# sold my calves today



## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

I did not get what I had hoped for, but that is how the ole ball bounces sometimes. That is not the worse thing; they lost two calves. I took in 21 calves, 12 steers, and 9 heifers. In between the time I dropped them off yesterday, and the brand inspector looked that them there was only 20. When they sold today, they only sold 19, so they lost another one for a total two; now I am missing one steer and one heifer. What really makes me mad is they tried to tell me all I brought in was 20. I know damn well that I did not mess up on my count. I plan on going back tomorrow and see what they are going to do. I hope they find them. I think what they did was they were short on pens and they put my calves in with someone else's. To say the least I am little pissed at the moment.


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Did they give you a receipt for 21 head when you unloaded them? I would think someone would check that as they come off the trailer?


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

We always get a receipt when we unload. I thought all lots did that


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## Ray 54 (Aug 2, 2014)

I don't know what it takes for you to use a different auction,but it really is time to be thinking about it. I have never heard of any of the auctions out here trying that one. But most of them are good at pulling one out of a bunch then sell it at big discount.

I wish you the best that they will come up with them. Hopefully the brand inspector is on your side.

I am a little concerned shipping calve with a trucker I do not know,but everything is branded. But now that I don't have auction in town and its 2 hour+ haul and 3 trips with my trailer.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Yep I got a receipt, and they were all branded. They were counted as they came off as well. I should have tagged them but did not, and I should have used my earmark. Next year I am going to change all of that.

The livestock auction is right here in Riverton and it is convenient for me to use. I know of one producer that no longer uses them; I think he had an issue with their scale. I thought about taking them to Torrington, but that is about a four hour drive. I think it is a bigger auction house.

I am not sure, but they may have dumped mine in with someone else's before the brand inspector looked at them, and when they sorted of the others one of mine slipped in with the one sorted off. I really don't know. They had a lot of calve being sold today; they were expecting to be there until two in the morning.

Hopefully we can get this resolved.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Hopefully they make it right.Every place I sold at deducts for insurance IDK if missing cattle are covered under that.

I loaded cattle once and the count was one short they finally found it in another pen.They were all ear tagged so that helped.

Watched a bred heifer sell and it brought $1400 and went to pick up the check and had $700 on the check.The auctioneer did r ember selling it for 1400 and they straightened it out.All sales here are recorded so they can go back if needed and listen to recording.

A guy I know ended up with 1 extra head on a load.If he would of been honest he would of brought it back but he kept it for a couple months and resold it.

Have a friend brought in mixed load of fats Holestiens and a few Angus his Stines sold and not his angus.We figured they got mixed in with some other blacks and they sorted them wrong.PIA to get straightened out but they did.

Shit happens at sale barns no doubt,sucks when it does.


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

The inconsistency and deals that goes on between barn/buyer and buyer/buyer is why I market on my own. I watch the weekly buyers take turns bidding, it literally goes in an orderly rotation. Sure they jump a bid but only once. The action comes when an out of towner comes in and buys multiple loads. The problem is you don't know when the heroic stranger will appear.

I have heard of animals mysteriously dying or getting deducted for a hernia and there was nothing wrong when it was brought in. Thankfully it hasn't happened to me.

I rarely take to the closest local auction but when I do it's with a small load that I can't justify the extra distance. Last time I should have drove further for the price I got. The time before I got the right price.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

As a seller i take my cattle to one of the biggest auction marts. Lots of buyers. 2-3 times more regular buyers than other auction marts than add in local producers buying and the odd stranger coming to buy several hundred head that day. Infact i know of some buyers who buy from the other auctions and resell the animals here the next week and get a higher price.
Now when i buy cattle i like to go places with less buyers. Less competition on the bids and i can usually get some good deals.


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

RE: Local sale barn.

I have really never felt I got a good price at the local places.

We gave up on them, and either run to OKC, or Tulsa. It's worth the fuel, and worth it on principle. I hate getting screwed.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Well they did find one, a steer, although he was a small one. 300 pounds and I not sure I had any steers that light, but I am not really sure. So they can account for twenty that the brand inspector counted, but not for the 21 that I brought in. We talked with the owner today and he is going to go over the videos, but don't really think much is going to happen. I can see miscounting on say a few hundred, but not when we are talking only 12 steers and 9 heifers. I am sure there is an heifer that is not accounted for. I am not going to let this happen next year; I just might make the brand inspector count them when I drop the off, and won't move the truck until they have. I am not going to care how many guys are backed up behind me wanting to unload. This not going to happen again. Unfortunately sometimes the little guy takes it in the shorts; I think they care more about their big producers.


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## Ray 54 (Aug 2, 2014)

I would not give up there are all kinds of laws from the feds on a auction market. You worked to much to be giving a calf away. I realize you cannot spent all your time bugging them, but if you could find the right regulator. I think you could put a lot of pressure on them.

Kind of hard if you work a steady job, but it has always been better to sit and watch your animals sell. I know some people just not there thing to sit at the auction. We had a auction 20 miles away very handy,but my dad never used them for 10 years. As well as a number of other people that were full time with cattle. They changed there ways and people started using them more again. But with citydots sitting all over the hills and not wanting to drive over cow poo on there drive way a lot less cattle. Then the town surrounded the auction yard so they closed 4 years ago. There are 4 all 2 to 3 hours haul away. The one has been trying a little harder so far. Would be better if I had so many I could send a full pot load to several get a little of that free market competition going my way.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Ray 54 said:


> I would not give up there are all kinds of laws from the feds on a auction market. You worked to much to be giving a calf away. I realize you cannot spent all your time bugging them, but if you could find the right regulator. I think you could put a lot of pressure on them.
> 
> Kind of hard if you work a steady job, but it has always been better to sit and watch your animals sell. I know some people just not there thing to sit at the auction. We had a auction 20 miles away very handy,but my dad never used them for 10 years. As well as a number of other people that were full time with cattle. They changed there ways and people started using them more again. But with citydots sitting all over the hills and not wanting to drive over cow poo on there drive way a lot less cattle. Then the town surrounded the auction yard so they closed 4 years ago. There are 4 all 2 to 3 hours haul away. The one has been trying a little harder so far. Would be better if I had so many I could send a full pot load to several get a little of that free market competition going my way.


I agree to go to the auction when you sell cattle.I always did and think my cattle brought more because I was there to represent them.And to make sure no screw ups at the sale barn!There was a few over the yrs.Sure was easier to straighten a screw up when you are sitting there then after you get your check in the mail days later.Taking a half a day to watch my cattle sell was well worth my time.

It worked well selling fats every few weeks.Load them up in morning and deliver to sale barn,have lunch,always a good lunch at sales barns!Watch the feeders sell and buy some.Fats would sell next and watch them sell.Go pay for feeders I bought and grab my check for the fats I brought in.Load up the feeders and head home.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

swmnhay said:


> I agree to go to the auction when you sell cattle.I always did and think my cattle brought more because I was there to represent them.And to make sure no screw ups at the sale barn!There was a few over the yrs.Sure was easier to straighten a screw up when you are sitting there then after you get your check in the mail days later.Taking a half a day to watch my cattle sell was well worth my time.
> 
> It worked well selling fats every few weeks.Load them up in morning and deliver to sale barn,have lunch,always a good lunch at sales barns!Watch the feeders sell and buy some.Fats would sell next and watch them sell.Go pay for feeders I bought and grab my check for the fats I brought in.Load up the feeders and head home.


I think they sold before we were able to get there, or when we slipped out for some lunch. For some odd reason we were not able to get there when the auction first started. It was one of those the hurrier I go the behinder I get kind of days.

We still have not got it resolved on the lost heifer, but we are still bugging them. They had a lot of calves come in on monday; next year I may just haul them in on the day of the sale.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Doesn't your receipt say you unloaded 21? If so, seems they owe you for 21.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Tim/South said:


> Doesn't your receipt say you unloaded 21? If so, seems they owe you for 21.


Yep. The problem is that they are going by what the brand inspector counted. One of the brand inspectors was trying to tell me I miss counted, like they could never mess up. It is not to hard to count 12 steers, and 9 heifers; I know I did not miscount. The owner is supposed to look a the video, but I am not really all that hopeful, but maybe it will show something, at least I hope so.


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## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

I'd argue about that brand inspector saying there was only 20. If you have a receipt that shows you unloaded 21, then thats what you should have gotten a check for. Every barn I've ever unloaded at there is a salebarn employee that counts em off and I'm there to count them off also.

Reputation is everything and a good salesbarn would want to make it good with you to keep you happy and coming back and also to keep their reputation good amongst all their customers.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Well the sale barn made good on that heifer that was lost. I am glad to have it resolved, next year I am going to make sure that all calves have and ear tag with my brand on the tag. I guess you live and learn; kind of like the saying, "I never lose, I either win or I learn", and I for darn sure learned this time.


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## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)




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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Some sale barns are a bit Shady.. and then some sale barns are a bit sloppy. Some truckers are a bit sloppy. Here in the East the cattle are not branded but every animal should have a USDA tag in the ear. The auction house employees glue one of their Paper Tags to the hip. A lot of the animals we send to the auction are for Slaughter. You would need to get things right early in the game... there would not be any missing Cavs or heifers found later on


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