1St time mart goer

geros29

Taking 2 dry ewes and one ewe with twins to mart tomorr.everything all tagged.what do i need to do when I arrive at mart? Any help appreciated, also should i put them all in one lot or the sheep and lambs in separate lot?

Nekarsulm

Sell the 2 dry together, and the ewe and lambs as a separate lot. Have you got your sales book to hand? You will need to enter the two dry ones on one page, fill up tag numbers etc, loading time, mart address, jeep/haulier number, number of sheep on the page and all other info. Don't forget to look at back of the sheet, some stuff to fill there also, sign and so on. Then do the same for ewe and lambs, on the next page of your sales book. Having everything filled in before you get to the booking-in office keeps everyone in good humour. Lambs need tagged as well. Mart will give you numbered stickers to put on their backs.
When you get your sales docket in the post, fill in the sales into your herd register, just to keep things straight.

Conmaicne Mara

As Nekarsulm said you'll be selling in two different lots, so that'll be two different white/yellow/pink page combinations out of your dispatch book. They want all numbers now I believe so start from IE and fill in the lot.

At the mart I go to there's lot numbers on the individual pens, and we have to get one of the lads who work in the yard to count and sign the dispatch book page to verify the number of sheep and lot no. before we go to the office.

Some marts will have a day of the week they want you to book in by so they can let buyers know what's on offer, they may also have a time on the day they want you there by.

Probably the most important thing on the day is, if you're not happy with the price offered then don't put them on the market. Auctioneers and marts are there to make money off you, not for you. You have to look out for yourself.

The flock register is also very important, keep it up to date.

Nekarsulm

Quite right Con, my local mart requires you to book in the number of lots you intend to bring on a Friday morning. The sheep sale is the following Monday evening. If you just turn up on the night, you will be at the end of the sale, and sitting there till ten or eleven that night, waiting for your turn.

sea12

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Quite right Con, my local mart requires you to book in the number of lots you intend to bring on a Friday morning. The sheep sale is the following Monday evening. If you just turn up on the night, you will be at the end of the sale, and sitting there till ten or eleven that night, waiting for your turn.

Must be a very busy mart. In my mart you just turn up and join the queue. Fairest way I think

Nekarsulm

sea12 wrote: »

Must be a very busy mart. In my mart you just turn up and join the queue. Fairest way I think

Sometimes I think that too, especially if I forget to ring till evening, and find that I am lot 140 or something. Mart is not really set up for sheep sales at all, lot of moving stock from pens through scales to the ring, etc. hard work for drovers and all concerned.

But this system suits part time farmers. If you don't get out of work till 6, tear home and round up sheep, pick lambs, tag them, into trailer and drive to mart, you would never be anywhere but the tail end of the sale/queue.

Conmaicne Mara

sea12 wrote: »

Must be a very busy mart. In my mart you just turn up and join the queue. Fairest way I think

I dunno, they used to do that in Maam Cross. There used to be trailers quing from 1 or 2 am for a sale that started at 11am, madness. I'm not sure there's any "fair" system for booking in. At the moment if you want a pen at the busy times, you have to que the week before to book a place. Not sure if they still take bookings by phone. Even at that there are a fair number of pens "kept" for certain people regardless of any que.

Nekarsulm

Well in Carrigallen there is a list kept of your allocated lot numbers (which you are given over the phone the previous Friday) Now of course it would be easy to keep lots 15,16,and17 for Joe Bloggs every week, weather he rings in or not, but unless you watched the board every week for names and lot numbers, you would have a hard time proving it.

geros29

Thanks lads for all the info.hoping to go in the morning but will ring them first to see is it ok just to arrive.

geros29

So I sold the sheep.and got pretty much what I thought I would.thanks for the help.

Conmaicne Mara

geros29 wrote: »

So I sold the sheep.and got pretty much what I thought I would.thanks for the help.

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