Over this past weekend on Oct. 27, the Animal Science Department hosted their annual Beef Cattle Auction at the Cattle Resource Unit at Horsebarn Hill. People from around Connecticut and the New England area came to Storrs to place their bids on cattle, in hopes of turning them into a good long-term investment.
The Cattle Resource Unit was filled with the backbone of our country, farmers and their families, with many throwing bids out there for cows of all kinds. The bidding wars were quick and intense with the help of the fast-talking auctioneer, while emotion — and lack thereof — filled the faces of bidders and prospective cow owners. With bids shooting up by the second and cows being sold the next, there was no time wasted during the auction, as everything had run incredibly smooth.
This was thanks to the help of Executive Program Director of the Department of Animal Science, Mary-Margaret Smith, who told me about what goes into planning for the event. “The proceeds benefit the animal science department,” she told me in reference to the bids. When asked about prepping the animals, she told me “The animals are halter trained and groomed by Animal Science students. The process starts in early September and the calves are haltered, brushed and walked 4-5 days per week. Students washed the animals and clipped their heads, necks and tails this past week.”
I was also able to get an interview with one of the students that had helped run the event: Abigail Wilber, a seventh-semester animal science major. She told me that this auction does a lot, not only for the Animal Science department but also for kids involved in the 4-H program, as “the kids get involved helping with the animals, which possibly leads to new [UConn agriculture] students.” Events like this play a crucial role on the development and upkeep of the Animal Science program here at UConn.
But with throwing a bid out there comes intensive research and time. While at the auction, I ran into Ben Lassy, Daily Campus life editor and seventh-semester history and GIS double major, who told me about what comes with preparing for a livestock auction like this. “Before the auction, my dad and I look through the sales list. It shows every animal for sale with their birth and post-weening weights, as well as their breed and sire. Gauging the quality beforehand is crucial as it informs your bids.”
After asking about the thought process and what you’re looking for when they bring cattle out and it’s time to make an offer, he added, “If a cow has a well rounded belly and weighs quite a bit, you know it takes to eating and can fatten up — this is especially important in steers.” He continues, “Bulls and heifers are often judged by appearance and stature, bulls with higher shoulders and calm demeanor are usually sought after, while heifers with decent proportions are best!”
While research and time are big factors that play into placing a bid on cows, for others it’s different. I spoke with Tom Kalal, co-owner of the family owned and operated Cranberry Meadow Farm out in East Lyme, Connecticut. He walked me through the bidding process as we watched his wife put up a good fight for the final cow up for auction. He told me that the main thing she looks at when bidding for a cow is the “overall color of hair, eyes, hooves” but he adds that she ultimately relies on her intuition.
When asked about Cranberry Meadow Farm he told me that they do it not only for financial reasons but for the sake of land preservation, as they want to protect and care for the land. He mentioned that “the topsoil is great land for animals and plants,” as that’s exactly what they care for. Kalal told me that he and his wife are sort of “oddities” in the sense that they are part of the people that truly care about the land, but he also told me that they’re “happy to be odd.”
On the surface, the beef cattle auction may only seem like a bidding war for cattle, but it’s much more than that. It’s an intersection of many people from different walks of life: Students, faculty, farmers and as Tom Kalal calls him and his wife “people of the soil.” All of them being brought together by one thing — a UConn staple — cows.