Social Value Beyond the Sale Barn

Photo: Marilyn Schlake

The sale barn experience is not confined to the sale barn walls; it extends beyond and impacts individuals and communities. The interactions at the sale barn often have positive impacts on producers’ and buyers’ business decision-making skills. Through conversations, individuals gain the knowledge and skills that are transferred to their daily operations. Secondly, interacting with a diverse group of people in the livestock industry allows individuals to acquire an expanded list of business contacts that lead to new business opportunities. Lastly, the act of coming to the sale barn allows for spillover actions to take place in the community, such as purchasing supplies at the local farm store or visiting the local banker or insurance agent. It is an opportunity to strengthen the local economic development connections. However, loss of these social and economic businesses can have a detrimental impact on individuals and the community.

Figure 8: Besides Buying and Selling, Why Individuals Attend Livestock Auctions (External Impacts)

Positive Impacts on Operational Decision-Making

Although the social greetings and personal conversations between sale barn attendees were readily seen, observers also overheard conversations about ranch and farm operations, such as harvesting, weather, prices, bull genetics, grass condition, weights, and repairs. These types of conversations were not observed at the urban location, possibly due to language barriers. However, that does not imply that information gained from the urban sale barn experience is not translated into attendees’ daily on-farm or business operations.

Expanded External Business Connections

Social relationships within the sale barn environment create opportunities for outside connections that further business opportunities and broaden economic impacts for the ranchers and farmers. Attendees were observed sharing business cards and reading promotional flyers for local businesses. Interviewees shared that personal referrals were provided that helped them expand business connections.

Figure 9: Additional Reasons to Attend Livestock Sale Barns and Business Opportunities Gained

Supporting the Local Economy

Economic support for the local sale barn community occurs as individuals travel to and from the sale barn locations. Individuals were observed carrying take-out food bags into the sale barn, talking with their local banker, and parking their livestock trailer outside a farm supply store. Twenty percent of survey respondents indicated they conduct other business in the surrounding community, and most of the interviewees stated they also conduct business in the community. Survey participants indicated that they saw changes to communities that have lost their local sale barn. Most noticeable were the observations of other lost community businesses.

Figure 10: Survey Participants Notice Changes to Communities and Closed Sale Barn