Facilities

It is in your best interest to sell your cattle in an up-to-date modern facility.
Mud, over crowding and unnecessary stress costs both you and the buyer money.
Animal welfare is an issue none of us can ignore.
We maintain our facilities to the highest standards and they are cleaned often.
They are designed to handle a large volume of cattle quickly and efficiently.

Management

We have a sales and auctioneering staff that is second to none.
Our extensive involvement in all aspects of cattle marketing throughout Western Canada and the United States makes us better prepared to know the value of your cattle and market them quickly and effectively.

Sale Times

We start our sales early in the morning and begin our regular sales with feeder cattle followed by cull cows and bulls
Less stand and stress on your cattle means more money in your pocket.
The buyer has the benefit of getting feeder cattle and calves to their new homes and in most cases they can be settled before dark.
Our sales rarely go past 2:00 p.m. even with large numbers of cattle.
We put limits on numbers in our sales.

Commission & Shrink

When it comes to paying commission, are you getting what you are paying for?
Anyone can sell cattle, WE MARKET THEM!
Every single animal through our ring brings fair market value.
Our sale times, order of selling and speed of our sales reduces shrink and helps pay your commission
EXAMPLE: 600 lb. steer saving 1.5% shrink @ $1.00/lb. is $9.00/head in your pocket
In our ring, shrink is proving to be less of an issue than you may have been lead to believe in the past.

No Games

We feel that it is of the utmost importance to treat everyone fairly whether you have 5 or 500 head to sell.
We have a policy of NO GAMES and NO NONSENSE - what you pay for our services is the same as your neighbor.
We give you real value.

Auction system

We feel that the auction system is still the best way to maximize the dollars you receive for your cattle.
If there were no auction markets, who would set the price?
The auction system is TRUE price discovery

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Well things have sure changed when it comes to our old cows since that day in May of 2003. We are now having a little problem at the auction markets with these old cows, when people bring them to the auction even if it is all the old girl can do to get herself off the truck. They know that she is not worth much and she really doesn’t owe you anything and as responsible producers we must ask ourselves, “ is she in good enough shape to travel and is there any salvage in her at this stage of the game?”
Before BSE the value of the
bi-product of most slaughter cows were worth about as much as the carcass at the plant, however, now there is very little value in the products and the disposal costs have increased substantially. You would be hard pressed to salvage 150 – 200lbs of meat off these old cows and the disposal costs of the remains are almost at the same cost as the value of the meat.

The old cows with small lumps, a slight limp, curly feet or things like that are fine, it’s the ancient ones, the hide & bones, cancer eyes, weak, the big lump on the jaw that is open, these cows should not come to the auction market. Do the right thing and dispose of these cows at home. The days of dumping these old cows off at the auction market are over, this is not humane treatment, we all must be responsible for good care and animal welfare.

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With modern technology your cattle can now take a trip and never leave the farm, until they are sold.

We catalogue, describe, take pictures and outline the weighing conditions of your cattle. Then, we offer the cattle by auction on line to our regular following of bidders all across the continent - before they ever leave your premises.

Selling your cattle off of the farm by yourself can be a frustrating process. Some people have been accepting a bid or two at home, but do you know if that is the top of the market? The DLMS internet auction method exposes your cattle to buyers all across the continent. There is no need to leave any money on the table.

When selling on DLMS or the sale’s ring you are not trapped trying to collect your payment from the buyer; you are dealing with a bonded firm that handles that stress for you.

Here is how it works....
The auction method of selling cattle is far superior to any other method of price discovery. The people who sell fat cattle by the liner loads went away from this option years ago. Now many of them wish they had it back.

Well, now it is back, only in a different form, on the internet. The cattle go direct from farm to feedlot or feedlot to packer.

There is no cost to you at all, unless or until you get a satisfactory top bid on the cattle. If the top bid is not satisfactory, you still have the cattle.

This isn’t for everyone or all classes of cattle, but it is a powerful option for those with bigger groups of cattle who want an alternative to the auction ring.

It works best with liner load lots of calves, yearlings and fats.

You know us. You know we have built up credibility and a reputation in the cattle business over the years. The people we sell cattle to throughout Canada and many American states know that too. People expect and depend on our bidding support in the sale ring. You can depend on that same support when selling the DLMS way. Isn’t it a perfect fit.

What about the sale ring? It is alive and well and still the most aggressive and efficient way to obtain top dollar for cattle, but it is not the only way. DLMS can not replace the sale ring and isn’t meant to. It is just a great marketing tool for you to use, if you choose not to use the sale ring.

For more information contact your local reps at:

Highwood Livestock Auction 1-888-652-7743
Fort Macleod Livestock Auction 1-888-553-7715
visit www.dlms.ca

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Age verification is the association of an animal’s birthdate to its identification number (RFID tag) that has been registered on the CCIA’s ( CANADIAN CATTLE IDENTIFICATION AGENCY) data base. Age verification will be required for the 2008 calf crop and onward. This is a critical component of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Strategy that will help to give us a competitive edge in today’s global market. Producers will be required to keep accurate records of their animals and their RFID tag numbers for audit purposes. Producers may access the CCIA’s web site to age verify their calve, providing that they have contacted the CCIA office, or one of the Mobile Field Representatives (MFR), to activate their account.

Premise Identification is becoming another major component of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Strategy. This will be required by Jan 1, 2009. This information will be used for management purposes in the case of an emergency. Premise Identification information is one of the key areas of traceability along with animal identification and movement information. Premise identification in most cases is the legal land description of the home quarter. You may register more than one quarter if you have more than one calving yard. You will also be required to forward further information where needed. A MFR will be able to do this for you.

Movement of animals is the recording of RFID tags in and out of the data base. If you buy/sell animals you will be required to input their tag numbers in the data base as movement in or out of your herd.

You will not be able to use the CCIA dangle tags after December 2009. You may still use the dangle tags (if you still have some) in older (over 30 months) mature slaughter animals up until that date if they will be through the system by Januray 1, 2010. RFID (button) tags are already required in all calves and dangle tags are not allowed. Export cattle will also require RFID tags at present. After December 31, 2009 all animals, regardless of age will need to be retagged with an RFID and be cross referenced to the dangle tab in the CCIA database.

If you have any questions, please contact the CCIA office at 1-877-909-2333 (BEEF) or visit www.canadaid.ca.

Or contact on the Mobile Field Representatives in your area:

High River/Fort Macleod
Cindy Humphrey 403-988-1474

Lethbridge/Fort Macleod
Amberley Sparry 403-990-1371

Strathmore/Brooks
Sue Giles 403-988-7303

For MFR’s in other areas of the province please call the CCIA office.

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