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Ag Man

Active member
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Messages
32
My dad has been in the Angus business since the 1940's.  We have had a production sale since the 1960's.  We are small 150 cows...we sell 25-35 bulls through the sale and another dozen or so private treaty.  Most of our customers are small commercial guys..less than 100 cows.  Most are repeat customers. 

We have seen a lot.  Guys buying yearling and 18 month old bulls turning them out with 5 year old bulls only to have them get the crap beat out of them.  Then they bring them back all beat up and say the bull isn't any good.  Won't go near the cows.  Have no breeding interest.  Only stand near the pond.  This has happened more than once.

Buy a yearling...not feed them...turn them out with 50 cows...on poor pasture that wouldn't keep 20 cows...then complain cows didn't get bred...

This fall a guy buys 5 bred heifers...calls last week says a heifer had calf in great shape...won't claim it...locked them together...still not interested...keeps calling...like he wants his money back...

This is just a few of the problems....be aware of what you wish for...

Still love the business though....clipped cows in temps around 25....calving in a freak snow storm this weekend...loading square bales that were put in last August at 103F


 

justintime

Well-known member
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
4,346
Location
Saskatchewan Canada
Ag Man..... I hear ya. The good part of this business is that by far the largest majority of people are honest decent folk who just want to buy a quality product. Like any business, there are a few... who can make life pure Hell for you from time to time. I think it is a sign of the times more than anything. I have a sister who worked at WalMart while attending University, and one year she had to work on Boxing Day ( opps  for you Americans, Boxing Day is December 26th in Canada) and she could not believe the number of people who brought their Christmas trees back to the store and demanded their money back ... because the tree dropped too many needles or some other dumb reason. She said some of them didn't even bother to take the tinsle off the tree before they returned it. She also says that she sold countless chain saws on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings... only to have them returned on late Sunday with the buyer claiming that it did not work properly. Obviously they got the tree in the back yard chopped down and then headed back to get their money back. I think most rural folk would not ever even think of doing these things but I am starting to see this mentality seeping into rural society as well. Everyone wants something for nothing. As my old retired vet used to say.. " the more I deal with people..... the better I like cows".
 
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