Dos and Don’ts by Dale Stith

When someone tells you the “dos and don’ts” of a particular situation, they advise you what you should and should not do in that situation. Many of the following observations should be obvious to most, but perhaps will help some in making a stronger presentation with their sale cattle, resulting in a more rewarding price. The “Dos”

Plan ahead! Select your sale cattle early…… several months in advance of the sale. We typically know which sales we are participating in and the dates well over a year in advance. This allows you to have time to feed them long enough to get them in optimum body condition to sell well. Feeding a little for a long period is more efficient than feeding a lot for a short time. Thin cattle never sell well.

Once selected, worm and treat for lice. This needs to be repeated perhaps several times between selection and the sale. This is the most economical money invested in sale cattle and allows them to look thrifty and have a natural shine to their coat.

If the cattle are breeding age, get them bred early and to A.I. sires if possible. It is imperative to have cattle pregnancy checked and guaranteed safe in calf when sold as being bred. Selling them “too close to call”, exposed to multiple sires in a narrow window or not having them bred when the calf is 3 months or older produces negative returns.

Professional photos or none at all. A good photo tells people to come to the auction. Poor photos tell them to stay home and not waste their time and money. Many breeders

think they can become photographers with their cell phones. That’s like me thinking I’m a country music singer just because I can auctioneer.

So.....if you are going to take professional photos then you have to get prepared. You need a place.....photo pen with no ugly background! Then if grass is growing ......it needs to be mowed like your lawn.

Picture pen needs to be cattle friendly..... some place where they are used to or at least you can introduce them to prior to the photo experience.

One of my favorite comments from breeders after a photo experience is ....”well they have never acted like that before”....my reply....”well they have never been in a photo pen before.” Most breeders don’t know what to do in the photo pen....why would the cow know what to do???

EPDs……all sale cattle need EPDs in order to maximize value. GE-EPDs are even worth more and the horned/polled test is becoming more and more important. Call the American Hereford Association and ask for someone in records if you don’t have EPDs on your cattle. This contact person will help you with what you need to turn in to be compliant.

A week or more before the sale start feeding your cattle in feed pans and watering in either buckets or tubs. Why would you expect the cattle in a strange, noisy environment to immediately take to eating and drinking from strange containers.

Very few sales provide lot numbered ear tags so……. Cut all old tags out of the ears and replace with a tag that matches the lot number in the sale catalog. Most consignment sale facilities don’t have chutes, so this needs to be done at home.

OCV…….I highly recommend that you officially calfhood vaccinate all heifer calves for

brucellosis even though your state or your vet may say it is not required. It is required by many buyers or they won’t play! There are still several states that require this and if you comply you potentially broaden your market.

Health papers - Be sure you have a health paper for interstate shipment that meets the sale/state requirements. If you don’t know the requirements, please don’t call the auctioneer or sale manager……..this is a vet’s area and every state vet’s office has a toll free number your vet can call and ask for the health requirements for interstate shipping to the state hosting the sale and states in the area. Please remember the cattle may leave the state hosting the sale and the buyer’s state trumps all others.

Clipping and washing……I’m sure all of you clean out and wash your car before you take it to a dealer to trade for a new one. Presentation is one of the most important parts of selling anything. Even if you have to hire this done, it will pay dividends the high majority of the time.

The “Don’ts”

Don’t sell ANYTHING “YOU” wouldn’t buy……..There are stockyards on every corner for culling your inferior product.

Don’t sell old cows, cows with bad udders, bad feet, bad eyes, fertility issues.

Cows without a calf……..human nature says ……she must not milk very well or the calf would be here. Even if this is not true most buyers feel this is a “buyer beware” situation.

When cows have their calves with them we not only see how good of a job they do but also can judge the quality of the cow’s udder.

Cows over 5-6 years old……….how many of them do you go out and buy?

Footnotes…….PLEASE be explicit! For example ……bred to Hometown……..HUH? There must be at least 100 bulls with that name now. Provide the person doing the catalog with the bull’s complete names and better yet also the registration number of the bull.

“Presentation is one of the most important parts of selling anything.”

A.I. breeding info……how this is written is one of my biggest pet peeves……

For example, most folks send in something like…….Bred A.I. to “John Henry”…..Bred implies pregnant……unless you want to stand behind this make sure she is bred!

A.I. serviced on March 10, 2020 to John Henry…….now no implied pregnancy so the buyer can’t come back and say you sold the female pregnant when that is not what you said. You only said she was serviced.

The full name of the bull also applies to A-Lot calf info. We need sex of calf, tattoo, birth date, full name of sire as well as birth weights.

The Take Home Message

Jim Davis, Terrace Farms from North Carolina says he has heard me say many times……“If you do the Don’ts and not the Dos then Don’t expect to get premium prices.”