The Link
Sale barn feeder-calf marketing strategy.
Marketing is usually the last thing farmers and ranchers think about. Producers have several options where to sell their calves, from sale barns to board sales to video auctions. The sale barn is the traditional marketing method most Midwestern cow-calf producers choose.
Farmers and ranchers continue to seek out a marketing method they feel will pay for all the efforts they have put in to raising a highly desirable feeder calf. During the past few years, several sale barns have added more options to bring in additional bidders.
This year Oklahoma National Stockyards (ONSY) is one of those sale facilities that put together a special feeder-calf sale in conjunction with Oklahoma Angus Association to feature high-quality, Angus-sired feeder calves Nov. 11.
The response from producers was outstanding for this inaugural sale. The sale brought in more than 700 steers and heifers that averaged 600 pounds (lb.) on sale day. The calves were all weaned and preconditioned at minimum 45 days; predominantly black-hided; and enrolled in AngusLinkSM, AngusSource® or both.
I caught up with consignor Chris Stansberry, Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station (OAES) Field and Research Service Unit (FRSU) cattle manager, to get his opinion on the sale.
“I will definitely do it again,” said Stansberry.
Talking with Chris further solidified how pleased he was with how their consignment of lighter-weight, younger calves sold and the price they received on sale day.
The positive response from producers and the prices received on sale day speak to the overwhelming response from buyers. The Angus-sired steers averaged $6.36 per hundredweight (cwt.) more, while the Angus-sired heifers garnered an additional $4.21 per cwt. More importantly, those additional buyers had the opportunity to see the quality Angus calves that Oklahoma producers raise.
Let’s take a closer look at the price paid on the steers broken out by weight:
This gives a comparison, but to really decipher the true value the regular steer class would need to have been broken down a bit further. It would have been great to know the price of the preconditioned weaned regular steers to compare to the Angus steers.
It was evident on sale day there were new buyers and bidders. Each set of enrolled AngusSource and AngusLink calves had a completed marketing document that was listed on the website, as well as social media pages. Additionally, the marketing documents of the AngusSource and AngusLink calves were sent out via email to more than 800 potential buyers. The marketing support offered to producers who enroll in the American Angus Association’s value-added program is part of the verification package when you enroll at no additional charge.
The crew at Oklahoma National Stockyards and the Oklahoma Angus Association definitely have laid a strong foundation for more Angus-sired feeder calf sales in the future. This event was deemed a success.
American Angus Association regional manager Jeff Mafi summed it up: “The coordinated effort from ONSY and the Oklahoma Angus Association worked extremely well to better promote and market high-quality, Angus-sired calves in a commodity market. This was just another way to create a little more value in what these commercial cow-calf producers have spent years investing in through proper herd health and genetics.”
The next Oklahoma Angus Association feeder sale will be Aug. 10 and will be hosted at the Oklahoma National Stockyards.
Editor’s note: Ginette Gottswiller is the director of commercial programs for the American Angus Association.
