Cattle.com

Blog Archive May 2015

Top Web Sale Lots Week of 5/25/2015

Top individual sale lots of the past week...

  1. $13,500 - Bull sired by Man Among Boys
  2. $10,500 - Bull sired by Walks Alone
  3. $9,000 - Bull sired by Walks Alone
  4. $8,250 - Bull sired by Rodger That
  5. $6,750 - Bull sired by Lone Ranger
  6. $6,250 - Cow sired by PVF New Horizon 001
  7. $5,750 - Heifer sired by Buyer's Pick
  8. $5,500 - Bull sired by Walks Alone
  9. $5,500 - Heifer sired by American Heat
  10. $5,250 - Heifer sired by Buyer's Pick

3

Cattle Can Be Shipped to South American Again

"well, crap"

--said every cattlemen trying to buy quality Brahman bulls cheaply.

7

Getting Rib in Show Cattle

Based on your experience...



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Top Web Sale Lots Week of 5/18/2015

Top individual sale lots of the past week...

  1. $15,250 - Steer sired by Gold Dust
  2. $15,000 - Heifer sired by Exacto
  3. $11,500 - Bull sired by Man Among Boys
  4. $9,500 - Bull sired by I Da Man
  5. $9,000 - Bull sired by TR Mr Fire Water
  6. $8,000 - Bull sired by Ready 2 Rumble
  7. $7,750 - Heifer sired by Dallas
  8. $7,500 - Bull sired by Man Among Boys
  9. $7,000 - Bull sired by Man Among Boys
  10. $6,500 - Heifer sired by Swagger

4

I Have to Say This Every Time

I don’t single out photographers certain photographers are just so sloppy about their work that they pop up more often than others.

A large portion of photographers, I’d say most, would never end up featured because they don’t resort to that silliness to make the cattle they take pictures of look good. 

It takes skill to mess with a photo the way the guy who took the picture on here yesterday did.  It’s not the easiest to do with black cattle, and colored cattle make it a lot harder.  Outside of just plain old ethics, not being able to do what you are trying to do ought to be an excellent reason to stop screwing with photos.

I’m not commenting on the quality of cattle, just the ethics of the photography.  If somebody says I was talking crap about an animal, they are lying to you because they want to deflect the criticism.

It’s not about ‘drama’, grow up.  It’s about right and wrong.

I know other photographers do it.  My standard is that I need to feel comfortable sitting in a court room and showing a jury of non-cattle and non-photographer people a spot in a picture that was clearly messed with.

95% of the pictures that steer people would agree are Photoshopped don’t meet that standard.

There’s a simple way to make me look like a fool.  If I post something here that isn’t a fair criticism of what you did to a picture, post the original.

14

There's TWO Faces in That Bull's Forerib

It's like those people who see the Virgin Mary in toast.

There's not one, but TWO completely identical smiley faces in the forerib of this OBVIOUSLY NOT PHOTOSHOPED bull picture...


Why do people do that?

It's a "professional photographer" trick.  The word trick is probably incorrect, it's just basic clone stamping.  When done properly, it's really hard to see the obvious fingerprints of it.  The photographer who did it to this bull has gotten quite sloppy in his work (any guesses who?) and smoke colored bulls are harder to hide shenanigans in than black bulls.

If you look just above those boxes, you can see what look like brush strokes.

Is it that big a deal?

Only if you buy semen based on pictures and look at the rib in those photos.  After messing with the lines (top line, crest, dewlap, etc.) messing with the rib shape is easily the most frequent spot to look for Photoshop shenanigans.

You know the photographers that do it.

It's going to keep happening as long as you people continue to respect them.

13

Top Web Sale Lots Week of 5/11/2015

Top individual sale lots of the past week...

  1. $23,500 - Bull sired by Eye Candy
  2. $22,500 - Heifer sired by HFS First Class 113
  3. $16,500 - Heifer sired by Man Among Boys
  4. $16,500 - Heifer sired by Ledger
  5. $13,000 - Heifer sired by Monopoly
  6. $12,500 - Heifer sired by Heat Wave
  7. $11,000 - Heifer sired by Monopoly
  8. $11,000 - Heifer sired by Monopoly
  9. $9,500 - Heifer sired by No Surprise
  10. $8,750 - Heifer sired by Monopoly

4

Top Web Sale Lots Week of 5/4/2015

Top individual sale lots of the past week...

  1. $8,000 - Bull sired by Monopoly
  2. $7,500 - Heifer sired by Canyon Brew
  3. $6,750 - Heifer sired by Monopoly
  4. $6,750 - Bull sired by Eye Candy
  5. $5,750 - Heifer sired by S A V Brilliance 8077
  6. $5,250 - Steer sired by Made Right
  7. $5,250 - Heifer sired by Heat Seeker
  8. $5,250 - Bull sired by Eye Candy
  9. $5,000 - Bull sired by Unstoppable
  10. $4,800 - Heifer sired by Monopoly

1

Highest Yearly Overall Juding Scores at Texas FFA LSJ Contest

If you look at livestock judging scores over time, even controlled for a particular contest, there’s not much of an overall trend up or down in any direction.

The only difference from year to year for a contest such as the state contest in Texas is one class where the supposedly 350 best judgers in the state all collectively forget whta they're doing and average a 35. Well, that, or a class was put together that doesn’t make much sense and tanks the overall average.

The highest average judging class scores for the Texas state FFA judging contest over the past 17 years…

  1. 2015 - 46.68
  2. 2013 - 46.42
  3. 2001 - 46.42
  4. 1998 - 46.34
  5. 2007 - 46.20
  6. 2002 - 45.99
  7. 2011 - 45.90
  8. 2009 - 45.41
  9. 2003 - 45.18
  10. 2004 - 45.01
  11. 2000 - 44.83
  12. 2012 - 44.66
  13. 2008 - 43.20
  14. 2010 - 43.09
  15. 2014 - 42.69
  16. 2006 - 42.61
  17. 2005 - 41.84

1

April 2014 vs April 2015 Online Steer Prices



  2014 2015 % Change
Steers Sold 633 521  
Sales 59 63  
       
Average Price $3,493 $3,818  
       
95th $8,500 $8,500 0
90th $6,250 $6,700 +7%
80th $4,500 $5,000 +11%
70th $3,750 $4,070 +9%
60th $3,200 $3,500 +9%
50th $2,750 $3,000 +9%
40th $2,300 $2,750 +20%
30th $2,000 $2,250 +13%
20th $1,800 $2,000 +11%
10th $1,500 $1,850 +23%

1

Customer Appreciation of Poodled Americans

Two Weeks Before Poodling – “Please don’t poodle those calves.  I won’t buy from you if you poodle them.”

Day After Poodling – “Where did that little bad ass come from?  I didn’t see that one before, throw him on the trailer.”

First Show of Season – “If you poodle those calves next year, there’s no way in hell I’m buying from you.”

1

Top Web Sale Lots Week of 4/27/2015

Top individual sale lots of the past week...

  1. $20,000 - Bull sired by Sue
  2. $20,000 - Heifer sired by CRR About Time 743
  3. $13,787 - Steer sired by I-80
  4. $13,001 - Steer sired by Dakota Gold
  5. $10,000 - Heifer sired by Unstoppable
  6. $9,750 - Bull sired by Bad Romanance
  7. $9,750 - Steer sired by Monopoly
  8. $9,250 - Heifer sired by I-80
  9. $9,250 - Heifer sired by Monopoly
  10. $8,750 - Bull sired by Man Among Boys

0

Mobile Device Traffic

Does your site need to look good on mobile devices?

If your demographic is anywhere similar to this one, and it probably is, yes.  This one doesn’t and we still went over 50% for mobile devices in April.

Devices Used to Access Cattle.com in April…

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Past Posts