Cattle.com

Blog Archive August 2009

Club Calf Sale Websites

I’ve spent the last hour or so clicking around looking at the websites for the Labor Day steer sales with the idea of doing a blog post on the best aspects of each one.  Seeing how many sites are updated and how much they’ve had added, I can’t imagine what the inboxes at RHD, EDJE, Stephanie Cronin, Showsteers.com etc. look like right now. 

There are a lot of quality sites out there and I had an idea to write about what I think would be the perfect steer sale site.  Rather than wasting time doing that, there is one site that has put it all together in one place…

Hands down, the best overall setup I’ve seen is what Juli Nelson has over at Club Calf Paradise.  It’s using the auction system from COWS and has virtually everything you could think of wanting in a steer sale site.

Quality pictures?  Check.  Of course, using Mark Sneed to take your calf photographs is a pretty darn sure sign you're serious about good pictures.

Current Bid?  Check.  One thing I hate about the typical listing of cattle online is the difficulty in finding out what a calf is priced at.  While the bids are certainly going to increase over time, you can see the current bid on ever calf on one page in just a matter of seconds.

Video?  Check.  They used Sneed’s outfit Maximum Exposure for that as well.

Blog updates of sale progress?  Check.  I’d dare say Juli’s blog is the most updated cattle blog around.

Online Biddding?  Check.  Bidding 24/7 using the COWS auction system which is has all the functionality you could want for bid off style sale.

Pedigree, description, birthdate, blah, blah, blah?  Check.  The standard stuff you see on every site.

Actually, there are only two minor things I’d improve about the CCP setup and those are just preference.  First is to add a page with a list of sires represented that allows buyers to sort by that specific sire’s offspring.  Secondly, a “similar lots” list on each animals’ page.  For example, let’s say the #53 Dirty Hairy heifer in that sale went past your budget.  A similar lots list would have a list of other heifers in the sale by Dirty Hairy, with a similar look that might be worth considering.


Bryan Walsh Interview

After a couple run arounds, it appears Agritalk has finally gotten a commitment for Bryan Walsh to come on their show Monday morning.  If you don't already know, he's the guy who did the front page hit piece on agriculture in Time.

Go to AgriTalk.com for more information.  If you miss the interview, you can listen to their broadcasts anytime through the podcasts link.


Texas Drought

It's up to the size of North Carolina but portions of South/Central Texas are finally getting some relief.

You know how when you’re a kid and it hasn’t rained for a few days, somebody makes a hilarious joke like “oooh, what is this stuff?”  And by hilarious, I mean lame and unoriginal.  Well, not a joke but…

I spent 15-minutes last night trying to figure out what the heck was making all the noise upstairs.  At first I thought Luke might have figured out how to get out of his crib.  Then I thought it was my wife doing something.  Then I thought it might have been the subwoofer on the sound system.  Then I took the cover off of the upstairs air conditioner to see if that was the problem. 

Then I saw a flash of lightning.

 


Triple C Farms Catalog Online

EDJE put up the Triple C Farms dispersal catalog this afternoon which is something you’d already know if you followed them on Twitter.

I had thought mildly about trying to pick up another heifer similar to the LS Echo x Hollywood Queen heifer I bought at the Lonestar Revue earlier this year.  That thought was dashed when I saw the only flushmate at lot #4 with the words “possibly the best heifer Triple C has ever raised” in the description.

I may be naive but dang it, that looks like an actual dispersal.  With the three Power Drive clones, El Ponderoso Rey, Hollywood Queen, and Crazy Queen at least listed in the catalog as if they’re going to sell it’s hard to think this is going to be the standard half assed dispersal that seems to have become common.


Tracking Outbound Clicks

I’ve recommended Google Analytics once or twice on this blog before.  Other than the fact that it’s free and kicks some serious tail, here’s another example of why…

Perhaps it doesn’t impact too many people but have you ever wondered what links people click on to leave your site?  Google Analytics allows you to track that with a simple line of HTML (actually javascript) inserted into your links.  You can find the instructions on how to do it HERE.  We’ve been using it here for quite some time and I know Steerplanet’s been using it as well.

Just as an example, here’s a list of how many outbound clicks it’s tracked over the past month out of the recently updated sites page…

  1. Lautnerfarms.com – 268
  2. Mattlautnercattle.com – 214
  3. Lautnersemensales.com (which is just a redirect to the #1 on this list) – 205
  4. Sullivan Cattle Company (http://www.showsteers.com/Sullivan/index.htm) – 168
  5. Barkercattle.com – 147
  6. Hanewichcattleco.com - 123
  7. Wagonhammer.com – 107
  8. Keller Club Calves (http://www.clubcalves.com/kellerclubcalves.htm) – 106
  9. Hoblyn Farms (http://www.showsteers.com/Hoblyn/index.htm) – 105
  10. Trauschfarms.com - 103


What Time are Cattle Sites Updated?

The following is a chart of the time of day 1,052 cattle websites were last updated based on their header information...

I highly doubt there is anything to be learned from that other than the fact that web designers take a lunch break.  It's likely just an example of the kind of foolishness I sit around researching when I want to do anything other than the work I should be doing. 


Site Updates

As September and the Labor Day sales get closer and closer, people are updating their sites with cattle pictures an amazing pace...

Recently Updated Websites

It's hard to find a better time to waste a few hours clicking around looking at cattle.

In fact, with the recent update to the spider to include more than 2,000 sites in it's checks for updates, the list of recently updated sites is getting downright long.


August Cattle Site Traffic Report

  1. CattleNetwork.com 23.49%
  2. Cattle Today Sites 17.55%
  3. Beefmagazine.com 10.25%
  4. Cattle.com 8.73%
  5. Cattlerange.com 7.11%
  6. Cattlegrower.com 7.00% (9)
  7. Drovers.com 6.30% (6)
  8. Showsteers.com 5.18% (7)
  9. Cattlepages.com 3.21%  (8)
  10. Steerplanet.com 2.09% (>10)

Full Report Here


Forum Activity Index

For the time period 7/16/09 to 8/19/09 

  1. Ranchers.net   41.7%
  2. Cattle-Today   33.1%
  3. Steerplanet      18.8%
  4. Advantage Cattle Services     2.6%
  5. 5BarX 2.4%
  6. Clubcalves       0.7%
  7. Breedersworld            0.5%
  8. Showsteers      0.1%
  9. EDJE   0.1%

Overall forum activity was up 6.8% after a few months of decline.  Steerplanet had an increase of 12% while Ranchers.net increased by 20% and Cattle-Today 7%.  Breedersworld had it’s first bump up in traffic but only went to 4.74 posts per day from 4.61 posts per day.

 

Speaking of forums…

 

Kit Pharo went off on another tangent about Internet forums in his newsletter.  For somebody that has made a name for himself questioning traditional beef production methods (and with no hesitation to be quite condescending about it) it’s ironic to see how quickly he gets riled up over “internet discussion site gurus” questioning him.

 

The original point he made was regarding cattle that are genetically resistance to disease and flies.  I’m not sure if him talking about a quest to find those genetics or the fact people are questioning him over it is more ironic.  Those genetics have been around for decades and a great visual indication that an animal carries them is a large hump, extra skin, short hair, and big ears.


Rate My Calf Update

Much to the chagrin of a few little boys, we've added a new block to the rate my calf system that immediately bans anybody who attempts to use foul language.  Previously a manual edit was required on our part and it was always slower than we'd like.

I've also added a block to prevent multiple votes on one animal.


Calving Season

Our calving season got off to an unexpected start on Friday and I don't think I'm going to need to tag this little guy to keep track of him on our place. We don't mess with Shorthorns, he's the result of a black cow from the Cream of the Crop hitting on the 1:2 chance of being red and 1:2 chance of getting a roan gene from Jazz Man.

He's still getting his feet under him and I hope I didn't mess up his rear legs.  I had to pull the little 65 pounder because he was breached (and my August web developer hands have seven open blisters/rope burns, a new record for me, to prove it) but I think I might be sold on Jazz Man for heifers.


Past Posts