explain this to me please

[brierpatch1974]

I have never done anythng like this and don't understand exactly what it is saying so please explain it to me.

Steers, 62 Head
M&L 1 M&L 2 S1&2
200-300 90.00 82.00-85.00 55.00-65.00
300-400 105.00-112.00 98.00-104.00 77.00
400-500 98.00-111.00 92.00 64.00
500-600 90.00-103.00 85.00 33.00-62.00
600-700 98.00-104.00
700-800 79.00 63.00
900-1000 72.00-77.00

Does this mean a steer weighing 500 pounds sol for 90 dollars? or is that supose to be .90 cents per pound and the decimal is in the wrong place? Sorry for not knowing anything about this. But I have to ask if I am going to learn

BP

[Ken Scharabok]

It is in hundred weight - so, it would have sold for $.90 pound liveweight.

M&L 1 M&L 2 S1&2. I'm not familiar with this coding, but likely refers to frame size.

[Up North]

$90 *per hundredweight* which is equivalent of 90 cents per pound.
All of the figures in your example auction report are in dollars per hundredweight.

[brierpatch1974]

Thanks for clearing that up. I though that they just had the decimal in the wrong place lol. Now it makes sense. What confused me for some reason is this.


Slaughter & Feeder Lambs
Slaughters
Choice & Prime, Y.G. 1-2 few 3's, 7 Head
100-125 lbs 100.00

Goats, 16 Head
Choice & Prime 50-80 lbs 59.00-72.00
Nannies - Mature 37.50-57.50

For some reason I was thinking the sheep sold for 100 dollars and the goats sold for 37 dollars and 50 cents. Talk about being brain dead lol. I should have know anything selling like this is buy the pound and not the animal.


BP

[Up North]

Well,BP, you're not brain dead atall Many Goat, sheep, hog and cattle auctions will flip-flop between selling by the hundredweight or pound to selling by the head. The auctioneer announces this at his discretion as the sale progresses.
For example,at a cattle sale, they might sell all the feeder cattle by the hundredweight, then flip to selling bred beef cows by the head, then flip back to selling slaughter cows by the pound.
One has to stay on their toes, that's for sure.

[Shirley]

I've bought at livestock auctions where they will bring in a herd of goats and sell by the goat instead of by weight or weaned heifer calves will be sold per calf not per pound. Upnorth is right, the auctioneer will do one by the pound and the next one out can be by animal, you have to really pay attention.

[brierpatch1974]

is there a way for the small scale farmers to sell direct to sluaghter houses or butchers and cut out the markets all together? I know you can do private sells on individual bases but was wondering about doing it the other way. Kinda cut out the middle man and get better prices?


BP

[ArmyDoc]

M&L stands for Medium and Large - frame size that is, and S is for small frame size. 1 and 2 refers to USDA grade 1 and 2 for feeder cattle. Here's a link on the different grades with pictures... Seems a bit subjective if you ask me. But such is life.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/stand/FC1000.pdf

[farmergirl]

I'm used to reading the price per hundred weight statements, so it throws me off when they sell some by the head and some by the pound. Auction barns are a world unto themselves!

[Terry W]

One of our local auction barns-- sells the animal the way the seller wants it--Isaac will tell the sale people-- "I Need 1500 clear from this animal" or "just get what it will fetch." When he is buying, he looks each animal he may consider over-- then finds out who the seller is--from there, he makes his decision wherther or not to bid-- and he will bid however the seller has told the auctioneer.

it is an interesting 'game' to learn--and amazing how one week, with an abundance of animals-- the selling prices are higher than when the pickings are slim, but good quality...