Some abstracts do not have video files because ASAS was denied recording rights.
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Benchmark demographics of the Mississippi feeder calf board sale program
The semi-annual Mississippi feeder calf board sale program serves as an opportunity for beef cattle producers to build a more successful marketing strategy in the feeder cattle sector. The board sales encourage more uniform load-lots in addition to reduced shrink, handling and comingling prior to shipping due to the off-site marketing of calves. Established in 2008, the program has recorded 309 total lots sold consisting of nearly 25,000 head of cattle, with the receipts from these sales exceeding $19 million. To examine benchmark values of the board sale program, lot demographics of each sale were analyzed using the Proc Means procedure of SAS. Frequencies of hide color characteristics reveal that 92.6% of all lots sold advertised some percentage of black-hided cattle, followed by 47.2% of lots with smoke color, 43% with red, and 18.1% with white color. Specifically, 64% of all lots consisted of at least 75% black cattle, 36.6% of lots contained less than 25% red cattle, and 34% contained less than 25% cattle with smoke hide color. Lots marketed with Brahman influence represent 14.2% of lots sold. The mean weighted average lot body weight per calf across all years was 315.3 ± 4.4 kg. Results show that 0.3% of lots had a weighted average body weight per calf of less than 226.8 kg, 5.9% weighed 226.8 to 271.2 kg, 47.6% weighed 272.2 to 317.1 kg, 30.6% weighed 317.5 to 362.4 kg, 15.3% weighed 362.9 to 407.8 kg, and 0.3% weighed greater than 408.2 kg. Mixed gender lots comprised 45.3% of all lots sold, followed by steer-only lots at 33.7% and heifer-only lots at 21%. Use of growth-promoting implants was advertised for 12.6% of total lots, whereas 20.4% of lots marketed cattle produced without growth promotants. Participation results indicate fewer lots per sale since 2008 accompanied by a slight increase in number of head per sale due to increased number of head per lot sold. Furthermore, price trends of the board sale program indicate a steady increase in selling price throughout its history. In summary, the Mississippi feeder calf board sale program continues to provide producers a viable alternative marketing strategy. The specific attributes of each lot are central to its selling value, as consistent and industry-recognizable lot characteristics may bring premiums at sale.
Keywords: Board sale, Feeder calf, Marketing