Early Fall Calf Sales Question

If you are looking to go look at, and possibly purchase, a fall born calf in an online action in January or February, how do you want them presented?  I know a lot traders do not like to see any clipping done on the calves before they get them.  But for the families and advisors that are looking for a good project, seeing through inches of hair can be difficult to see the true quality of the calf.

Secondly, do you think that not clipping the calves will just lower the price they bring in the online auction, or will people still pay full value for the calf requardless?

I dont necessarily like seeing them fully fitted, but I do like them clipped and clean when I go to see them.  Its just as hard to see through a fit job as it is to see through inches of shag.  You dont get any truer look at a calf unclipped as opposed to a simple clip job.  There is a big difference between clipping one and fitting one.  A clipped calf is much easier to evaluate than a fit calf.  You arent hiding anything by simpling clipping, you are simply making what is underneath all that hair easier to see.  In my opinion I would rather see a calf with a simple clip job, roughed out maybe, and clean.  To me it shows me that the person with the calf has put more effort into the calf.  I would much rather look at a clean, clipped calf than one that has 5" of hair that has never been touched and is caked in mud.  To me the difficulty that people have in evaluating calves is not so much in the state of their hair, but in that some people have difficulty in viewing a green calf and prospecting them out, they have trouble seeing the raw pieces and viewing what a little time on feed, maturity, spit, shine, and polish could make one look like.  My bigger problem is people full fitting, building legs, pumping, blowing them up on feed and presenting them looking like a mature fat when they are only 500 or 600 lbs.  If a calf is at a point in its life where it is naturally going to be green, then I want to see it presented green.  That doesnt mean they cant have a little clip job and be cleaned up, just dont go to extreme measures to make them look like they are at a point they shouldnt be, to me I am going to assume most of those calves that look like that are early maturing and probably wont reach the endpoint in as good of shape.  To me a calf shouldnt look like he is ready to walk in the ring and win Ft Worth or Houston when he is 500 lbs, he should look like he is ready to walk in the ring and win Ft Worth and Houston when he 1200 lbs or more and walking in the ring at Ft Worth or Houston.

On your second question, yes I believe a calf that has never seen clippers or been cleaned up will bring less in an online auction than a calf that is clean with at least a rough out clip job.  The clean/clipped calf is just easier to evaluate and more eye appealing so he will draw more bids.

Kind of depends on the format and your target market.  This time of year, not many families are really ready to get out and buy calves quite yet - if the final feeder is who you want to sell to, then I'd wait another 30 days (from now) to try to sell them, and in that case, I'd have them clipped.  But right now, 85+% of the fall borns selling are going to traders, and most of them really don't want them clipped.  Some because they believe clipping early makes them shed hair, but mostly because they all look at those little ones and picture what they're gonna look like when they get 'em clipped their way - whether they're right, or maybe they're buying into their own fantasy there - either way, if it works, why fight it?  I'm used to pasture bid off sales this time of year, and I'll grant you that the online thing may change things more than we expect, but the sales I've been involved in this time of year routinely sell 50 - 100 head, unclipped, on the cow, in the pasture and average $4000+, with several $10K -20K individuals and a few occasionally quite a bit higher.  The calves are usually washed for pics/videos, and a few of the better ones may get washed some over the last couple of weeks while lots of people are looking at them, but that's it.  I honestly don't believe that clipping them would've made them bring any more - but again, some will be online for the first time this year, and it may be a big game changer.  Will know more in a couple of weeks...

You probabaly have a good idea of which calves will be sold to traders and which ones won't.  Clip the ones that won't and have those ready for the families to look at.  Or publish a cut off date saying all calves will be available unclipped for trader consideration until such and such date and after that they will be clipped.  If you're having a online sale or any sale other than a pasture on the side of the cow sale then they need to be clipped.

Traders want them unclipped, especially in situations where they have to bid, for 2 reasons.  1) They know just like I said and like Zane said, that a lot of people have a hard time seeing the potential in a calf when it is not cleaned up, thus there wont be as big of a bidding war and they can get the calf cheaper.  When you are a trader the name of the game is to turn a profit which means you need to purchase low and sale high.  2) They are gonna take that unclipped calf home all nasty and ratty and dirty, they are gonna work hair for a few weeks and clip him up and take pictures and send to everyone showing the before and after and they are gonna tell them to just look at the difference 2 weeks on feed made and imagine what more time will do.  Then that $2500 calf became a $10,000 calf.  Not saying anything bad about the traders here, they are trying to turn a profit and thats how you do it, find a diamond in the rough, buy it cheap, polish it up, and make a profit on it.  But I think Zane's question was how we would like to see them presented and I think he was talking from a standpoint of getting more attention/higher bids for the seller.  I think the seller is going to see more bids/higher bids if the calves are cleaned and clipped.

Like I said, it depends on your target audience.  In my experience, relatively few families really get geared up to buy at least 'til after Fort Worth - even some Oklahoma families, knowing that they have to compete with Texans for the calves, will get going somewhere about that time.  If you're trying to sell any volume of calves before then, you'd best be planning on selling them to traders.  If you have a few, and you'd like to see them go directly to the exhibitors, then by all means, work hair and get 'em sheared out - but you'd better wait a bit to sell 'em.  January's not the time.

I understand that some breeders would prefer to bypass the traders.  There are some good reasons to do that - i won't argue that with anybody.  But you're mistaken if you do it thinking it's going to make you more money, especially if you have a bunch  of good calves to sell.  I guess some folks automatically think that traders are out to steal them from you, but you just have to realize that unless you have the same kind of established clientle and reputation for winning , you're never going to be able to sell a bunch of calves as high as Copus or Martin or Bonham (just for example).  Those guys know right now that they'll need at least X number of $10K steers, Y number of $20K steers and Z number of $30K steers. They're out to fill those orders.  There's a lot of competition out there for those prospects, and most breeders are able to get very fair prices for their calves.  I'm sure they sell one they have $2500 in for $10000 every once in awhile, but you can bet they have $10K in some they end up taking to the sale barn, too. 

I know the original question was how would YOU like to see them.  I've been sharing my experiences on the subject - I'll add that I prefer seeing them unclipped myself, even when I'm buying them for my kids to show.  Personally I think it's easier to see what's really there in most cases, but maybe that's just me.  I also have yet to buy one without looking at him (or her) in person first.  Given that many of the online calves sell purely off their pics and videos, clipping may end up meaning more in this format.  Like I said before, we'll know more in a couple of weeks...

This is a good question. 

I believe that they will bring more money if they are at least rough clipped.  Just enough to basically shape them so that a buyer can get a good idea of what they are looking at, but not clipped so tight that a trader will be turned off.  Many of the traders don't want them clipped primarily because they want to do their own clipping. 

To me, it doesn't really matter much as long as I am looking at them in person and I have lots of time.  I want to look at them by myself.  I want to go to the ranch well in advance of the sale, and I may stand in the pen for an hour.  I want to just follow them around and watch how they move.  I do not want anyone out there parading them in front of me, or trying to talk me into one.  I will however always ask if there is a "sleeper".  I guess if I had to pick clipped or not clipped I would say just rough clipped, with their heads shaved.

My real preference...WET!