In its third year, NETBIO sale still growing
Nov. 14 sale to see over 3,000 head

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

October 18, 2001 -- Members and supporters of the Northeast Texas Beef Improvement Organization (NETBIO) were wholeheartedly thanked for their "participation and for doing something not normal for the area," noted Joe Don Pogue, co-owner of Sulphur Springs Livestock Commission, where the NETBIO's special preconditioned feeder and stocker calf sale has been held for just about three years now.

Pogue told NETBIO members gathered at a Oct. 9 meeting that he is impressed with the "way the cattle have improved" that are entered in the special sales.

The special preconditioned feeder and stocker calf sale will celebrate its third anniversary Nov. 14.

The first-ever sale, held in November 1998, saw 2,127 calves sell for $440.40 (average) per head.

"We hit at the right time with this sale," Pogue remembered. "It was a perfect time to start this thing" because of market conditions.

Consigned calf numbers in the November 1999 special sale saw an increase from the previous year to 2,607 head.

In comparison, the November 2000 sale, "which is the largest to date," Pogue added, saw 3,778 calves sell for $525.38 a head average.

But the "highest I ever seen," Pogue said, was the prices consignors received from the March 2000 sale when the calves brought $531.26 a head (average).

The coming sale, Nov. 14, has a strong showing of consignments. "As of yesterday (Oct. 8), we had 3,068 consigned" for that sale, he added.

The special NETBIO sale has gone through some fine-tuning over the past three years, as to sale dates throughout the year and eliminating fresh-weaned calves from the sale.

Also, Sulphur Springs Livestock has increased their facilities to deal with the growing popularity of the sale. "We are equipped to house 5,000 head comfortably," Pogue said. "We can keep 27 groups separate on the south end, and then we have our regular pens."

Pogue also applauded the efforts of the sale barn employees, such as Gene Marts, yard manager, and Kathy McGowin, secretary/bookkeeper, for their dedication in making the NETBIO sale run smoothly.

"Kathy has worked just as hard, or harder, than anyone" in developing the computer work, letters, forms, record of information, etc., commented David Fowler, co-owner of the livestock commission, following the meeting.

"This was a big step," Pogue told NETBIO members, "to market your cattle this way. ... But I'd say at this last sale (in September), these preconditioned calves got the most premium you've ever got for them. ... We need to keep up the integrity, ... and the good work."

The NETBIO special feeder and stocker calf sale is held four times a year: March, July, September, and November. Calves entered must have been at least 45 days weaned, dehorned, castrated, and been through a specified series of vaccinations. To date, the special sale has generated gross sales of $12,191,005.48 from the 22,944 head sold for Northeast Texas beef producers.