|
How
does the presort cattle sales work?
|
| After the cattle are unloaded at our yards, your
cattle are weighed and presorted as soon as possible -- no over night
stand. Presort cattle will be weighed with a 3%, 2%, 1% pencil
shrink depending on the mileage. After the animals are weighed they
are sent into the ring where it is determined from their weight, quality,
conformation, frame, hair coat and color as to what package they will be
put into. They then go straight to a feed and water pen, where in
that pen is all the same class of cattle. You will get a printout
after your animals are presorted, which has the weights and packages your
cattle are in. On sale day, that uniform pen of cattle is sold
together as a package. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Do we guarantee
prices?
|
| We totally understand why you would want to know
exactly what you'd be getting for those calves, before they leave your
yard. In a sense we do guarantee. We guarantee that we will
get you the highest market price for your cattle. We provide the
environment for your cattle to be exposed to the big buyers in the best
possible condition. Our buyers have orders for your animals from
across Canada and the United States, and through competitive bidding they
determine the price for your cattle. Guaranteed prices on the farm,
guarantees that you will not make the extra buck that competitive bidding
brings. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Why
should you book your livestock before a sale?
|
Simple. The more we know about your product,
the better we can sell it for you.
- The big order buyers ask us what kind of numbers
and general information on the animals that are booked before a
presort, so that they can get their orders ready.
- You may only have 10 head to sell -- doesn't
matter -- let us know ahead of time. 100 farmers with 10 head =
1000 head of cattle, it sure adds up! We need your
cooperation. It is impossible to weigh and sort thousands of
cattle in a few hours, obviously some cattle have to get here earlier.
- For the producer who has 10 - 30, the earlier you
get the cattle here the chances of your cattle being weighed is
higher. This means less time your cattle are standing and
waiting, the more they will weigh when they hit the scale, which is
more money in your pocket.
- In the mornings before 11:00 am we are usually
waiting for cattle. After 1:00 pm the semi loads have
priority. Cattle liners loads are generally hauled
further. The consigner can not control the time the semi trucker
will get to his farm due to previous load commitments, so he should
not wait to have his cattle weighed.
- If you have horses or bred cows -- let us know as
much information ahead of sale time.
- Information allows us to advertise by paper,
radio and word of mouth. People are always calling here
inquiring about what is coming to the next sale, if we don't know
neither will they. Peterson's sales reps, who are in the yards
of potential buyers, will advertise for you as well.
|
|
Back to Top
|
|
If
the local auction market prices are good, why should I haul the further
distance to Peterson's?
|
| A calf that brings you a good price at the local
market will always bring a few cents higher at our presort sales.
The buyers always pay more for the convenience of buying uniform packages
of cattle that they can fill orders by the semi loads. The big order
buyers time is too valuable to be bothered by buying one calf at a
time. Your calves will also weigh more due to less shrink, because
your cattle are weighed when they get our yards, not just before the sale
starts. Our prices are always up on top with all the bigger
competitive markets from across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
When
are my calves weighed?
|
| This is a very smart inquiry. Instead of an
over-night (and usually longer) stand, your cattle are weighed as soon as
possible after they are unloaded at our market. This means the
weight that you will be paid for, is determined within a few hours of
leaving your farm. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Are
they put on feed and water?
|
| Yes! As soon as they are presorted, our riders
take them to bedded pens, which have hay and water. This is no added
cost to you. Better for the animal, better for the seller, and
better for the buyer. Your animals are presented to the buyers in
the best possible condition. The buyer can then safely send these
full cattle long distances on the trucks knowing his buyers are receiving
healthy animals. Put yourself in a buyers chair for a second --
wouldn't you rather buy a calf that has been heavily bedded, and on feed
and water compared to shrunk out, stressed hungry animals who's chances of
getting sick are much higher. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
How
can there be blacks, reds and tans in the same package?
|
| The frame, conformation, hair coat, as well as colour
determines which package that animal is placed in. For example, when
you cross a Black x Saler, you will have a black calf that will neither
fit into the Black class, or the Saler class -- a crossbred. Herford
x Limo will produce a red crossbred calf, that is neither British or full
Limo looking. A Black x Charlais will give a crossbred Silver
calf. Simmental x Herford will produce a tan white face crossbred
calf. We can not put these crossbred calves into other packages,
because they simply do not belong there. Crossbred packages are
desired by feedlots and consistently bring top dollar. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
How
many buyers do we get?
|
| We consistently get 6 - 9 powerful order buyers every
sale. We also have a lot of local farmer and smaller feedlot
operators purchasing large amounts of cattle. This all means more
competition for your cattle. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Do we
have satellite sales?
|
| No. Since we do not have a satellite sale, and
satellites are rented by the hour, we do not have to squish our sale into
two hours. This allows us to be stricter on our sorts. Meaning
no second cut cattle get into the top packages. This is better for
all sellers and all buyers. There is also very little action from
satellite buyers. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
How
long are presort sales?
|
| We sell thousands of cattle within a few hours.
Our sales start Thursday @ 10:00 am, and we can sell over 2,500 head in a
few hours. This short time frame keeps the attention of our buyers. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Why
do buyers pick an animal out of a package at a presort?
|
| When a buyer is not pleased with a certain animal in
a package, it is better for all the sellers when that animal is taken
out. Then the whole package price is not brought down. Usually
that animal is either injured or does not quite have the growing potential
as the rest of the package. Contrary to some peoples beliefs we are
not super humans, we make the odd mistake!! |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Why
do they "steal" frozen ears and tails?
|
| Since these animals were exposed to severely cold
temperatures, their feet and lungs may have been damaged as well.
Therefore the buyers can not risk buying an animal for feedlots that may
turn up chronically ill. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
What
is the deduction for horns?
|
| Deductions under the Horned Cattle Purchases Act is
$2.00 per horned animal. This penalty is to encourage the dehorning
of livestock. The money collected goes to the Horned Cattle Fund and
is used for Research and Development in the cattle industry. Over
the past ten years more than $2.4 million has been collected. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Why
is a good hair coat on cattle desired?
|
|
Calves are supposed to eat, sleep, and put on
meat. Not one feedlot out there wants feeders standing around shivering,
which is lost time, lost pounds and lost money. Ontario buyers are fanatic
about this, due to their rainy windy weather.
|
|
Back to Top
|
|
Cut
the hide and the head of my calf and it will grade just as good as
the next calf, which brought a few cents higher! Why?
|
| Right or wrong, Appearance
sells, even in the cattle world. Order Buyers have to
consistently ship good looking, clean, pleasing to the eye product
to their buyers. Some of their buyers do not want an ugly buffalo
headed calf in with their cut steers, even if they can buy him for a
few cents less, for he would bring down the looks of the whole
package. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
What
is the difference between Rat Tails vs Silvers?
|
| Silvers are top Cross
Bred grey calves, and bring out the top market price. Silvers have a
bigger frame with a touch of Angus in them. This combination
produces good marbling and fast weight gain. These calves have thick
hair, broad backs, a solid conformation making a fast finishing and
efficient feedlot steer - everything a feedlot buyers want. Rat Tail
grey calves on the hand are lacking hair coat, depth, conformation
and quality of finish. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Our Job vs
Your Job!
|
Your Job -
Quality bloodlines, castrate, dehorn, good nutrition, and healthy
animals.
Our Job - Sorting strictly and properly. We put the
cattle into correct sorts, making the packages as uniform even as
possible.
Weighing your calves as soon as possible when they are delivered.
This means less shrink on your calves, compared to any overnight
stand. Less shrink means more pounds that you will be directly paid
for.
Filling the front row with large, powerful order buyers is also our
responsibility. These guys are not satisfied simply their time is
too valuable, to buy one animal at at time. They want the
convenience of buying groups of uniform cattle all of the same
style. We get these guys, you get the top market price. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Why
steers that are cut or pinched late bring a lower price?
|
I cut/pinch my calves,
they are not stags! You may not think so, but absolutely everybody
else in the cattle industry does.
If bull calves have been cut or pinched after a few months of age,
their testosterone levels have been running high for too long. They
will retain a bullish look to them, which is thicker necks, buggy
eyes, hairy sheaths, square heads, etc.
Late cut steers ride more, fight more, are cark cutters, and take
longer to finish. It is also hard for feedlots to find U.S.
slaughter plants that will even accept them. Feedlots will not have
late calves mixed with regular steers, so we have to sort
accordingly.
Remember - Top $$ Dollar is
spent on Top Products! |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Our
hard work and long hours presorting pays off in the long run for the
buyers. Here is why...
|
We fax every buyer as
soon as we are finished presorting, so they know exactly how many
head of each class of cattle is at the sale before they leave their
homes. This allows them to line up more potential orders for your
cattle. Compare this to any regular sale, where the buyers have no
idea as to how many head, or the quality of cattle at the sale.
At regular sales the animals are weighed right before they go into
the ring, so the longer the sale, the longer you wait for the cattle
to be finally weighed - more shrink. Here you are paid for delivery
weight. At regular sales, animals are sold one at a time making for
a very long day - where at our presorts we can sell thousands of
cattle in a few hours.
To compare regular sale auction markets to Peterson's Presort Cattle
Sales is like comparing a John Deere 4-wheel Drive 9400 to a John
Deere LT 166Garden Tractor!! |
|
Back to Top
|
|
The
reason why you can bring your cattle in to presorts the day before
the sale...
|
The final meat product of
the short and fat style of cattle is super, it's how much fat to
meat ratio that animal put on is the point of discussion. We simply
cannot put the short and fat cattle in with the growing, lean, green
cattle being the short and fat style of cattle are going to finish
faster. They simply so not have the frame to put on as many pounds.
Feedlots want to buy raw products where they can put the pounds on
fast and efficient. When short and fat cattle are brought, they are
paying for animals which are close to being finished, the potential
profit is lower. The owner of short animals are getting paid for the
pound son that animal, not for the potential gain for the animal.
These calves after a certain point are putting fat on not meat, and
too much fat brings a discount. It's the meat that brings the money
home. It costs feedlots the same amount of money to finish and haul
calves with finish weight of 1000 as one who finishes at 1400 lbs.
The final product at the packing plant is less for short and fat
animals, so the price in the ring is less as well. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
How
much longer are these GREAT cattle prices going to stick around?
|
If we had a crystal ball
to tell you this, we would be pretty popular!
Inputs have increased dramatically - 20 years ago it took about
10-15 steers to buy a baler, now it takes 30 steers at a good price
to buy one. With the price of every input increasing, like fuel,
fertilizer, natural gas, parts, land, etc. these cattle prices do
not seem so high anymore! |
|
Back to Top
|
|
When
we have a larger number at our presort sales, do our buyers fill
their orders up and stop bidding?
|
No! The exact opposite
takes place. The more we can sell at our sales, the happier the BIG
order buyers are. They already have the orders, they just need the
cattle.
When we sold close to 3,500 head of cattle at one sale the prices
definitely were not affected, as it was one of the highest sale
prices ever recorded! Small order buyers have enough money to fill a
few semis, then they have to quit buying. Our buyers would fill a
hundred semis if we could get the cattle for them! |
|
Back to Top
|
|
What
are buyers looking for in feeder cattle?
|
| The simplest explanation
of what buyers want in feeder cattle is hair, depth, conformation,
frame, quality and speed finish (not too fast and not too long).
Specific breeds do not necessarily bring the highest dollar. What
consistently brings the highest dollar is - top beef producing
cattle. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Are you mad
at us?
|
| Let us know, if we do not
know about your problem how can we begin to fix it? Human error or a
slight oversight can happen. We will try to explain and correct any
situation that comes to our attention. |
|
Back to Top
|
|
Where
do most of the cattle go to after the sale?
|
| Most of the feeders go to
feedlots in Saskatchewan, Alberta and the U.S. as well as Ontario
and Quebec immediately after our presort sales or the next morning.
Since the animals here have been on good feed and water they are
able to ship animals long distances with less risk of sickness. |
|
Back to Top
|