The Rural Voice, 1980-04, Page 9Bruce County "movie stars".
OBEX cattle sales up 50 percent
BY GISELE QtELAND
The Ontario Beef Exchange, known as
OBEX, celebrated its second anniversary
in January. Six Bruce County beef
producers created this marketing system
and proof of success is shown by a 50%
increase in their fat cattle sales.
In this system every beef animal is a star
in living colour. They have held three
video auctions for replacement cattle this
year and are hoping for four next year.
REPLACEMENT CATTLE
Farmers can buy all their replacement
cattle straight oft grass where they are
photographed and all from the same
supplier. This eliminates the stress they
are subjected to in sales barns and the
cattle are transported only once. Getting all
the cattle from one supplier is
advantageous when it eliminates the health
problems of bringing animals together
from different sources. Supplier and buyer
agreeto a 3 percent pencil shrink and are
allowed a 5 per cent cut on the animals
shown. This means that they don't have to
take all the animals if a few are of different
size or quality. While showing the film of
cattle offered, the buyer and supplier have
the option of buying or selling at a certain
price agreed upon without moving the
cattle at all.
Fat cattle sales are run constantly with
cattle photographed in their feed lots or
barn in groups that are ready for sale.
Front and hind shots are taken to assure
the buyer a good view of the animal. The
weights are estimated and rarely out more
than a few pounds. This tape is then
presented to the buyers and the seller has
the option of taking the price offered or
waiting for what he hopes will be a better
market.
All this is done without toucning the
animals. The seller has three weeks to sell
after taping, after which a new session is
required because weights will have
changed considerably. An agreed 3 percent
pencil shrink also applies to these cattle.
With beef prices varying the way they do it
assures the seller of a choice of sale
without considering whether he should
bring the animal home again from the more
conventional system.
Jim Sutherland is the roving
photographer and will go practically
anywhere to find beef stars in his four
wheel drive. Ginty Jocius, General
Manager of OBEX also views these cattle
for weight estimate purposes. The charge
for photographing these cattle is $3 a head
and a $3 head charge if they are sold. If the
farmer declines the sale he pays for the
taping only. This gives him a three week
margin to consider the best market.
A catalogue is issued prior to the
replacement cattle sales so that
prospective buyers can go to the seller's
premises and view these cattle beforehand.
THE RURAL VOICE/APRIL 1980 PG. 7