While technology has helped propel the beef industry forward, it’s starting to get easier for cattlemen to hit the “bid” button online rather than travel to signal the chanting auctioneer in person.

It’s fallen to the seedstock cattlemen to discover new ways to draw a crowd to their operation on sale day. Whether it’s a cash incentive, unique experience or a top-notch meal, three operations from across the country have discovered unique ways to attract new customers. 

Good ole Southern hospitality 

Last year’s sale offering stands out in Circle G Ranches’ general manager Jason Johns’ mind. 

“We really felt like this was the best group of bulls we’ve ever raised,” he says. “We felt like we had a good set, and we stood behind them.” 

While Johns appreciates the ability of photos and videos to expose those young sires to potential new customers, he firmly believes there’s no better way to view cattle than in person. That’s why 2024 was a year he and ranch owner, Jim Gresham, made it a priority to get people to Adel, Ga. 

“Honestly, we’re looking for more ways to draw people to us, and I guess everybody’s looking for that,” Johns explains.

Travel, he says, is a big expense for any cattleman. Flights, gas, hotels — it all adds up, which is why Gresham had a new idea to thank customers for putting in the extra effort to attend the event in person. 

The ranch would award the farthest traveled bull customer with a $1,000 credit. 

“Jim’s 83, but he is very open-minded and business driven,” Johns says. “We tried to help and incur some of the expenses and get them here, get [the bulls] seen, get the people to believe in the program that we’re behind here.” 

There’s a sense of camaraderie that comes with an in-person handshake, personal details shared in a conversation, and a deeper connection is forged. 

“You get a little more of a backstory [when they’re] coming in person,” Johns adds. 

Most importantly, however, it showcases the core of who the Circle G staff is. 

“I mean, come on,” Johns says. “Southern hospitality at its best.” 

The prize went to a client from the Carolinas, several hundred miles away, this year. 

The award might be new to the ranch this year, but Johns says it’s certainly not the only way the operation tries to say “thank you.” 

Though the ranch assists with transportation, buyers who take bulls home the same day as the sale receive $100 credit for each animal they haul off. Customers who buy five or more animals also receive a 5% discount. 

It’s all done with one goal: building bonds that’ll draw a crowd at the following year’s event. 

In Johns’ mind, repeat customers are the key to success. 

“Those are the ones that keep us in business,” he says. 

Blue light, on point

While the Circle G name is synonymous with Southern hospitality, Belle Point Ranch has their own well-known tradition customers look forward to. 

The “blue light special” was a trend Julie McMahon French says her family borrowed from the popular discount department store, K-mart. 

“It would bring customers to the aisle to look and see what was on sale,” she says of the store’s trend. “That’s kind of how we use it — to sweeten the pot … It’s just something fun that makes people differentiate what you’re selling.”  

French calls the deal the “brainchild” of her dad, David McMahon. In the 1980s he brought it home from an estate sale he had attended. The blue light came back to Lavaca not working, but with the help of French’s brother, the family got it working. 

“It got mounted, then the brainstorming began,” she remembers. 

It was her dad who answered the question of its purpose. 

“When we flip it on, there’s going to be some kind of special,” he decided. 

The traditions continued into today. From deals on semen straws to calves split off the side of a cow, French says when their barn flashes blue, customers know there’s a deal about to hit the auction block that they will want to be a part of. 

“It’s just more ways for people to connect to us and kind of have a memory, so that we’re different,” she adds. “We’ll keep coming up with things and hopefully keep that big excitement happening.” 

It’s that feeling of enthusiasm that helps the Belle Point staff connect with customers — a key to successful business in French’s mind. 

“This is about relationships,” she says of the beef industry. “I’ve always felt people do business with people they like and people they trust.” 

Though the blue light specials have become tradition, French says she’s always looking for new ways to make their sale day special. Good food and raffle drawings have been a part of auctions past, but there are new ways French has been trying to make their sale a real event that stands out. 

For example, the ranch recently unveiled a new corner to attract the history buffs. French received a gift from a departed friend, Olen Price, in his collection of Angus Journals. There’s a new library tucked into the corner of their office where visitors can peruse nearly 40-50 years’ worth of magazines.  

This year’s auction also showcased a special guest. CJ Brown set up an art display for customers. 

The trend of keeping things fresh is one that French says will stay with the farm forever. 

“We keep upping our game because we want to be able to offer [our customers] the opportunity to up their game and to succeed,” she says. 

A cut above the rest 

Trent Janak has never shied away from leveling up in the kitchen. While the pandemic was an uncertain time, he took it as an opportunity to sharpen his culinary skills. 

“When it’s time to cook, he’s the one that’s always cooking for the family,” says his brother, Jordan, the only of the five siblings to have an adult career at the family’s operation, J Bar Angus. 

Trent has kept the tradition in the kitchen up in the years since, and Jordan still remembers the night Trent stunned his whole family silent. Steaks hit the table, and a new favorite was born. 

“None of us knew what they were,” Jordan admits, but now proudly introduces the coulotte cut, or the sirloin cap. 

The cut isn’t as popular as others, but their mom, Karen, says it’s the special way Trent prepares it that makes it so special. 

The meat is placed in a bag and vacuum sealed. The bag is then placed in hot water and cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees. The steak is fully cooked at that point, but Trent places it on a hot grill to get the perfect sear. 

“That piece of meat, if you try to grill it all the way until it’s done, it’s going to be tough as a boot,” Jordan explains of the sous-vide preparation. 
Though the sirloin cap is a cheaper cut of meat, Trent’s preparation takes it to a new level.

“It’s melting in your mouth,” Karen explains.

She and husband, Mark, started J Bar Angus in 1991 and will host their 25th annual sale in 2025. It’s been a family affair from the start. 

“We are our own sale manager … we’re trying to cover all areas,” she says. “It takes everything to have a successful sale, and the grace of God.” 

Though customers come for the cattle — Angus bulls bred specifically for their Texas commercial customers — the Janak family hopes a good meal might entice them to keep coming back. 

“We used to have hamburgers, brisket, pulled pork, all of it,” Jordan remembers of earlier sales. But one day, he says they had a realization, “We’re selling beef cows. We probably need to serve beef.”

Trent’s sous-vide coulotte was the obvious choice for a main course. It’s featured in a steak lunch prior to the start of the sale, accompanied by sides like twice-baked potatoes and green bean casserole prepared by family members. 

“God blessed us with a wonderful crowd this year,” Karen says. “We had a wonderful attendance record, and everybody went away full.” 

She says they want to create an environment breeders want to tell peers about. 

“That’s what we’ve found is the best advertising there can be: when a customer tells another potential customer,” Karen explains.  

Sale day is special to her, and not because it’s a big day for business. 

“It’s my favorite day of the year,” Karen says. “I get away from the computer, and I get to meet the customers and go out there, shake their hands and answer any questions they may have.” 

With every individual that comes to the operation, Karen says she’s reminded of why she and her family do what they do. 

“It’s beyond my wildest dreams to see so many customers in attendance,” she adds. “We hope to keep doing that and keep making that happen and just keep breeding the best we can — keeping our customers happy.”

For her husband, the why is simple. 

“It’s personal,” Mark says. 

That’s what makes it special.