by: Chris Hill

If you are sheep producer then part of your operations includes putting your sheep for sale.

Where and how do you put your sheep for sale?

• Public auctions.

Putting your sheep for sale in public auction is convenient and easy. There are regular weekly sales and special dates when graded sales are held prior to various religious holidays that observe the consumption of sheep. Moreover, putting your sheep for sale in public auction means you get a prompt payment. The disadvantage however, is that you cannot determine the selling price of your sheep prior to the auction. This is because in public auctions, “price discovery” or the determination of the price of your sheep is based through demand and supply factors.

• Direct sales to Ethnic/Religious groups.

A majority and constant demand for sheep comes from Muslims, Jews and other ethnic/religious groups that consume sheep as part of their religious observances such as the Ramadan and Passover. As a producer, you can take advantage of this by selling to these groups directly or through a middle man.

• Selling directly from your farm.

The advantage of putting your sheep for sale directly from your farm is that your profit margin is greater. This is because you don’t have to go through a middle man who gets a percentage of your income. Also, you will not be paying for transportation costs because your sheep will be picked-up on farm. There are many ways to market your sheep for direct sales from your farm: through word of mouth; by placing classified ads in newspapers; posting flyers prior to major holidays; sending advertisements to magazines, newsletters, TV and radio stations of ethnic groups; you can even use the internet to sell your sheep; or hand out free samples at your local famer’s market.

• Selling your sheep to meat processors.

The advantage of selling to a meat processor is that you will know the price of your sheep before hand. You can also expect this price to remain constant, but you can also periodically renegotiate when necessary. Nevertheless, in this kind of setup, you are required to produce a constant amount of sheep with a certain level of quality, periodically.

• Hiring a middle man or sales manager.

If you do not want to go through all the hassle of putting your sheep for sale, you can hire a middle man or sales manager who will do the job of finding you the most profitable way to sell your sheep-but of course with a commission as payment.

As you can see, there are many venues and ways on where and how to put your sheep for sale hence, adding to the profitability of raising sheep. Just remember to utilize all the information and possible options available in your area before choosing the method of sale that will give you the most profit.
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