What would you do?

[Brandonm2]

I have certainly seen some sucky cows go through the tail end of SOME registered sales that should have been at a stockyard; but I THOUGHT he was talking about the monthly replacements sales most stockyards run in the fall trying to convince cattlemen who just pocketed a chunk of change off of the heavy fall runs to reinvest it in more cows. When I think of "replacements sale" I think of bred cows and pairs at a special Saturday or Friday night sale at the stockyard. To me it makes a whole lot more sense to recycle the better half of your culls direct to the cow buying public than leave $100-$300 a head on the table. I would have to see the pair before I gave an opinion as to whether or not she should go to a breed association sale; though a decent (if fineboned) 1200 pound cow with a decent pedigree and a flighty 3 m.o. calf wouldn't embarass me greatly even there. The biggest problem most cattlemen have is NOT genetics or grass or stockmanship; but rather failing to market their product effectively to get the biggest possible returns. For this converstation to go much further we are going to have to see a pic.

 

[Wewild]

[
The girl is 1200 pounds, she can't be too fine boned and most people will keep the cow and sell the flighty calf at weaning without sweating over it. IF you are worried about your rep., sell it with no papers, and a phony farm name and address. Make up something like 'Smith Farms' and have the check sent to a PO box in another town. Granted when we get mandatory animal ID that will get (a little) more complicated; though that is a problem for another day.

I don't judge success of failure solely by whether or not you made a dollar.......... I would rather not take advantage of anybody I actually knew and hurt my reputation.

Interesting thought process. I missed the "actually knew" in the bottom post the first time. I bet your friend is proud.

 

[Brandonm2]

We were not talking about selling an unsound or terminal cow; just a young cow whose performance did not satisfy it's current owner. I see nothing unethical at all, with selling it where it will bring the greatest dollar. IF the producer is EMBARASSED by it, sell it under another name. I got no problem with that at all.

 

[Wewild]

IF the producer is EMBARASSED by it, sell it under another name. I got no problem with that at all.

I'd call that living a lie. I couldn't do it myself.

 

[Brandonm2]

How is it a lie if both identities are yours? I have personal accounts, business accounts, a couple of different farm names, partner's accounts, different addresses, different counties, I even kept two state's drivers licenses for a few years. It just pays to be careful in this world.

 

[msscamp]

IF the producer is EMBARASSED by it, sell it under another name. I got no problem with that at all.

I'd call that living a lie. I couldn't do it myself.

I would have to agree. I couldn't do it either.

 

[Wewild]

How is it a lie if both identities are yours? I have personal accounts, business accounts, a couple of different farm names, partner's accounts, different addresses, different counties, I even kept two state's drivers licenses for a few years. It just pays to be careful in this world.

I am beginning to see you more clearly. I really don't need an AKA just in case I need to burn one.

 

[Brandonm2]

Heck, I thought everybody bought and sold cattle in a couple of different farm names. That is just common sense to me.

 

[Wewild]

Heck, I thought everybody bought and sold cattle in a couple of different farm names. That is just common sense to me.

Which farm or partner did you decide to burn with the twice prolapsed cow?

Your recent rationalizations weren't your intent when you posted your technique.

Edit.

IF you are worried about your rep., sell it with no papers, and a phony farm name and address. Make up something like 'Smith Farms' and have the check sent to a PO box in another town. Granted when we get mandatory animal ID that will get (a little) more complicated; though that is a problem for another day.

 

[msscamp]

Heck, I thought everybody bought and sold cattle in a couple of different farm names. That is just common sense to me.

Good, bad, or otherwise nothing goes off this place under any name but our name. Never has, never will.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Heck, I thought everybody bought and sold cattle in a couple of different farm names. That is just common sense to me.

Good, bad, or otherwise nothing goes off this place under any name but our name. Never has, never will.

DITTO!
Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts on the quality of my cattle, but first - we don't have breeder sales at the sale barn except maybe once in the spring (after I'm finished calving) so not something I would HOLD a cow over for. And, I get more $$ on the rail than in a live auction around here. So, yes, I feel culls are something that needs to be marketed the best way possible, because it IS a big part of our income yearly. You have to take everything into account, and feeding cattle hay 5-6 months in the winter costs a lot of money (you have to put a value on your home raised feed).

 

[dcara]

The two different farm names thing is an interesting concept. I would guess that one name is used to sell high quality stock and the other used to lesser quality stock. People relate a farm name to a given quailty of stock, as they should. I don't think the 2 different name thing conflicts with that. If I buy from the high quality name I expect high quality. If I buy from the lesser quality name I expect lesser quality. Kind of like a single car dealership selling new Mercedes on a lot right next to a used car lot they also run. Of corse there is always the chance that potential buyers could be suspicious of lesser quailty stock finding its way into the higher quality stock degrading the reputation of the higher quality stock. But thats a risk the producer would have to live with.

 

[Brandonm2]

Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts on the quality of my cattle, but first - we don't have breeder sales at the sale barn except maybe once in the spring (after I'm finished calving) so not something I would HOLD a cow over for. And, I get more $$ on the rail than in a live auction around here. So, yes, I feel culls are something that needs to be marketed the best way possible, because it IS a big part of our income yearly. You have to take everything into account, and feeding cattle hay 5-6 months in the winter costs a lot of money (you have to put a value on your home raised feed).

There may be a smaller market for fall replacements (and calling it a breeder sale is waaayyy tooo kind) in NY because of your climate. Our first frost was just the night before last and I had tomatoes, okra, and pepers still on the vine and we haven't seen any real snow accumulation since 1993, so wintering cattle is easier here. I don't know enough about NY to have an opinion; but there are some HUGE fall commercial replacements sales in this month's "Angus Bulletin" in even colder places like Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, MONTANA!!! scheduled for November/early December. To me IF there is a market for mama cows in a state where I would already have been feeding hay for over a month, NY breeders probably are being poorly served by their current marketing organizations. You probably should suggest this to your local yard. MOST cattle owners can not attend a weekday sale anymore; but a Saturday or Friday night "replacements sale" almost everybody can go to and prices are MUCH better there as a result.

 

[Rod]

Straight to the barn with her, hopefully she's bred back and will bring you a good price. Just wondering, do you ever put your slow gainers on creep?

 

[zkrioka]

sounds like a likely candidate for the barbecue. Youd get more from selling the meat than the live cow.