Sales

[SEC]

Another idea that comes to mind and is something that I am sure everyone is guilty of.

Do you actually know what your customer wants? Or do you breed cattle the way you like and hope the customers will follow?

Do you think that you are providing your customers with all that you can or are you living a dream thinking selling seedstock is cool?

Have you every asked your customers what they like from your bulls and if there is an area that can be improved upon.

 

[seth]

Good question SEC. Its a lot easier to sell something that people want than to convince people that they want what you have. That's where a planned breeding program comes in. If your customers needs aren't addressed in your breeding program, how can you expect to sell your product? It kills me to see people using sires that are show winnners because they are show winners to produce show winners and then try to sell their progeny to ranchers. (I've been there!)

An ongoing problem is the lag time between a breeding decision you make and the first saleable result of that decision. A breeding program equires long term planning.

 

[MikeC]

Another idea that comes to mind and is something that I am sure everyone is guilty of.
Do you actually know what your customer wants? Or do you breed cattle the way you like and hope the customers will follow?
Do you think that you are providing your customers with all that you can or are you living a dream thinking selling seedstock is cool?
Have you every asked your customers what they like from your bulls and if there is an area that can be improved upon.

I do like to listen to my customers. But if I raised bulls as they want, the bulls would be frame score 15's, have scrotums as big as flour sacks, have heads as small as peanuts, no gut whatsoever, and weigh 2500 lbs. as yearlings.

They ALWAYS choose the tallest, heaviest, big nuttedest(sic), and the smallest headed ones in the pen. ;-)

 

[purecountry]

My scenario is a little different than some. We're in a specialty meat market alliance, so with the commercial herd we're trying to raise cattle that are a minimum of 50% Galloway, Highland, or Welsh Black. The other 50% is also scrutinized some. Paul knows what he wants and visually inspects all the cattle that qualify, then offers a fair dollar. So as for structure or trait selection, my market doesn't demand a whole lot, BUT I DO. I select for females that do more with what they're given, bottom line. I select bulls that will throw extreme depth and thickness into their calves.

As for doing all we can do, I think we could do alot more. With the beef alliance, I think we need strict protocols on production practices - in writing - and stress the healthy qualities of our product alot more. For our ranch, we're trying to complete an Environmental Farm Plan then do the On-Farm Food Safety program. There's lots of things we can do in production, but marketing and safety are just as important.

 

[Scotty]

I try to breed good structured and good looking cattle. Let the EPDs for unforseable traits do that talking. IMF and exact REA size. I ultra sound my cattle for that. Cattle that look good to the naked eye will always sell well.


Scotty

 

[TheBullLady]

Unfortunately I can't please everyone, so I breed and raise cattle that I am partial to. It doesn't mean everyone is going to want the same thing, but I firmly believe you should raise what you know / love!

 

[Beef11]

I go where the money is. I really like Polled herefords and hope to get into them here in the next couple years. Right now i am in the Holstein heifer business. I like them and i make more money with them but hopefully they will get me some pollies and a few Red angus.