed that a load delivered 3 weeks ago, just before it all came unraveled has not been paid for but broker has not filed bankruptcy as of yet. Seller is not too hopeful for payment at this point. Looks like slow pay changed to no pay. This seller has sold many loads to the broker over the years and was totally caught off guard as he is really in touch with these matters.

Yes, really a sad situation, especially for those left to deal with the aftermath.

 

[Brute 23]

It's an AUCTION. It goes to the highest bidder. If you think you can do it better, by all means, go do it. If not, suck it up. They offer a service that you can choose to, or not too, participate in.

We have all taken our licks there but they do far more good than bad.

 

[DLD]

Okay, not sure I read every response here word for word, but I do want to say this. All sale barns are going to make mistakes. Someone hit the wrong key on their computer, someone misunderstood a price or a buyer account, or misread a tag number. Or maybe somebody confused two sellers or buyers with similar names. Almost all sale barns will do anything and everything possible to avoid those mistakes, but also to make them right when they happen. Just like with pretty much anything else, you'll probably have much better luck if you politely ask for an explanation and/or ask if this might be a mistake rather than storming in screaming about how you're being cheated.

 

[boondocks]

There are not as many packer cow buyers at sales as there are calf order buyers. An overly fat packer cow gets discounted for being too fat. Packers want lean from packer cows. Here is a fact sheet that explains cow grades:

http://agrilifecdn.tamu.edu/beefinfo/fi ... l-cows.pdf

One last thought, packing plants that slaughter cows have their own grades. The difference between a boner and a breaker can wreck you if you are selling on the rail.

Thanks for the info and link, BC. I'd skimmed some stuff previously on the grades but this was a good tutorial. Unless I'm missing something (very possible), I would think she would fall under "commercial" grade. She was a 4 y.o., very healthy, well-conditioned Angus but not fat (at least to my eye, having studied up on BCS a wee bit and paid attention to whose cows are called fat on here!).

I think your point about lots of calf buyers was part of the equation. They sold lots of calves that day.
Now that we know there is a market for grass-fed beef here (at at least a little bit of a premium), I think we will likely go that route in future for any non-breeders.