Cattle are delivered to the market the day prior to the sale where they are sorted for quality, weight and confirmation. These cattle are then weighed with a pencil shrink which is determined by miles travelled to the market. Once the cattle are weighed they are moved to designated pens for cattle of the same quality, confirmation and weight categories. All cattle delivered to an NLS facility will go on feed and water after they are weighed and before reloading for shipment to their new destination. This allows us, as the market operator, to ensure that the buyer is receiving your cattle in sound condition not having stood in dry pens for up to 36 hours without nutrition.
How can NLS help market your calves?
Fall can be a very busy time of year. When you are utilizing every nice day before frost, snow and shortage of daylight, it can be very hectic for producers. Often, the time we sell our annual calf crop creeps up on us faster than anticipated. We understand the importance of dealing with your yearly income.
There are a few steps that we would gladly share to make this process easier for the seller, buyer and marketer.
Herd health
Herd Health is of the utmost importance in any cattle operation. It is advantageous for producers to have close contact with their veterinarian of choice in regards to calf herd vaccinations and weaning protocols
PLEASE, PLEASE pre-book your cattle
In order for the market to manage cattle and arrival dates (times) to ensure prompt weighing, it is extremely helpful to know when your cattle will be arriving at the market. We accept pre-sort cattle until 4pm on sort days. If this does not work with your schedule, we are very flexible with delivery the day prior to the sort. (Please write your mileage on the manifest)
Booking trucks
Many truckers get busy during the fall hauling from pasture to markets to feedlots and trucks can be hard to get. With planning a few weeks ahead, trucks can be a lot easier to book. Feel free to contact any of your market reps for assistance on booking a truck.
Contacting your market representative
Before moving your calves, feel free to contact any of the market reps. It is their duty to assist you with any questions you may have about marketing.
Grading of cattle in the pre-sort
It is always nice when all of your calves can go with the 1st cut of cattle. Realistically, we all end up with a calf that had foot rot that doesn’t heal, or a calf with a frozen ear. When we sort, we do our best to keep the 1st cut cattle as good as we can. It may seem like you got cheated for receiving a discounted price on a really good calf with frozen ears, or maybe a color pattern that didn’t fit with the rest. However, when those calves are not being sold with the 1st cut group, your 1st cut calves will bring more money.
Weaning calves
If you are considering weaning your calves, please understand that it is a commitment. If weaning, be prepared to keep your calves at least 6-8 weeks before selling. During the fall run the best weight on your calves will be right off the cow. After weaning it takes 4-5 weeks before calves adjust and go back to gaining again. Most buyers prefer if calves are weaned at least 6-8 weeks before they are interested in purchasing weaned calves.
Please, please do not wean your calves for under 6 weeks and attempt to market. These calves have already endured the stress of weaning and in a short time frame, are subject to stress again causing unwanted sickness.
Communication
Never hesitate to contact your local market reps. It is their job to assist you in anyway. Transparency is very important to us. If you pick up your cheque and see something that concerns you please contact the office. We are always willing to explain why, and appreciate any chance we get to resolve an issue. We are here to do the best job possible and to work for you, the Producer.
Why should you pre-book for cattle sales?
Producers pre-booking their calves allows us to monitor delivery times to the market so cattle can be sorted and weighed promptly, avoiding excess shrink. Having producer’s pre-book calves also allows the market operator to discuss with potential buyers quality, estimated weight and general numbers of head at that given sale. Any information that we can pass on to order buyers or feedlot operators prior to the sale is very beneficial to the seller. Please remember at NLS we are not just sellers of cattle, we are cattle marketers working with the producer’s best interest in mind.
Which forms should I fill out when selling a horse?
When selling a horse at any of our facilities, you will need to fill out a regular livestock manifest and an Equine Information Document (EID).
The EID can be found here.
When filling out the EID, please use red and black to draw the markings on the horse, and a blue pen to fill out the remainder of the form.