How do livestock auctions work

Market animals are judged on their readiness to be processed that day. A blue-ribbon animal means that the animal is ready to be processed the day of the sale. A red ribbon animal usually means that it needs a few more weeks of growth before being processed.

A part of the 4-H market animal project is marketing and buyer recruitment. If a 4-H member does a particularly good job bringing buyers to the auction, they could get more money for their animal than animals that placed above them.

Use a calculator to help determine how much meat to buy. Bone-in cuts yield close to 6 to 7 ounces of meat, sufficient for a single person. On average, live weight of a lamb at auction will be pounds.

A beef animal will need at least 20 cubic feet of freezer space. Plan on approximately one cubic foot of freezer space for every pounds of meat. The interior of a milk crate is slightly more than a cubic foot. For a lamb, you will need 2 cube feet of freezer space. A whole lamb pack is approximately Plan to have 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 15 pounds of pork. A small 7 cube foot freezer works great for a whole pig with extra room for chickens, fruit and veggies.

Half a pig will fit in a standard freezer compartment. For a goat, the rule of thumb is 50 pounds of meat will fit in 2. According to the FDA, you can keep cuts, like roasts, frozen for anywhere from 4 to 12 months and steaks for 6 to 12 months.

Lamb or Pork Chops from 4 to 12 months. Ground beef should be frozen for no more than three to four months. Once cooked, you can also safely freeze those beefy leftovers. If kept longer it is still good but might lose some flavor. The processer will give you a chart and explain the different cuts you can get from your animal.

You can check to see if a processor is USDA certified to ensure that are following all established federal rules and regulations.

When you pick up your meat it will come to you frozen, each package marked with what it is and ready to go in your freezer. You tell the processer when you talk to him or her what cuts and size packages you want.

Example: for a five-pound roast, one-pound packages of hamburger or sausage, four lamb, goat, or pork chops, etc. Most everyone says it does.

It is nice to know how it was raised and what it was feed. Yes, it can lose it freshness if kept for over a year. Two things to think about is that all meat comes from a living animal that was raised for food. All the animals at the auction were raised to be sold at the auction.

If you feel this way and want to buy an animal at the auction you can send in a bid and someone at the auction can buy the animal for you.

Then you can talk to one of the processes who will be at the event, and they will take it from the auction and call you to pick up your meat ready to put in your freezer.

Yes, once you have bought the animal it is yours. If you would like one of the processers who is at the auction to take the animal for you, the 4-H members and auction committee will help you make the agreements. A description of your animal along with his back tag identifies the animal as yours.

This number and description will be recorded on your check-in sheet. You will not need to do anything further with it unless the barn requires to see it when you pick up your check from their office. Palpation pregnancy check and aging can be performed at the site.

You should only ask for these services if you think they will help the sale of your animal. This is an extra cost to you. This information is private and confidential. The barn cannot give your information to anyone else who is not associated with the barn or your state animal agency. The State will use this information to contact you if there is a major health concern with an animal you have bought or sold.

The tag number and descriptions of your animal will be used to generate your check as well as a Media Market Report. Not all barns follow this practice. After your livestock is unloaded, your part of the operation is complete. From here, your animals will continue on their journey. Once your animals are unloaded from your trailer, they will go into a holding pen.

From here, they will be taken to the veterinary chute or another pen as the sale progresses. There are a number of tests that may be required to be performed by a state agency representative or a veterinarian. These tests are minimal and help to ensure the health of your animals. From the veterinary chute or holding pen, your livestock will be moved through a series of staging pens that eventually end up at the Auction Ring. Depending on the size of the sale, your animals may stay in the holding area for several hours.

Larger sales will take a long time to move animals through. Smaller sales move quicker, resulting in a decreased shrinkage rate of your animal. Some barns have a scale set up for animals to weigh before they will go out into the ring to be sold. This helps the buyer to know the exact weight of the animal.

The weights and general appearance of the animal determine which order it will fulfill for the buyer. If your animals have a significant vaccination program with veterinarian certification, they will appeal to buyers that follow that same program. This will reduce the time the animals spend in holding before buyers ship them to their feedlot or customer destination.

The bidding process will begin and will be quick. Auctioneers use a mixture of phrases and numbers to form their cadence. Certain times of year, livestock prices will escalate; other times, the market will encounter a lull. Lastly, a knowledgeable ally will probably know a good animal when they see one. Candi Johns Say What?

Learn the lingo used at the auction house to get the best deal. Here are a few terms you should know before bidding: Bucket-broke: a calf that has been taught to drink milk from a bucket instead of having to be bottle fed Castrated: testicles have been removed Knife-cut: indicates the castration was performed with a knife verses banding. Knife-cut is preferable to banding by many. Registered: an animal that has official documentation and is cataloged with its particular breed.

Registration usually indicates lineage and verifies stock breed. This can include vet checks, vaccinations, deworm, parasite control, fly control, preg-checks or other regular maintained of livestock. After you arrive at the auction house, check in. Everyone is given a number to be used for bidding. When you want to bid, simply hold up your sign or card. Watch the bidding. Auctioneers will usually ask for more than they think they can get and then back up.

Let someone else start, and jump in if you like the animal and the price. If you do, you could end up with an unwanted bull or group of goats.

They simply raise their hands. Make an attempt to keep your hands in your lap unless you intend to purchase the animal on display. Many farm animals—cattle, sheep, goats, pigs—are herd animals. If this is your first livestock purchase, consider going home with at least two so they have a companion.

Finally, go prepared. If there is a chance you might get in on the auction action, take a truck or trailer to safely transport the newest additions to their new home. Thanks to the old-fashioned style of buying and selling at the local livestock auction, great animals and great prices are available to everyone. You can read more about her farming adventures at www. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. How to Navigate a Livestock Auction Follow these guidelines on terminology, animals, preparation, bidding and other aspects of buying livestock at an auction or sale barn. Author Candi Johns free-ranges chickens, raises pastured pigs, milks her family cow and grows her own groceries on her Kentucky homestead.

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