We sold 476 low-maintenance, grass-developed bulls in our three spring bull sales for an average price of $5713 – with a range of $2500 to $15,500. Below is a brief analysis of our three sales. Calving ease, fleshing ability, disposition, overall rating and grass efficiency were evaluated and scored using our unique 5-star system. In this system, 5-star is the best and 1-star is the worst.
Spring 2019 Bull Sale Analysis
by Kit Pharo | Apr 22, 2019 | Bull Sales, PCC Update | 2 comments
I hate cattle auctions. I have been to dozens of weekly auctions, and have bought a few thousand head over the years. My dad and granddad just loved auctions. They could spit , chew, and buy with the best of them. Not me. I did not get that gene. With a barn full of buyers, why am I willing to pay the most for those animals? What are they seeing that I do not see? I must be the only idiot there, and everyone knows it. Woe is me, I hate it. And then it takes hours and hours of precious time. Walk through the yard, and study what is going to be for sale that day. Wait in the ring all afternoon for the few packages that meet my needs. And of course wait till the last because there may be a few bargains brought in late. All the time I am thinking of the all the task that I could be accomplishing at home. Then comes load out time. I bought that one! What a joke! Everybody is watching. The three cowboys on the fence. The guys in the nice pickups behind me. Those are my cattle! It is a Charlie Brown moment (hours and hours) everytime. I now use an order buyer. I have broken family tradition. I tell the buyer what I want. I write the check, watch a few head sell, load em up and I am gone. What a relief.
I am going to buy a Pharo Bull. I need to buy a Pharo bull. The panic starts to build as soon as I realize that I will be buying at a CATTLE AUCTION. Decision 1: I will stay at home. Not driving hundreds of miles for one animal. Talked to Tyson. Comforting, but not reassuring. So I mess with quick sort. Put in all 5’s. Two bull pop up. Sure I have that kind of money. Decision 2: Will buy only a 5 on calving ease. I do not like pulling calves in the middle of the night. I have bought seamen for two years from a 5 calving ease bull and birthing problems have almost zeroed out. I sort for one 5 and two 4’s. Nine bulls appear. This is like talking to an order buyer. Just tell em what you want! Decision 3: I am wiling to pay above average for this bull. I score the nine bulls from best to worst. I watch 50 to 100 bulls sell, and try to figure an above average price. Decision 4: I have a price. There is not decision 5. The bull came to me. I did not even watch the video of this bull. I just studied the numbers that Pharo Cattle Company put together on each of the nine bulls. I assumed this bull had four legs, one head, and a tail. There were all those numbers. What else did a buyer need?
There is a God. There is a Heaven. There is a Hell. A little bit of heaven on earth is a Pharo Cattle Sale. Quick sort what a Heavenly idea.
Bruce Bodecker
What a great story…Charlie Brown! I love the fact that you were honest in the telling of this story. I love the fact that you tell a story about the people that enjoy an auction do not think about. It is great that you explain your buying options and how you honestly feel about them. I personally am glad to be working for a company that has a sound solution to such issues that absolutely work. And your testimonial is a better example than any of the staff can ever begin to explain to other buyers. They don’t want us to sell a program to them. They want to know it works! Thank you for your story and testimonial on how the Stay-at-home Sight-Unseen program works!