A3B-Lancuter Farming, Saturday, January 13,1990
Dairy Auctioneers
(ContlniMd from Pag* A 35)
It’s almost like buying a buyer to
be there to set the floor.”
A fitting crew and good bam
help are also necessary.
“Fitting can be as simple as
clipping and washing the tails, or
it can be as in-depth as a complete
clipping of the heads, tails basi
cally what you might call show
ring ready. That depends on the
quality of the animal you’re going
to be selling.
For moving the cattle from the
bam to the ring, Allen prefers to
employ people he knows and
trusts. Some farmers like to use
friends and relatives, he said, but
volunteers often get tired and lose
interest midway through the auc
tion.
Livestock transporters are noti
fied of the upcoming auction so
that they can be at the disposal of
the buyers. “If a farmer/buyer
doesn’t know who he’s going to
get to haul his cow home, he
might be a little hesitant about
bidding,” Allen explained.
Loading help remains on the
site for about VA hours following
the auction. “Unless the buyer has
told us differently, we milk the
cattle out as soon as the auction’s
over,” Allen said. “Believe it or
not, you’ll have some farmers who
will want to take that milk home.”
Don’t overlook the bidders’
comfort, the auctioneer cautioned.
INTRODUCING NEW H 2 FEEDER
A New Way To Feed Broilers And Turkey Poults
H 2 Broiler Feeder With Flood
Gates Open, Fills Pan With Over
flow Onto The Paper For Quick
Starts With Minimum Waste.
FLYWAY BUSINESS PARK
139 A West Airport Rd., Lititz, PA 17543
(717) 569-2702
Largest Manufacturer of Poultry Systems In The World
Make certain there is adequate
seating, food service, etc.
Tagging cattle would seem to
be a simple procedure, but there
can be problems. Whatever
method you choose, the important
thing is that the numbers stay on
the cows.
“You can use the sale bam tag
with the sale bam glue, if you like.
I personally don’t like to use that
type of a tag. 1 have my own print
ed on cardboard with a heavier
glue. If cattle are running loose,
they can lick off the paper ones.”
Other alternatives include com
mercial marking crayons, a bangle
tag in the ear or neck tag.
The auctioneer must make cer
tain the client has contacted a
veterinarian to do the necessary
blood work, pregnancy testing and
health charts, Allen said.
He recommends producting a
catalog for each auction, although
some may not be as elaborate as
others. “For 90 percent of the auc
tions I conduct where I’m sale
manager and auctioneer I make
them in-house,” Allen said.
"You had better be pretty sure
the information is correct,” he
continued. “I guarantee nothing
because I’m not the one who’s
pregnancy checking the cows. I’m
not the one who’s doing the health
testing. That’s left up to the vet or
your information that comes from
the owner. But we do our best to
UNIQUE PAN SHAPE
■and low pan height
for chick*, with no
obstruct eating. Pan
Inch diameter. —■ —
Pan
Hangs
On
Cone
For
Easy
Cleaning.
COME OPPORTUNITY sss LOCAL INTEGRATORS NOW OFFERING CONTRACTS FOR
BROILER HOUSES. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL NORTHEAST AGRI SYSTEMS.
agri
systems
• OUR 10-YEAR WARRANTY on
the auger and 5-year warranty
on the pan says it ail - WE
STAND BEHIND IT!
FEED WINDOW ' m
Feed Gate la '
automatically
with feed to at
from day one.
no more hf
■cooping feed
panal
LARGE DOME
discourages '
from get*'
SELF-LEVEUNO P/
a patented Chore
feature cuta ft
and bird bruising
pans can swing.
BUILT-IN HIGH
evenly distributes
pan, prevents stall
buildup in feed le'
NORTHEAST AGRI SYSTEMS,
present the information to the best
of our knowledge.
“If you don’t have production
records, you can use what they’ve
been sending to the milk dairy.
Sometimes that means a lot more
to potential buyers than do DHIA
records.”
In setting the advertising budget
for an auction, Allen asks himself
how far he would be willing to
drive to buy what the fanner is
selling. “If you’re getting into
some real pedigreed cows, you
can go nationwide,” he said. “In
the Holstein business, that would
be Holstein World. Or you can go
with state, regional or just local
papers.
“We sometimes use radio, but
radio advertising in our area is a
spontaneous, last-minute remind
er. I personally don’t do a lot of
direct mailing, although there are
some sale managers who do. I see
nothing wrong with it.”
Both Allen and Hammond be
lieve in hiring consultants. “When
you hire the right people who
know the right information, it
makes you look good.” said Allen.
“We got out of sale manage
ment mainly because my interest
is in farmers selling the SO- and
60-cow dairies around the upper
Northeast,” said Hammond. “I
well realize that’s probably a busi
ness that’s shortly going to come
to a close. The successful sale
manager today has to be able to
cover a lot broader scope than
that.”
Hammond has a strong em-
pathy for the operators of small
family dairies, but believes their
day is past.
“For those who are interested in
selling livestock, I think there’ll
be a lot of that kind of business out
there in the next two years.” Ham
mond said. “Again, I have a soft
place in my heart for these people,
and I’m very interested in them
having a good auction.”
C. Sherman Allen is owner ofC.
Sherman Allen Auctioneer <t As
sociates in Conneaut Lake, Pa.,
and a partner with his brother in a
500-acre dairy farm. A past presi
dent of the Northwest Pennsyl-
Keystone
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Since 1981, the State Council
of Farm Organizations has been
pairing agricultural and food
industry leaders with state legisla
tors and policymakers over plates
of Pennsylvania produced delica
cies. The Keystone Cornucopia
has become the premiere food
celebration for the agricultural
industry.
This year’s dinner is scheduled
for January 29th at the Harrisburg
Marriott Hotel and Resort.
Approximately 400 food and agri
cultural representatives are
expected to attend and as many as
100 legislators may join in the fes
tivities. Tickets are still available
for $3O (prior to January 19th);
call 717-234-5001 to order.
Entertainment at the dinner will
be provided by Bryan Deitrich an
• ALL-PLASTIC FEEDER consists of 3 simple, rugged
polypropylene parts for permanent corrosion-proofing.
Pan easily removes for clean-out and hangs from
feeder for drying and storage.
Contracts Available
INC.
vania Auctioneers Association, he
is also a member of the national,
Pennsylvania and Ohio associa
tions. He is active in a number of
livestock, farm, fraternal and civic
groups.
Howard Hammond is a profes
sional pedigree announcer from
Carry, Pa. He is associated with
his family’s purebred Holstein
operation, Concord Ridge Farm,
which milks ISO cows. Hammond
merchandises dairy cattle world
wide and is involved in the apprai
sal of cattle for insurance com
panies and lending institutions.
ornucopm
uppcr-Dauphin County pianist.
The evening’s speaker has not
been confirmed at this dme but
will be a key person in agricul
ture’s future. The usual distribu
tion of gift baskets of Pennsylva
nia products to the legislators will
occur directly before the speaker.
The food industry is Pennsylva
nia’s number one industry and the
Pennsylvania State Council of
Farm Organizations is devoted to
promoting that industry. It is com
prised of nearly 70 agriculture
related groups, organizations, and
businesses. They work toward the
solution of mutual problems and
the support of constructive
agriculture-related legislation.
Mote information on the Coun
cil itself can be obtained from
Michelle Snyder, Executive Sec
retary, PA State Grange,
717-234-5001.
R OIL-FORMED TUBS to
jtoed Inside and out
ruat-reatotance.
within dome
to all bird*.
'-TO-ADJVST
) LEVEL lets you set
ipenlng to allow for
types of feed you
tecide to use.
JUS FEED-SAVER
UP on pan limits raking
and billing and helps yon
save every bit of precious
feed.
STORE HOURS:
Mon.’Frl. 7:304:30
OPEN SATURDAYS
BY APPOINTMENT