The Official York Sale 2014 Thread

[Rob R]

I'm not sure if these sales are the way forward for good dexters as if you are looking for clean cattle, maybe marekts are just not the place to buy cattle.

There are some extremely positive elements of auction selling, not all of them taken on by auctioneers. The one that really gets my goat is the weighing thing - weight isn't everything but it is something and very few private sellers have the facilities to accurately weigh animals. Many don't like to think of their quality breeding stock going for meat but that is the base-line that we're all, or should be working to and selling privately is no guarantee, the only guarantee you'll ever have is keeping them. If auctions weighed cattle potential purchasers would have a better idea for vehicle loading, general handling and returns and it seems like pure madness not to weigh them when the opportunity is there.

[Louisa Gidney]

I picked up Thrower's book on Dexters for £18, so was well pleased with that.
Sheep trade was dire.
Didn't see any Dexters that took my fancy.
Met some very cheesed off cattle exhibitors who had taken the time & trouble to get their cattle there and ready for show by 2pm on Fri, only to be told they would be judged at 9.30 am on Sat.
Met the chap who bought young bull last year and is delighted with the calves he's now got.
Lots of good crack.
Got home to find my field sitter distraught as she'd found a trail of vandalism this morning. Had to get help finding & turning off stopcock to water trough where ball cock ripped out bodily. Not a good end to the day.

[SteveM]

i think it all depends on your location, and the availability locally of market for your stock, for us with any surplus steers or infertile heifers, or cull animals there is a slaughter house who will buy them deadweigh closer than any of the rare breed sales, and without any commission or entry fees.

bought a short leg cow at york to replace one who is sadly lame and shortly to be culled, will be interesting to see how far the older, lame cow goes to covering the cost of her replacement.

[Rob R]

Sorry to hear that a bad day got even worse for you Louisa.

We were disappointed by the lack of number of heifers this time, and very few non-blacks.

[SteveM]

same here Rob, there where four entered that never turned up, one of which was one we sold on a cow at the spring.

[Louisa Gidney]

Well, after all the discussion on here about beefing heifers, the lack of heifers at York may indicate that people are doing this rather than accept low bids. I was very upset a couple of years back when a red breeding heifer I sold at York went for beef. This year was the first time in over 20 years that I didn't enter a heifer at York. The change in sale times didn't help, the poor sheep trade may partly have been because potential buyers were still seeing the cattle go through. At least one person trying to buy both was complaining of missing lots he was interested in.

[Rob R]

I always find the simultaneous auctions difficult & would liked to have seen more of the sheep, particularly the Kerry's, but I know I can't afford them so I stayed away - you rarely see a commission bid at York but it's what I'd do if I really wanted something.

As regards heifers there just wasn't any there that I was looking for, even though I'll need at least another 10 head by next grazing season. It's such a shame seeing good grass going to waste but you have to live within your means.

[Saffy]

Rob...what about being a telephone bidder?

It was an ambition of mine for years!!! However I was a telephone bidder last year, so its off the list now.

Stephanie

[Rob R]

I had enough of a job taking down the Dexter prices while keeping control of a 2 1/2 year old, without ringing the sheep ring up.

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Come on Rob, delegate - that 2.5yr old could easily bid by telephone.

Duncan

[Rob R]

I was a little concerned what we might have had to pay for at the end of the day...

[ann]

Did you actually buy anything Rob?

[Rob R]

Only a single steer, and a tup, all intentional.

[Saffy]

I was a little concerned what we might have had to pay for at the end of the day...

Brings back memories! Many years ago I remember sitting in Hereford market holding down my 2 year olds arms. I felt quite sorry for the auctioneer, whose head snapped around every time my young son threw an arm enthusiastically in the air but I was seriously scared of going home with a large quantity of miss matched cattle that day!!!

Stephanie