Miss Manners for Cattle Buyers

I find Miss Manners useful in many etiquette issues.  I will not try to make you believe that my manners are without flaw.  However, I do try to be polite in most situations.  I was looking for etiquette in cattle buying situations and really found nothing.  I decided to write this blog anyway. 

As I was growing up my parents always told me whenever I went anywhere, to mind my manners. Sometimes I believe that we get so caught up in perfection and greatness, that we forget our manners.  When we were judging livestock on the road with Dr. Turner, he would remind us not to overly describe each bad trait of an animal that obviously went last.  He would smile and say that the last place animal has an owner with a grandma sitting in the stands too.  That statement is very true. In fact it is true in several other situations also.

Cattle Buyers should remember this each time they visit a ranch, farm or feedlot to buy cattle.  When cattle buyers make visits to purchase cattle they are there to place a bid. It is not necessary for them to forget their manners and make side comments on the cattle, especially when the comments are not based on Science or influenced by data affecting price. I do believe there is always room for education, however sometimes in a feedlot situation the cattle are received from all over the country and buyers and owners have little to do with the genetics.  Even in a cow/calf operation some changes can take years, so comments should be suggested with a plausible solution.