A valuable lesson?

[cowman]

Well perhaps you are all right and the local auction mart is going to go the way of the dinosaur....hmmm...come to think of it so is the small cattleman!
Oh well, it was fun while it lasted! A great place to see and talk with the near and not so near neighbors! And to see what everyone else was raising.
But then I guess no one should be surprized. It seems we are slowly but surely moving towards a system just like how most other livestock are bred,raised and marketed. Efficiency is never wrong I guess? Hope there is more money in it for the producer, though?

[PureCountry]

JD4ME, I agree with your comments about auction houses. The services are the same as they were years ago, but the commission, admin. fees, brand inspection fees, ABP/CCA bullshit fees, just keep going up. When I was little, field reps would come out and look at our calves, stopping in at every cow/calf operation on our road. Now, the only place they go to is their buddies or those who have a couple hundred calves. We're all just expected to take our cattle to them. What a crock!!

It's just one more reason I'm so glad I found a direct-marketing outfit to get involved with. I know that when my Galloway-cross calves are ready, someone will be here- AT MY FARM - to negotiate a fair price and line up the trucks.

[kato]

Remember a few years ago when we actually had local grain elevators? You could sow a bit of this and a bit of that, and then sell it. Not now. If you don't have a semi load of grain, it's pretty hard to move. Find a trucker who will come to the yard for 200 bushels of canola. Not going to happen.

This is the future of the cattle business if there are no auction marts. Gone will be the days of small herds and selectively marketing your livestock. It's already happened in the hog business. Weanling sales just don't exist any more. To the detriment of a lot of small farmers.

We have a fair number of cattle, but still like to be flexible in how we sell them. For the auction mart, we'll sort groups of extremely uniform calves and sell them over the space of a month or two. We've found it's better to sell a dozen at a time than it is to take the whole works to town at once, and be at the mercy of one afternoon's market. We'd much rather spread the risk than hit a bad sale and have a whole year's calf crop take a hit.

Sometimes we sell direct from the yard, as short keeps, or calves, or we feed all out, or some out, it all depends on the markets, and where the returns are best.

Once they are gone, they're not coming back, and it's another year before you get another crack at it.

Auction marts have their place, as do private sales, internet and feeding to finish. It's important that we have as many choices as possible in how we market our cattle. We have never moved our calf crop in the same way two years in a row. We need to be allowed flexibility in order to stay ahead of the game, and keeping those old sale barns running is part of it.

[cowman]

Purecountry: Just wondering what kind of a deal are you getting? Weights and dollars if you please? Not trying to be ignorant...just interested if there might be a better way?

[grassfarmer]

Purecountry, I'm disappointed with the auction companies here compared to their importance in the UK. As you say livestock procurement is something they need to work on constantly.I've had reps here promise to visit and don't, reps that get your cattle one year and don't come looking for them the next. I also notice their lack of presence at farming events, cattle expositions etc. In Scotland most of these events took place in the auctions as we didn't have agriplexes there. The auction staff were involved organising them and were closer to the customers that way. We took a Luing bull to the Rimbey bull and heifer show a couple of years ago and not one of the auction staff was at the event all day - that amazed me. Yet when you go to the auction they are always blowing their trumpet and saying you must support them at your local market. It works both ways, I say.

[grassfarmer]

grassfarmer did you attend the Beef Industry Conference in Red Deer last year. It is being held again this year and the Auction Markets Association are one of th organizations that are involved in it. There is an open forum during the event where anyone can ask questions of each organization. Some of the postings here regarding auction markets would make good questions for the executive of that organization at the conference.

[grassfarmer]

The Beef Industry Conference is at the Capri Centre in Red Deer February 17-19

[grassfarmer]

Emrald1, I'm afraid I don't get to all day events very often - problem of being a one man band. I find it frustrating not to be able to go but at the same time I feel better in touch with what is happening on the land - so many of these organisations and events are run by a bunch of "away day" men that don't have their finger on the pulse of what is happening on the land.

[grassfarmer]

The Alberta Government News releases today indicates that there is to be a public consultation process in January regarding the possibilit of amending the regulations governing Auction Markets etc.
These public meetings are to be held across the province and will take place in the evening to accommodate the folks who are busy in the daytime.
I am planning on attending the one in Airdrie.