For the past 26 years in Southeast Alabama, and 17 years in Southwest Georgia, cattle producers have formed associations to market cattle through board sales. Don’t let the names throw you off, however, as nine Florida ranches participated in the SE AL sale this year, and two Florida farms in the SW GA sale. They use the term SAFE on their sales because the cattle are fully vaccinated (including booster), and have been weaned and fed for 60 or more days, with direct shipment from the ranch of origin to the buyer without being co-mingled with cattle from other farms. Plus every producer has been through Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification. The goal is to offer cattle in uniform groups that are healthy, gaining weight on feed, and ready to perform for the feedyards or order buyers who purchase them.
This year has been very challenging for cattle ranchers all over the country. COVID19 has created major challenges with markets, as restaurants and other food service buyers were shut down for a period of time, and at meat processing facilities where production was slowed down. Even with these challenges, the cattle in the two board sales were able to top the local market once again. The following is a summary from these two sales. Use you mouse on your computer or finger on a cell phone to enlarge the image to full-screen for easier reading.
Click with mouse to enlarge for full-screen viewing
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How does the Board Sale work?
Unlike traditional auctions, the cattle sold in these sales never leave the ranch. Instead the cattle are videoed in advance, allowing buyers to see the cattle prior to sale day, and the auction is held over the telephone for a future delivery date set by the sellers. The following is and example of the type of video available to buyers. The cattle in this video came from Bar L Ranch, Marianna, owned by Herman Laramore, who was the president of the SE AL SAFE Sale this year. The videos from other farms that participated in 2020 can be viewed on Moseley Brothers Cattle YouTube channel.
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Buyers are also provided with a sale catalog that includes the complete vaccination and treatment records from each ranch that participated in the sale. The following are links to the catalogs from the two sales held held in August 2020:
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2020 ALABAMA SAFE SALE CATALOG
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2020 GEORGIA SAFE SALE CATALOG
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How to participate in future board sales
These two marketing associations have developed a strong reputation for quality cattle, but there is room for more producers to participate. The larger the offering, the more interest gained from potential buyers. You don’t have to sell truckload lots (50,000 lbs.) to participate. Certainly buyers pay the highest premium for entire loads from a single source, but each year there are smaller groups sold that still attract a strong price because cattle that have been backgrounded at the ranch are ready to perform well for the feedyards that purchase them.
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- The first step is to get your BQA Certification. BQA certification is important, even if you don’t participate in the Board Sale, as every rancher and their employees should get BQA training. BQA Certification requires completion of a series on online training video modules. Utilize the following link to access the Cow-Calf BQA Certification training module.
– - Contact the marketing consultant for both sales, Moseley Brothers Cattle – John Moseley – 229-308-6355 – http://www.moseleybrotherscattle.com/
– - The third step is to work with your local veterinarian to set up the health protocol, and vaccination schedule. Make sure you use the Calf Health Record sheet to document the products used.
– - The final step is to work with Mosley Brothers Cattle Company to get a video made, and develop a listing for the sale catalog.
demayo@ufl.edu - 850-482-9620
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