What do ear tags tell you? Take 1. No tag.

[Jogeephus]

The only thing I will add to this is. Any one who has spent any time dealing with cattle and eartagging them should know. Ear tags are temporary. In other words do not stay in . So why would anyone that knows cattle give a crap if they have eartags at the sale. :roll:

Well if you would put about three in each ear then a few of them will stay in and this will show your calves are six times better than the other ones at the sale no matter what they look like.

 

[Jalopy]

Since eartags are so temporary I think from now on I will just punch a hole in each ear that way everyone knows I tried twice to work them so they are superior calves. Or maybe just notch them like we used to do with pigs. :tiphat:

 

[TexasBred]

The eartags in my cattle contain information important only to me.....but if I felt like all the buyers were really looking at cattle as you do I'd make darn sure they all had tags when the hit the market. Buyers like black around her so I sell black...if I learn they pay more with certain tags, it's inexpensive enough to accomodate them. Sort of like "with or without nuts".

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

Now here is the answer to the no tag, or small tag dilemma.
As many have said: Even a blind squirrel finds a nut ever once in a while.

Although this was written as sarcasm and a mockery, It does have an element of truth in it.

by aussie_cowgirl on Fri May 01, 2009 7:49 pm
Can you please include a one page detailed description about each animal you send through the sale yards, injections, pedigree, how you bring your cattle in from the paddock, that kind of thing. I would really appreciate it. How else am I supposed to know that you have looked after your animals thus far. If you don't include the report, please don't expect top dollar from me. Thanks.

Hello, there is absolutely nothing wrong with "speaking for your animals".
In most cases you can present a letter, for the auctioneer to read prior to bidding, if you can't or prefer not to speaks for your animal in person.
The auctioneers I know welcome people to speak for their animals. Either in person or in written form as it helps bring a higher price and therefore a higher commission for them. As it helps the buyers better know what they are buying, lowering their risk, they will attend this action more often.
It's simply a good business practice for you, as the seller, the auction barn and me the buyer. It's called marketing your product.
It's a win, win, win situation.
As little information as it is, it takes away some of the caveat emptor (let the buyer be beware) atmosphere out of the transaction.

Her is a sample letter:

Auctioneer would you please speak for me on LOT # 43 containing 15 steers.
Thank you.
(Fill in the lot # when it is assigned to you when you drop off your animals and don't forget to tell him this is a "STAND ALONE" sale.
_____________________________________________________________
These animals are from ABC cattle Co.
They were all born within a ( 60 )day time period.
They were (weaned, wormed and castrated ) 4 weeks ago.
They have been feeding from a bunker and drinking from an automatic water since weaning.
They have had (some or lots) of contact with humans and are gentle animals.
_____________________________________________________________

If you furnish just that little bit of information on you animals my bidding price goes back up to fair market value even if you have no ear tags or small ear tags. In my book, at today's prices, that little bit of info is worth $.25 per lb. to you.

Now I will judge you animals and adjust my fair market value accordingly.
SL

But if I just put an ear tag in you can tell all that can't you?

I don't know what your sale yards are like but when you are putting through 1000 +/- 20 head a day through them there is no time for anything except for the auctioneer saying where they come from.

 

[CattleHand]

SL:

You are right about the auctioneer giving a bit of info on calves and such, especially when someone brings in a couple 100. And sometimes they even do like you ask and just call out to the guys there what color bull bred the cow.

However, you got to understand no one is ever going to take you seriously about that tag business in the ears. If its part of what you look for, then youre just making a mistake and it could truly be beneficial to change that criteria and look at other factors when buying cattle.

 

[Roadapple]

For those jumping on SL, let's suppose other buyers have a similar take or a little different take on it and your getting $2 or $3 a cwt less, who's the fool for not using a $.50 tag? As a buyer he's telling you what he does, so why not appease him for $.50?

 

[hillsdown]

Every animal should have a tag no ifs ands or buts ..All cattle men/women I know tagged their cattle before it became the law in Canada ..Now they use a button or dangle RFID tag as well as a herd tag.

If you do not tag your cattle how the h@ll can you tell them apart (unless you raise the pretty colorful ones like Ryan) if you have Angus or Gelbvieh etc. a black one is a black one and a red one is a red one. You also need to be keeping meticulous records on them health, calving etc. It is common sense and those that do not tag need a kick in the ass. We have enough problems in this industry ,tag your freaking cattle.

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

SL,

We aren't disagreeing that cattle should be tagged. But it's for management reasons, not sale reasons. But there are plenty of reasons why cattle may be untagged and "of lower worth" apparently in your eyes.

*The tag is lost
*They run out of tags (and man it takes so long here to get you next order, most people buy 50 more than needed)
*The RFID is implemented so there is no need, all the info is stored on that and double the amount of tags make it expensive
*The sale barn cuts them out (some of them do, at one auction here they cut them out and re-tag them with their own tags)
*The owner cuts them out because they aren't needed any more

I believe, tag or no tag, that if an animal looks healthy and alert (but showing good disposition), good growth and what not THAT shows that it's been looked after and managed properly. NOT an ear tag. And as for number order, if you send animals to market on weights like we used to and YOU also do (see I do pay attention) then they might be a liquorice all sorts mix.

The auctioneer here will introduce cattle and the owner and what not but like I mentioned earlier, if you have single pen animals already, you're strapped for time. And because it's the same people every week, they know what you have. I'm looking at breeding an unusual breed so I've gotta hope to hell my cattle do the job so the buyers want them next time I send them to market.

 

[Keren]

Every animal should have a tag no ifs ands or buts ..All cattle men/women I know tagged their cattle before it became the law in Canada ..Now they use a button or dangle RFID tag as well as a herd tag.

If you do not tag your cattle how the h@ll can you tell them apart (unless you raise the pretty colorful ones like Ryan) if you have Angus or Gelbvieh etc. a black one is a black one and a red one is a red one. You also need to be keeping meticulous records on them health, calving etc. It is common sense and those that do not tag need a kick in the ass. We have enough problems in this industry ,tag your freaking cattle.

You'd be surprised Hills, I can tell just about every one of our MGs apart just by the face ... and they are all more or less the same colour. Same with my angoras, and they are all white and hairy.

Aussie ... unless you breed the welshies with horns and leave the horns on them ... I doubt many people at the saleyard will differentiate between them and a chunky, small framed angus.

 

[grannysoo]

All I know for sure is that we need 'ole 4CTophand in here to settle this once and for all........

:banana: :banana: :banana:

 

[mnmtranching]

I don't know if this has been brought up. I've seen a few times groups of calves, even large groups with different styles and colors and some with no ear tags. Not that it maters much as long as their good calves. Just tells you that this is a group put together by a jockey. Maybe buying singles and whatever to put together a truckload. Bigger problem would be a truckload of calves with shiny bright new tags. Everybody is going to know whats going on. Much better to run them through the shoot and remove all tags. No buyer I ever knew cares if calves don't have tags.

 

[TexasBred]

All I know for sure is that we need 'ole 4CTophand in here to settle this once and for all........

:banana: :banana: :banana:

ROFLMAO........you reckon???? :lol2: :lol2: The guy is telling us all how to screw him outta $.50 a lb.

 

[grannysoo]

All I know for sure is that we need 'ole 4CTophand in here to settle this once and for all........

:banana: :banana: :banana:

ROFLMAO........you reckon???? :lol2: :lol2: The guy is telling us all how to screw him outta $.50 a lb.

Hey TexasBred - you want for me and you to argue now just for the sake of doing it? It's amazing how a 50 cent thread can turn into 3 pages of this. :cry2:

 

[Tatertot]

Every animal should have a tag no ifs ands or buts ..All cattle men/women I know tagged their cattle before it became the law in Canada ..Now they use a button or dangle RFID tag as well as a herd tag.

If you do not tag your cattle how the h@ll can you tell them apart (unless you raise the pretty colorful ones like Ryan) if you have Angus or Gelbvieh etc. a black one is a black one and a red one is a red one. You also need to be keeping meticulous records on them health, calving etc. It is common sense and those that do not tag need a kick in the ass. We have enough problems in this industry ,tag your freaking cattle.

I don't know how big your operation is or how you run it. I know on mine all my calves get worked the same way. All the calves that are born outside the window are noted on a scratch pad that I call cow history. All our cows are taged but not the calves. All the calves that have problems are noted and can be indentified by sight. Just because people up in Canada do it that way doesn't make it right for all applications and locals. For you to make such a blanket statement is arrogant and closed minded.

 

[TexasBred]

All I know for sure is that we need 'ole 4CTophand in here to settle this once and for all........

:banana: :banana: :banana:

ROFLMAO........you reckon???? :lol2: :lol2: The guy is telling us all how to screw him outta $.50 a lb.

Hey TexasBred - you want for me and you to argue now just for the sake of doing it? It's amazing how a 50 cent thread can turn into 3 pages of this. :cry2:

Oh I guess we could.....you'll disagree but I put the numbers on the back of my ear tags....I'm usually chasin'em so that way I know which cow's I'm chasin'. How do you do it?

 

[grannysoo]

ROFLMAO........you reckon???? :lol2: :lol2: The guy is telling us all how to screw him outta $.50 a lb.

Hey TexasBred - you want for me and you to argue now just for the sake of doing it? It's amazing how a 50 cent thread can turn into 3 pages of this. :cry2:[/quote]

Oh I guess we could.....you'll disagree but I put the numbers on the back of my ear tags....I'm usually chasin'em so that way I know which cow's I'm chasin'. How do you do it?[/quote]

I had been using my grand-daughters chalk markers, but have to re-do it every time it rains.... I don't know. Maybe one day I can get this right. I need that extra 50 cents per pound to buy more chalk.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I had been using my grand-daughters chalk markers, but have to re-do it every time it rains.... I don't know. Maybe one day I can get this right. I need that extra 50 cents per pound to buy more chalk.

Your missing the point. Buy a trailer load at the sale barn on Friday, ear tag them in the trailer from the top side while they are all jammed in there, and head straight to the next sale barn on Saturday.

By the way, I have a long story on an order buyer doing just that. He ran up prices on his own cattle and had to leave town for a few months. It seems they wouldn't let him buy any at a certain barn so he hauled in some to bid on.

 

[Susie David]

Spent a long day at the sale barn today, usually get home before supper but had to wait for our heifers to sel and pick u the check. The time of sale during the day can really influence the price of the animal: during a big sale that takes all day and into the night the gallery starts thinning out about four o'clock and by five it's only the order buyers left to buy alot of nice animals for alot less than they would have sold for when the house was full. Today was such a day, loads of slaughter cows and bulls and there must have been a special on pairs. The feeders didn't hit the ring until three thirty and mine didn't sell until six thirty and by then the demand was low and I took a hit in the wallet. Of course they wern't our best calves or the wouldn't have been culled but they would have sold for alot more earlier in the day when there was more buyers.
And that's my two bits worth...asked for or not. Dave Mc

 

[MoGal]

We used to tag all the calves. However, because I am money conscious, we no longer tag the calves we are not keeping. Everyone has their own tagging/numbering system and I doubt they want purple ear tags.

Perhaps I only got $92.00/cwt for 2 black steers (averaged 605 lbs each) was because I forgot to tell them they were weaned with automatic waterers. :nod:

I don't know if they announce what we write down on the ticket or not but we've always written down info on it. Info such as: good heifer bull or Bull failed BSE on date (do not sell as breeding bull), heifer preg ck'd open on date, calves weaned x days (ours are always weaned 30 to 90 days before we sell them). I always write whether they've had one round or two and list the shots (we use Virashield 6 w/VL5 and Covexin 8 and Bosguard) and the pour on wormer. I've even went as far (at times) as listing breeds of the calves and date born. I don't think the last part makes any difference and I have no idea if they announce any of that or not. Just like someone else said, when the barn runs 1000 or more thru they don't have time for a family history.

But that is one expense that can be cut out is an ear tag. If I buy a calf, or cow I run them through the chute first thing and give my vacs and Ivermec IM, then I know its done. They also get a purple ear tag (and I switched to purple as most people around use the yellow or red/orange tags) .

 

[Phil in Tupelo]

I understand what SL is saying and from my limited experience he does make some good points. Yes, if your herd is large enough and you have been in business long enough that your farm/ranch has a good rep, then you likely don't need the tags as suggested. But the average producter, with 10 to 30 cows, who never goes to the barn but to drop a load to sell and maybe stay long enough to watch them sell could very well fit into what SL is saying. In my area if an animal has no ear tag it is not that the owner is too cheap to use them, just that he has no facilites so they are not worked just caught, loaded and sold. So it doesn't matter if the buyer's perception is right or wrong, it is how he judges the animals he/she is bidding on so an animal that is tagged, cut and dehorned will be looked on with more favor (right or wrong) and will bring more than an untagged calf that is not cut or dehorned. It likely works for barns that sell calves one at a time. If a number of calves of one owner are sold together, tagged or not, they likely do better because the owner has asked the barn owner to do that. It sits the calves apart for the normal run. SL comments do not apply to the guys and gals that do everything they can to get the best prices for their calves but to the other 80% that don't do some of the things to get a better price, they are leaving money on the table. IMO