NO SOLDIER GOES TO WAR WITH NO WEAPONS.

People farm for different reasons. Some for subsistence and survival others for love.  For some folks its simply tradition.  But these days,  farming is a way of making good money.  Whatever the reason is, the same way that no soldier goes to war with no weapons, no farmer should farm with no vision, goal or plan.

So what do I mean by this?  Farming is an investment.  For every investment, there is the right time for it.  The article is about marketing cattle during the right time and tips on how to accomplish so.  

It is very important to always do your r-e-s-e-a-r-c-h.  Find out more about the auctioneer you want to do business with. Do they have a good track record? Are they expensive? Are they customer friendly and advising?  Different livestock auctioneers that I know of in Namibia are Agra, MeatCo, Blaauwberg, Namboer, Windhoek Livestock Auctioneers, and Karoo-Ochse.

Part of doing research is to determine the chains of demand and supply. Is it the time of the year when cattle importers (like South Africa) are in need of more beef?  I may think that when the demand drops, so do the prices.  It is important to deal directly with livestock agent. The agent suppliers the auctioneer at the auction. He receives weights, sorts and marks the cattle prior to the auction. 

Another good way of doing research is getting auction prices from auctioneers directly.  Agra has an awesome website with updates on their livestock prices.  Upon getting the prices, for a longer period of time (perhaps 2 years) one should see a pattern in these prices.

XoXo