Tips on selling cattle - how many together?

cloudroost

I'm looking for peoples opinions on how to group my cattle for selling , as I've never sold cattle before.
I have about 20 aax stores (about 400kg) to sell in the next week or so. I will be grouping them according to size, but how many should I put in a group?

(I'll check with the mart to see their commision rates, as they may decrease with the number in a group)

whelan1

in our mart you pay the same whether they are single or not , so i sell then singly to get my moneys worth... i suppoes seeing as you are selling a few, i would pair afew of them up

Tipp Man

cloudroost wrote: »

I'm looking for peoples opinions on how to group my cattle for selling , as I've never sold cattle before.
I have about 20 aax stores (about 400kg) to sell in the next week or so. I will be grouping them according to size, but how many should I put in a group?

(I'll check with the mart to see their commision rates, as they may decrease with the number in a group)

Well there are a few factors to consider - mainly the mart, and the buyers at the mart, how even your cattle are etc

We sell in 2 marts mainly - in 1 we sell bigger bunches - usually 10 - and in the other we generally keep it to 5 or 6. Experience has taught us that the bigger bunches are sold better in 1 mart than the other. Also it depends on how many cattle you have at the mart on a particular day.

If you have 10 cattle in 2 bunches of 5 then 2 buyers might decide not to go against each other and take a lot each thus keeping the price down, but if you have all 10 in 1 bunch and they want cattle then both will bid giving a higher price you'd hope. To counter this if your mart is full of small farmers they might not be comfortable buying 10 cattle in 1 bunch

It also depends on how even your cattle are. you might be able to "hide" a bad bullock or 2 in a large bunch but when you only have 4 or 5 in a bunch a bad bullock will usually stand out thereby bringing down the price of the whole bunch

The good news for you is Angus are doing a roaring trade at the minute so i don't think it really matters how big your bunches are

simx

if i was putting them in groups i wouldnt put them in very big groups say maybe 4 or 5 max,in my theory,a farmer who like the animals and his financial postion is limited might not bid if they get too dear,or they might not have a box big enough to bring home 7 or 8 cattle,like whelan1 said,it might be better off putting them singely if you think you might do better,some marts most off the cattle are nearly all sold in singles some not

Muckit

I guess it depends on the part of the country your in. Around here, it's generally singles or well paired doubles (same breed,weight etc) The very odd time you'd see a bunch of three or four cattle. It wouldn't be the norm.

You have to think from a buyers prespective. What will suit them... and their pocket? The way things are gone price wise, singly would be the way I'd recommend or two well paired animals.

Best of luck with them.

pakalasa

Cattle in groups generally sell better than singles. Don't try and be the 'cute hoor' and put a bad one in a bigger group. It's the first thing farmers look for and it puts them off buying them. Keep them as even as possible and I would say 4 at a max. They can all be well viewed then in the ring.
The trick is to attract as many potential buyers as possible.

simx

usually commision rates are reduced when booked in in advance too

Tipp Man

How on earth can a mart get through any volume of cattle if they are selling singles all the time??

Very very few singles in the marts we go to

reilig

Tipp Man wrote: »

How on earth can a mart get through any volume of cattle if they are selling singles all the time??

Very very few singles in the marts we go to

Its all singles in the marts around us. I was very surprised the first time that I went to a mart in Galway to see doubles. Marts seem to get through them as fast as any other mart that I have been at in other parts of the country.

simx

Tipp Man wrote: »

How on earth can a mart get through any volume of cattle if they are selling singles all the time??

Very very few singles in the marts we go to

was at tullow mart a couple of time,majority of lots were singles,not ahuge mart but does drag on due to this all the same

Tipp Man

Wow isn't it amazing the way things vary across the country

I wonder what the reason is for singles in some parts and bunches in other parts??

cloudroost

Thanks for the feedback everybody.

The mart I go to seems to have a mixture of singles and larger groups (up to about 10) , from what I can remember. I'll probably opt for somewhrere in between and sell them in groups of 4 or 5.

whelan1

Tipp Man wrote: »

Wow isn't it amazing the way things vary across the country

I wonder what the reason is for singles in some parts and bunches in other parts??

its very rare in our mart to see anything other than singles or doubles, tipp man are you charged less for selling them in a big group?

leg wax

whelan1 wrote: »

its very rare in our mart to see anything other than singles or doubles, tipp man are you charged less for selling them in a big group?

i carnew i sold a bunch of heifers together and i was charged only for 1 animal , he sent me a refund in a other cheque.

Tipp Man

whelan1 wrote: »

its very rare in our mart to see anything other than singles or doubles, tipp man are you charged less for selling them in a big group?

No same price regardless of bunch size

Most bunches would be 3-5 and i would say that 4 is probably the most common size. To be honest i think i'd crack up if it was all singles. For the sanity of auctioneer, sellers, buyers and on lookers I'm glad it isn't singles. God it would make the mart an absolute chore

mattthetrasher

weanlings are usually sold in 1-3 and older stores sell better in bunches of 3 to 6 keep them even is my advice if you have a middling one sell him on his own you will get a good price for the good ones the middling one will get what he,s worth.good luck;)

Kovu

Speaking from the other side of the ring, it doesn't seem to affect trade at all, if it's stock that a farmer would buy, then it brings up trade as the cattle wouldn't be fighting and getting heated up. I know men that only buy groups and pen them near other so they don't fight upon arrival home. If they match then sell them together, a lot of marts give the groups in the middle of the single numbers so they are sold in the 10th pen or middle numbers. All in all, depends on where you're selling and if they're a pair.

bob charles

I buy too many animals to give tips on selling:D, all I will say is a big group of animals has only a limited number of potential clients. I rarely/never would buy a bunch of say 8 or 10

snowman707

op I would sell them in 5's . singles piss every body off including the cattle


we only sell yearling bullocks in the mart and usually between 5 and 8 in one lot


biggest number in one lot I have seen was 28 all charollais about 600 kgs like peas in pod ..not mine unfortunately, but i think a couple of posters here know the vendor

redzerologhlen

We have often put 5 together but I wouldnt go any bigger. A lot of farmers down our way would be buying one or 2 weanlings on a mart night and if you go any bigger they wont bid and its them that will make it dear if you have what they are looking for. As for 28 600kg bullocks....must be a big ring in yere mart:D

whelan1

thats a real eye opener if the cattle in our mart where sold in 5's or more the lads would have a heart attack.. true it takes a while to sell them singly but you are paying the same to sell them on their own or in a group

whelan1

redzerologhlen wrote: »

. As for 28 600kg bullocks....must be a big ring in yere mart:D

was thinking the same , was also thinking of the cheque forall of them ... another question , do ye get paid on the day?

pakalasa

snowman707 wrote: »

...biggest number in one lot I have seen was 28 all charollais about 600 kgs like peas in pod ..not mine unfortunately, but i think a couple of posters here know the vendor

Was it the father RIP, or one of the sons?

snowman707

pakalasa wrote: »

Was it the father RIP, or one of the sons?

one of the sons, it is going back a good few years now,

saw the auctioneer on the day in the comic last week, he is looking good

pakalasa

snowman707 wrote: »

....saw the auctioneer on the day in the comic last week, he is looking good...

...."Let the dog see the hare"......:D

Bizzum

bob charles wrote: »

I will say is a big group of animals has only a limited number of potential clients. I rarely/never would buy a bunch of say 8 or 10

I'm with Bob here. It's not every man that is in the market for a bunch of 8/10 cattle. Stick them into pairs, and pair them up well. If there is one that either exceeds the rest or falls short, run this one in singly. Usually we would start with the "best" lot and try to set the tone for those following behind!

redzerologhlen

whelan1 wrote: »

was thinking the same , was also thinking of the cheque forall of them ... another question , do ye get paid on the day?

No, We normally sell through clare marts and sometimes gort. Clare marts cheque always out within a week. Gort takes closer to 2.

whelan1

we get cheque on the day

red bull

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Pharaoh1

I would usually sell in threes and twos and only singles if they couldn't be matched - I sold 15 last week in two trebles, three doubles and three singles. They all sold well.
I think very few even farmer buyers would go to a mart for just one or two.
Is the issue of where in the sale you are not a bigger consideration when selling and how the insiders and dealers always seem to hoover up the numbers in the early to mid part of the sale.

I sold at about 2/3 way through the sale last week and was happy enough but I saw cattle coming in after mine get an earlier number.
I've often thought that marts could offer more incentives for example reduced commission for better grouping ( I think some may do this).
Or charge more commission for the middle of the sale numbers or even give out numbers to those who book first and charge them say by credit card even if they don't turn up.
So if I book 20 cattle in for the mart in three weeks time I agree to pay commission up front with no refund as an incentive not to mess the mart about.

lm 100

Hi all new here our local mart sells all singles the very odd pair. It all depends on the buyers attending. Smaller farmers seem to buy singles more often as get the pick of them

towzer2010

My local mart is all singles. I've only ever seen two sold together once or twice so I've always sold them singly.

Going tomorrow with a few and they will all be sold singly becuse they vary to much.

Kovu

Pharaoh1 wrote: »

.

I sold at about 2/3 way through the sale last week and was happy enough but I saw cattle coming in after mine get an earlier number.
I've often thought that marts could offer more incentives for example reduced commission for better grouping ( I think some may do this).
Or charge more commission for the middle of the sale numbers or even give out numbers to those who book first and charge them say by credit card even if they don't turn up.
So if I book 20 cattle in for the mart in three weeks time I agree to pay commission up front with no refund as an incentive not to mess the mart about.

Are you implying that we don't already have enough work to do:rolleyes:

I do see what you mean, although it would make the system very complicated, we'd be leaving blank numbers in the middle of others and it would encourage people to try and use them on the day without paying the commission that you would have been charged. As for the credit card......I know a lot of farmers (admittedly older generation) that don't even have a bank card! I'm all ears if people have suggestions for improvements in the marts though:p

blue5000

Karen112 wrote: »

Are you implying that we don't already have enough work to do:rolleyes:

I do see what you mean, although it would make the system very complicated, we'd be leaving blank numbers in the middle of others and it would encourage people to try and use them on the day without paying the commission that you would have been charged. As for the credit card......I know a lot of farmers (admittedly older generation) that don't even have a bank card! I'm all ears if people have suggestions for improvements in the marts though

I'm just wondering what is the point of the sellers box anymore now that the seller's name etc. is up on the screen?

Some marts I've been in it's real cloak and dagger stuff with a seperate doorway into the box away from the ring altogether, other marts (Cork, used to be) no box at all in the calf ring, seller just stood beside the auctioneer. I think there is no advantage being in the box, what do you ppl think?

Kovu

blue5000 wrote: »

I'm just wondering what is the point of the sellers box anymore now that the seller's name etc. is up on the screen?

Some marts I've been in it's real cloak and dagger stuff with a seperate doorway into the box away from the ring altogether, other marts (Cork, used to be) no box at all in the calf ring, seller just stood beside the auctioneer. I think there is no advantage being in the box, what do you ppl think?

Never seen this in operation, so can't say. But the majority of marts I've been in, it's just the way it was built years ago and they are in good running operation so they willt remain there until a change.
From what I've seen & I've always sold behind the box, that a seller will feel more comfortable while hidden. Body language will come across if people can see a person, y'know? So if someone wants/needs to sell, it may be obvious and the animal could be knocked down cheaper then what it's worth. It just seems to work in the marts as it comforts the seller who is not used of standing in front of a crowd. It tends to be fairly obvious anyway when a man/woman ups and runs for the box:o

Muckit

I was in Ballinasloe Mart yesterday. They've gone all electronic now. No duplicate book where the lad helping the auctioneer writes up the sales details. They are now keyed straight into a laptop networked to the office. The seller gets a small till type receipt printout. I know it's not new technology, but I was impressed by it. I'm easily impressed

In the sellers box they've installed an LED display with the lot number and weight, so you don't need to be straining your neck (or your eyes!) to try and read the LED board outside. The scales now read to the nearest kg (not rounded to nearest 5kg). They've also installed a large blacked out window (instead of the little peep hole in plywood!) so you have a good view to the ringside.

Outside they've a new power washer installed which is coin operated. €2 gets you 5min, which seems alot, but you've got to be quick, trust me!

I'm sure all this stuff is already in alot of other marts years ago, but just said I'd post anyway!

easymoney!

Muckit wrote: »

I was in Ballinasloe Mart yesterday. They've gone all electronic now. No duplicate book where the lad helping the auctioneer writes up the sales details. They are now keyed straight into a laptop networked to the office. The seller gets a small till type receipt printout. I know it's not new technology, but I was impressed by it. I'm easily impressed

In the sellers box they've installed an LED display with the lot number and weight, so you don't need to be straining your neck (or your eyes!) to try and read the LED board outside. The scales now read to the nearest kg (not rounded to nearest 5kg). They've also installed a large blacked out window (instead of the little peep hole in plywood!) so you have a good view to the ringside.

Outside they've a new power washer installed which is coin operated. €2 gets you 5min, which seems alot, but you've got to be quick, trust me!

I'm sure all this stuff is already in alot of other marts years ago, but just said I'd post anyway!

hi muckit sounds good! do you go to the sheep sales there?

Muckit

Hi easymoney

No we don't keep sheep! And I wouldn't know thing about them.

I was talking to the lad in the mart shop though and he did say that the Thursday night sheep sales are huge. It's after 11pm most Thursday nights before they are finished.

Muckit