From the Auction to Your Table

“Hey, well all right. Sir, here there, and what’re ya gonna give for em’... I’m bid twenty-five will ya gimme thirty, make it thirty, bid it to buy ‘em at thirty dollars on ‘er will ya gimma thirty, now five, who would a bid it at five,”  goes the bid chant of the auctioneer [1]. Have you ever been to an auction? There are auctions of all kinds- livestock, antiques, homes, estates, produce, and almost anything else of value. Attending an auction can be a fun and different family activity this Fall. In this article, I am going to be sharing ideas about how my family has enjoyed livestock auctions.

There are some regularly scheduled livestock auctions on the outskirts of the KC area- Butler, Kingsville, and Archie on the Missouri side and Paola on the Kansas side. My family likes going to the small animal auction at Kingsville. It occurs every fourth Thursday at 5 p.m. and they have a wide range of animals. They have everything from pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, ponies, chickens, rabbits, and all sorts of animals. Even if you are unable to purchase animals, it is fun to go there and pretend with your family what it would be like to own one of these animals. Prior to going to the sale, you could make a trip to the local farm supply store, talk to a veterinarian, or research to see how much it would cost to buy feed, vet supplies, housing materials, and other things needed to care for the type of animal you are thinking about buying.

At the auction, be sure and arrive early. This will allow you time to look over the livestock in the pens and register yourself as a potential bidder with a bidding number. When walking through the animals before the sale, record the lot number and description of the animals that you are interested in. This will make it easier to recognize them when they come into the auction ring.

Find a place in the audience where you will have a good view. Then sit back and enjoy the fast action of the auction! Part of the key to being a successful buyer is to know the market and be aware of what is happening. Know ahead of time how much you are willing to spend to avoid impulse buying and buyer’s remorse. The animals are either priced per pound or per head. If they are being sold in groups, the buyer can often specify how many in the group he wants to buy. The key is being alert to the auctioneer’s directions for each lot.

Regardless of whether you are actually purchasing an animal, observe what your type of animal would cost. Add the cost of caring for the animal that you investigated previously. Then observe what the animal might bring if you brought it back to sell when it was older. Would you make a profit or lose money?

An auction is often a marketing step in the process of getting our food to us. Food often goes from the producer to the auction to the processor to us. My family enjoys going to an auction because through it we have gained a greater appreciation for our food and those who produce it, after seeing part of the process that goes into getting that roast with mash potatoes and gravy on our plates. Stop by, take a look. Enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of an auction. Learn a bit about your food before it ends up on your plate.

“Fifty dollar bid an’ now fifty-five will you gimme fifty-five to make it a fifty-five…Sold that hog for a fifty dollar bid!”[1] Do you hear it? It’s the auction cry!

*Bonus! For a taste of the excitement of a real auctioneer check out the movie clip from “What am I bid?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o222ib8AYgQ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~To find out more about the sale at Kingsville go to: http://www.anstineauctions.com/

Archie: http://archielivestock.com/main.html?src=%2F

Butler: http://mokanlivestock.com/

Paloa: http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=17918589&stx=paola+auctions+livestock&csz=Paola+KS

[1] – “Auctionner” – Written and Sung by Leroy Van Dyke ---http://www.leroyvandyke.com/

Hanna Sims, Teen Blogger