How much luck?

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I don't tbh. However when I got dad to buy this ram the guy only dealt with dad through me, because I had got him the sale. He gave me £5 luck money and asked me to keep him up to date how the ram did. Lovely bloke

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Hope there's no tax men reading this thread

 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Hope there's no tax men reading this thread

They surely dont expect tips too do they?!

 

[cattleman123]

When the hammer falls down and my names called I want as much luck as the bloke can afford..the risk is all mine now..i love those red notes

 

[Red Fred]

When dad used to send on cattle, the lorry driver used to tell him he would talk to the folks he knew at market, bid them up, you name it, and £20 would cover it. (And that was a lot in those days )When I went along a few times, he just spent all morning asleep in his cab, but no-one minded as he got his £20 and dad thought he was getting a good investment!

 

[Red Fred]

I wouldn't mind some luck money for all the trouble I've been to looking after the calves and getting them to market so folks have the opportunity to buy them. Think I'll start a tradition.

 

[Lovegoodstock]

Hope there's no tax men reading this thread

How dare you assume that it is not all declared......

 

[Whitepeak]

Plenty of derbyshire men,selling fat lambs in Bentham will hold a fiver or a tenner up for every lot that comes into ring must be a derbyshire thing!

It's to prove we're not all as tight as you Yorkshire men

 

[Purli R]

It's to prove we're not all as tight as you Yorkshire men

Just because we squeak when we walk

 

[Whitepeak]

We give luck money on store cattle, normally a couple of quid to a fiver depending on bunch size and price. We also give some on breeding stock to, again depending on price.
It's always discretionary on our behalf though as a good will gesture. It really annoys me when doing a private deal, and someone's haggled you down to your lowest price and got you to ring the bull or deliver him as part of the deal and after the handshake says "there'll be a bit of luck on him won't there?" I feel like turning round and saying, "there was until you asked!"

 

[exmoor dave]

Good luck asking for it up here on the moor,
One year at Cutcombe calf sales, a new buyer from up country bought a lorry load of calves, upon finding no luck money in the office he proceeded to write to all the farms he bought cattle from saying it was "the norm " to give luck with every animal.
Now being the friendly lot we are up here, the market office was overwhelmed later that week with various offers of what said buyer could do with his letter .
He may have even had a few replies.
Needless to say he said he's not coming back, 12months later he was back .
No letters this time though
Here endith the lesson.

Soon as I started reading this thread, I remembered that incident

Sending letters out was a abit full on

 

[wr.]

We sold cattle in Brecon yesterday. Luck money, as always is included with the passports for purchaser to collect. That way you don't miss anyone out and you don't disturb buyers when they should be concentrating on other peoples' cattle going through the ring. A buyer from Yorkshire had quite a nasty rant at my brother for not ever having received luck from us, having bought many cattle over the years and having a 500 mile round trip. Looking up past market printouts which I always keep, this was the first time he'd ever bought our cattle. Will I be able to bite my tongue next sale and say nothing to this chap?

 

[milkloss]

This is why I just don’t do it. No offence but this sounds like playground politics to me but I guess it’s still an important way of doing business for your area?

Might be easier for the auctioneer just to take the money off the purchase price in future?

 

[hendrebc]

We sold cattle in Brecon yesterday. Luck money, as always is included with the passports for purchaser to collect. That way you don't miss anyone out and you don't disturb buyers when they should be concentrating on other peoples' cattle going through the ring. A buyer from Yorkshire had quite a nasty rant at my brother for not ever having received luck from us, having bought many cattle over the years and having a 500 mile round trip. Looking up past market printouts which I always keep, this was the first time he'd ever bought our cattle. Will I be able to bite my tongue next sale and say nothing to this chap?

Id have told him to f**k off straight away. Theres no law that sayd you have to give luck anyway for him to have a nasty rant at someone about it. Id not give him any after having a go ive done it before when simeone had a go at me when i was actually on my way to give it to them. They didt get any and i told them exactly why and what i thought of him. He still buys stuff off me but isnt rude anymore. Still doesnt get any luck either

 

[cattleman123]

This is why I just don’t do it. No offence but this sounds like playground politics to me but I guess it’s still an important way of doing business for your area?

Might be easier for the auctioneer just to take the money off the purchase price in future?

Ah but we like a bit of cash in our pockets

 

[Dry Rot]

I haven't read the whole thread but could the custom be a hang over from the days when an employee or agent was delegated to sell the stock? I see a lot of adverts offering "cash back" in other non-agricultural sales which (to me) hints as something bordering on encouraging fraud?

I used to sell breeding sheep and a ram was bought by a neighbour. The son had obviously been given the exact money to buy and no more as he was not the most reliable of sorts! He came up to me after the sale, very very drunk, demanding "luck money", clearly needed to buy more drink. I refused and was then subjected to continual loud and embarassing harassment until I left the mart.

Never again! If you don't want to buy at the stated price, walk away.