The Rural Voice, 1999-09, Page 18they were castrated. dehorned, and
vaccinated, something that wasn't.a
strong point with Ontario producers.
"That market is there for us so let's
capitalize on it."
t s important to keep the cow -calf
J
producer on the farm, says Ron.
The whole beef business in
Ontario depends on those producers.
McNabb says the presort program
will allow the small producer to
compete on an
equal footing with
larger calf
producers. Where
previously only the
largest producers
could consign the
kind of uniform
lots that buyers
were looking for,
now a small
producer can have
his five calves
sorted and included
in uniform lots
from different
sources. "It will
help the smaller
guy stay in
business."
Even a producer
with 100 cows
benefits, Gary says Keady Livestock partners (from left) Ron and Garry Kuhl
because trying to realize their business depends on propserous beef farme
get enough calves
to make up a complete lot of similar
animals is difficult. By sorting,
calves can be better matched to the
needs of individual buyers.
The partners worked with the
Grey -Bruce Veterinary Association
in developing the requirements for
the preparation required for animals
to be included in the sale, a first in
auction sales, Garry says. In February
there was a meeting at which 23 vet
clinics were represented and more
recently, two professors from Guelph
added their input to the program.
Under the system, each seller has
to fill in a form verifying the
vaccination program has been
followed and supplying photo -copies
of vaccinalpurchases.
All must have a four-way vaccine
such as Triangle 4HS, Sentry 4HS,
Cattlemaster 4HS, Virabos 4HS,
Horizon 4HS or Tandem 4HS. In
addition all must have a Pasturella
vaccine plus booster for shipping
fever, an addition since the initial
vaccination program for the first sale.
The program has worked well,
Ron says. There have been no signs
of BVD, IBR, BRSV or PI3 and not
one case of Iteme has been reported.
Not all shipping fever and
pneumonia has been wiped out but
the problem has been reduced.
The vaccination program gives
buyers of Ontario calves an
advantage over those buying in
Ron says. "BIO -LINK wins, the farm
guy wins and it introduces him to
getting used to putting that ID tag in
there because there could come a day
when an animal won't market
anywhere without identification."
The first information from those
,tags is just starting to flow back to
producers as animals reach the
packers.
While selling the animals is
quicker and
easier in the
presort sales,
preparing for the
sale is a lengthy
procedure. Each
producer is
assigned an
arrival time to
unload his
calves (calves
must be
consigned two
weeks prior to
the sale date).
After unloading,
each animal put
through what
they call their
"sex machine".
A chute divides
each load into
two lines, each
with a crate
where the
animals are stopped, ear -tagged and
checked for sex.
From the sex machine the calves
move to the scales where each is
weighed and the animals are graded.
At that point, the computer program
takes control, assigning each animal
to a pen where it will be matched
with others of similar weight and
characteristics. The computer is able
to keep track of each producer's
individual calves in whatever pen
they're assigned to.
he computer also produces a
T
catalogue of the sale which is
faxed to prospective buyers
who can plan before they arrive, what
they want to buy. (The computer is
also connected to display boards in
the auction, flashing information to
those in attendance about the number
of cattle, the average weight and the
total weight of the animals in the pen,
then records the value of the sale.)
Creating larger lots of similar
animals helps attract buyers from
LIVESTOCK MARKET
SALES EVERY ' ..z^SDIAI'
14 THE RURAL VOICE
western presort sales, Ron says. The
western sales don't insist on calves
being vaccinated as a condition of
sale. For buyers, there's the
assurance that if something does go
wrong, the calf can be traced right
back to the farm of origin.
A spin-off from the requirements
for the presorted sale has put the
producers who use it on the leading
edge of the new identity -preserved
movement. Every animal in the sale
must have a way to be identified so
the ownership of individuals in the
mixed lots can be ascertained. The
first year the Keady company used its
own tags but the last couple of years
they have reached agreement with
BIO -LINK Ontario to put their
identification tags in. Those tags
have the ability to follow the animal
all the way to the packing plant and
returned detailed information on
individual grade and yield to the
feedlot owner and the breeder.
"It's a win-win situation again,"
and Tom McNabb
rs.