A Trip to the Sale Barn

Today we made the hour long trip to the sale barn in hopes of buying a pen of steers to feed out for beef.  We came home empty handed because:
A. We're picky
We don't like rangy looking cattle. Nothing but the fancy stuff will do.

B. Nothing met my standards
As a former Livestock Judge in college, I see cattle differently than the average buyer.  I've got a trained eye for quality. ;)

C.  There wasn't much of selection today.

The good news is that there will be a stocker/ replacement heifer sale in a few weeks.  WOOHOO!

Regardless of what we buy or sell, the sale barn is a great place to spend a Wednesday afternoon with the family. 

A kid can get a real education at the auction.  My boy is looking things over in the pens....scoping out the prospective steers.

He wouldn't be caught dead without his pocket knife. (His little Wrangler butt is just like his dad's.)  He could spend the whole day sittin' on  the fence watching the livestock.) 

My girls loved watching the sheep today.  FYI....before I was married, I had a whole bunch of awesome sheep.  Along with my cattle and my dog, they were part of the dowry I brought into the marriage. But the first thing my husband did after the nuptials is sell every single one of them for a hefty profit.  He looked me in the eye and informed me that he didn't want to be in the sheep business.

Looking at this picture makes me miss my gals.  They were so cute!

Can't you just smell the leather on these saddles?

Future Buyers looking intently at  the cattle in the sale ring.

A self portrait of mother and daughter.

The sale barn is one of my favorite places to visit.  The smell of the livestock and manure, the line of trucks waiting to unload their cattle, the dogs wandering around the trailers, the chant of the auctioneer, and the room full of cattlemen carefully eyeing each and every animal, ready to bid with the nod of the head or the raising of the finger....it awakens the senses.  

The livestock inspector is busy checking brands, the vet is preg-checking cattle with a gloved arm covered in manure, the riders are sorting pens and gluing stickers on the sides of every animal, and things can get a little entertaining when the occasional bull gets hooky with the men in the ring.  It all makes for an adventurous and entertaining afternoon.