“The Brand” Session Preview: Maximize Your Revenue at Sale Time

Learn the secrets to success in the sale barn at “The Brand” Marketing Summit.

The days of depending on traditional avenues to sell cattle are coming to an end. With countless tools available, there are many opportunities for sellers to overcome obstacles at sale time.

Dunn Herefords owner Bill Dunn, Cochratan, Penn., is familiar with taking discounts at the sale barn. “We’re at a bit of a geographical disadvantage when it comes to marketing our calves,” Dunn says. Therefore, he developed a plan to combat the issue.

Rather than selling calves sporadically in the fall, Dunn backgrounds calves in order to sell them in larger groups, sorted by lot size, later in the year. Another advantage of selling larger loads is marketing them in Hereford-influenced feeder calf sales.

Years ago, Carthage Livestock Inc. owners Brent and Kris Lowderman and American Hereford Association (AHA) fieldman John Meents teamed up with a group of producers, including Dunn, to form a strategy to eliminate discounts on their cattle. Debuting in 2007, the resulting Greater Midwest Certified Hereford-Influenced Feeder Calf Sale in Carthage, Ill., is now one of the largest Hereford-influenced feeder calf sales in the nation — this year 1,326 head of Hereford-influenced feeder cattle grossed more than $1.1 million. Sales like this make a big difference in how buyers perceive Hereford and Hereford-influenced feeder cattle.

“I talked to some guys that have bought cattle four or five years in a row and they are sold on what we are doing,” Dunn says. “They know we have performance that will rival other breeds. I think the sale has put a very positive light on the breed of cattle and what we’re doing.”

Still, Dunn emphasizes quality matters. He credits high-performance calves and a good backgrounding program in helping calves reach their genetic potential. He also believes informing commercial producers that Hereford-influenced sales provide premiums will simultaneously promote Hereford bull sales.

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The AHA is excited to have Dunn as part of the “Maximize Your Revenue at Sale Time” session at “The Brand” Marketing Summit. In this panel session — also featuring Jason Barber, Superior Livestock Auction and Barber Ranch, and Mark Johnson, Producers Livestock Marketing and Sleepy Hollow Farm — real-world cattlemen will discuss how to overcome problematic situations. These panelists come with a wealth of knowledge on creatively selling Hereford feeder cattle to benefit both the buyer and the seller.

“I’m excited to meet and talk to producers from other areas of the country experiencing ‘Hereford discrimination’ and might be at a geographical disadvantage like we are,” Dunn says. “We’ve worked hard to solve these problems, and I’m excited to share what we’ve been able to do.”

Registration for The Brand Marketing Summit closes May 1. CLICK HERE to learn more and register for this can’t miss opportunity.