Photo: Marilyn Schlake
Research Findings:
Additional Social Value Subthemes
In addition to the key findings, three additional subthemes emerged from the surveys and interviews, specifically related to online auctions, resiliency, and respect for others.
Online Livestock Auction Sales
Online auction sales are changing how sale barn owners and individuals approach a broader audience and provide access to livestock from different locations, often out of state. Survey participants indicated that some are unable to access online auctions due to limited Internet access, limited “how-to” knowledge, or they would rather attend in person. On the other hand, online sales continue to emerge as viable options for producers and buyers as sale barns are becoming more adept at managing the online live auctions, and producers are utilizing private online sales to attract buyers from a larger region. For those who do participate in online auctions, common reasons were for efficiency of time and convenience; they cannot attend in person, or they were selling cattle and watching from a distance. Both survey participants and interviewees had mixed opinions about online sales.
Figures 11 and 12. Reasons Why Individuals Do or Do Not Participate in Online Auctions
Quotes About Online Auctions
For myself, I can see what the market's doing. There are times, especially getting into October, and this time of year [November], when I come in for lunch, I'll put on a sale […] just watch it while I'm preparing and eating lunch, just to kind of know what's going on today with the market and stuff.
-Ron, Producer
You don't see it online. You don't see the grandkids in the pictures, or the new daughter-in-law added to the family, sitting at the sale barn with the son, maybe never been there before. or vice versa.
-Bill, Producer
You know, there might be a feature about a bull that you do like that you would have missed on the video, as opposed to seeing them in real life, or there might be a feature about that particular bull that you didn't like. You're like, ‘Oh man, on paper he looks good.’ And in the picture in the catalog, he looks good, but there's just, you know, watching him walk out right here in the ring, whatever it may be, there's something I don't like about them. And then also, most of those video auctions, those guys, they might video them in June, July, and that's great, but there's a lot that can change. And some of them don't get delivered till October, November. Well, there's a lot that can change in those few months, either for the better or for the worse. And it depends on what end of the spectrum you're on, but sometimes there are surprises, and that's not always fun.
-Sam, Producer
Resiliency on the Ranch/Farm
Resiliency is the ability of a community, or group of individuals, to access resources to respond to, withstand, and recover from adverse situations. In the sale barn community, individual pressures may arise from drought, fire, market prices, death of primary owner or family members, or livestock diseases, to name a few. Although questions around this issue were not specifically asked, interviewees shared comments about supporting others during tough times. However, the survey results show that there is space to further capitalize on the social connectedness and provide greater support to one another, helping individuals to bounce back, financially, operationally, and emotionally.
Figure 13: How the Livestock Sale Barn Community Has Benefited Others
Quotes About Resiliency
A lot of people don't realize our part of the state is in trouble with water. There are these pasture ponds that are as dry as they've ever been. Some are clean dry. […] I talked to a lot of people in the last month, and their water tables are lower. So, we're going to get through it. We always have. That's the way it is in life, but it's another hurdle we're going to have to come up with this year.
-Marcus, Producer
For example, there was one man who was selling his place, and he had some equipment that he had to move, and he wasn't able to at the time, so I brought a stock trailer over and I helped him move some of his smaller equipment in my stock trailer.
-William, Producer
Respect for Others
Interviewees often commented about their feelings of pride, gratitude, and respect, both earning respect from others and honoring and respecting others for their legacy and dedication to furthering the cattle industry.
Quotes About Respect for Others
You see these ranches and all the hard work that people put together, you know it's a respect thing. Because someday, I want to be there, too. I want to have something like that myself. You see these guys put the hard work in, and you know some of it's generational. They're the ones keeping it going from whoever started it, whether it be their grandpa or great-grandpa. And so, there's a lot of fight left out there, and yeah, it ain't going away. I guarantee that so.
-George, Producer
In the rural lifestyle, in the cattle industry, you earn your respect. It's not just given when you show up at the sale to back what you brought. You're willing to stake your name on it. and people will think more of you for it. The other thing is, you also gain respect for the other people sitting there. Whether it be cattle buyers taking the time to look at your product and maybe give you a reasonable market value for it, or the people who are still sitting there, even though their cattle are sold to support you. Be there with you, whether it's good or bad you gotta respect that, too, because they could have just sold theirs, got up and walked out. If everybody did that, it would be a pretty lonesome sale barn.
-Bill, Producer
There is a respect among the buyers, and respect for the cattle and for the people that are selling them. So, everybody's in this to make money, I guess, […] there's not much difference between people—everybody's kind of out there for the same common goal. And everybody is, you know, just down to earth, good people.
-George, Producer