Cattle producers invest a massive amount of time, effort and money in raising the best calves possible. Whether selling at the local auction barn, a value-added sale, from the farm site, to a nearby feedlot or via another method, the results of their long-term investments depend on many factors.
“Much of getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to selling the calf crop hinges on events happening before they’re on the ground,” says Dustin Pendell, a professor in the department of agricultural economics at Kansas State University.
Pendell recommends a few direct actions to improve the odds of delivering calves that buyers desire:
- Adopt a shorter, controlled calving season. This leads to more uniform age and size, simplifying marketing and attracting more buyers. Shorter periods save time and labor on tasks such as vaccinating and tagging, a benefit especially appealing to smaller operations.
- Think about shifting the calving season to position calf crop sales into periods with lower inventory numbers. This could mean moving the calving season back by 60 or 90 days. Alternatively, calving could be split into two seasons, which requires higher numbers and resources but might be worth considering.
- All producers, regardless of size, should keep records to track costs, evaluate livestock and document vaccinations for sale information purposes.
“Carefully weigh timing, labor, feed, forage availability and other trade-offs before making major changes,” Pendell cautions.
Pendell also endorses some strategies to catch cattle buyers’ attention at sale time.
- Precondition calves by dehorning and castrating, plus consult a veterinarian to implement applicable vaccination protocols. Train calves to use a bunk feeder or waterer. These actions involve upfront expenses but will help reduce illness and death losses. All procedures incur costs, so carefully evaluate the financial implications.
- Marketing tactics include ensuring uniformity in structure, size and age to enhance appeal. To help achieve this goal, producers could form marketing alliances or collaborate with neighbors to fill truckloads. This approach is a viable option, especially for farms with smaller numbers.
- Consider retaining and backgrounding calves until prices are typically higher, such as in spring instead of fall. Explore special sales, live auctions or private treaty options. If a group of calves meets certain standards, a private sale may be beneficial.
Courtney Bir, associate professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, adds a few recommendations to help commercial cow-calf producers push their returns higher come sale time.
“Routine castration and dehorning are critical, but even more important is completing these procedures early enough to allow enough time to heal,” Bir says. “If they’re still healing at sale time, discounts will apply. Feedlots care about this, as it noticeably decreases their risk.”
She encourages producers to seek a trusted veterinarian’s expertise to establish solid preconditioning vaccination programs. These protocols deliver vaccinated animals that are bunk- and waterer-trained animals. They may qualify for special eartags and fit certified or value-added sales, which often command premium prices. Most value-added programs involve vaccinations, bunk training, dehorning and castration – common best practices to improve health and feedlot success.
“Uniform lots have long been a point of focus, although some research has shown larger groups may not necessarily be driving dollars like they used to,” Bir says. “I think uniformity is still important for factors such as body condition, frame size and age. Also, color still drives prices. Sorting calves to match these categories catches the eye of feedlots, as they need to feed the different animals according to these properties.”
- Producers can track seasonal and historical price trends at different sale barns to help maximize returns. If two auctions are equally accessible, comparing their price histories may confirm that one consistently pays more. Historical pricing data is widely available online for analysis.
- Once a sale barn is selected, gather and sort the calves a day or more before transport so they have time to settle in with water and feed. Bunk feeding and stock waterer familiarization help decrease shrink and stress levels.
- When selling privately or to a feedlot, ask buyers about their preferences, including size and genetics. For longer-term marketing decisions, decide whether to adjust your genetics or seek other buyers accordingly.
Bir says many farms still don’t have a defined calving season, leaving their bulls with the cows year-round. They don’t castrate, dehorn, bunk train or precondition their calves. Completing these procedures takes labor and time, but extensive value is left on the table by not checking these boxes.
“Making a marketing plan, although not usually a favorite thing to do, is critical,” Bir says. “Do your research as regional differences come into play, but consider the options and create a written plan. It should include basics such as labor and time for castrating and dehorning, but could also contain financial planning and production practices.”
Pendell notes that every decision made and resulting follow-through has a trade-off. He urges producers to analyze the various factors, what they offer, what sets them apart from others and how they can be leveraged to add profitability.
“Communication is key,” Pendell stresses. “It’s a crazy time in agriculture, but don’t skip the low-hanging fruit. For all operation sizes, if you’ve used specific vaccination protocols, trained calves to feedbunks and waterers, let the buyers know. If they don’t know what you’ve done, you’re losing the value.”
Bir echoes this sentiment, adding, “Showing up at the sale barn and hoping for the best isn’t a great strategy. An actual marketing plan on paper is a real first step. Many have multiple enterprises, so we encourage building a financial analysis of each enterprise, as some do well while others struggle. If strictly looking at the farm as a whole, it might seem like it’s doing fine, but often things can be much better.”
Success in selling a calf crop largely depends on good planning, open conversation and attention to best practices for health and marketability. By following proven protocols, watching price trends and having a solid marketing plan, producers will better position themselves for profitability while meeting the evolving demands of buyers and the industry.
