Website, Bidding and Livestock Sale Terms

Effective date: 9/28/2026

1. Operator, seller and scope

Virginia Regenerative Farm Cattle Auction ("VRFCA," "Auction," "we," "us" or "our") is operated by 1Tribe LLC, doing business as Virginia Regenerative Farm Cattle Auction. 1Tribe LLC also does business as 1Tribe Farm. These are operating names of the same legal entity, not separate companies.

Our auction contact is auction@1tribefarm.com, 540-255-9442, or 877 Todd Rd, Mount Sidney, VA 24467. Our current auction website is auction.1tribefarm.com.

These Terms govern participation in VRFCA livestock auctions. The "Seller" is the owner or authorized seller identified in the applicable lot listing. For a lot offered by 1Tribe Farm, 1Tribe LLC is both the Seller and the Auction operator and remains responsible for its Seller obligations. For an approved third-party consignment, the identified consignor is the Seller; VRFCA administers listings, bidding, marketing and payment collection within its agreed and legally permitted role.

Only 1Tribe Farm's own livestock is offered in the inaugural auction. The additional consignment provisions in Sections 22–26 apply only when VRFCA expressly opens an event to outside consignors and accepts a signed consignment agreement. Their inclusion does not represent that outside consignments are currently being accepted.

2. Eligibility, accounts and acceptance

Bidders must be at least 18 years old, legally capable of contracting, located in the United States, and purchasing for a United States destination. An auction account and a valid payment card on file are required before bidding. Account and contact information must be accurate and kept current. Users must protect their credentials and promptly report suspected unauthorized use.

A new card is subject to a $1 authorization for verification. This is an authorization, not the livestock deposit or a separate auction participation charge. Release of the authorization depends on the financial institutions involved. Maintaining a card on file does not require the Buyer to pay the livestock invoice by card.

Before bidding, the bidder must affirmatively accept these Terms through the site's acceptance process or another recorded process approved by VRFCA. Merely viewing a public listing does not constitute agreement to purchase an animal. A bidder who has not been given an opportunity to review and accept the Terms must contact VRFCA before bidding.

A bidder acting for a farm, ranch or other entity must have authority to bind that purchaser and identify it when requested. An invoice or registration name may be coordinated with VRFCA, but changing that name does not, by itself, release any person or entity already bound by the transaction.

3. Electronic transactions and records

Bidding takes place exclusively through the website. Telephone, written and staff-entered bids are not accepted. Any automated bidding function offered within the website is governed by its displayed instructions.

Electronic-transaction consent must be obtained separately through an approved acceptance process. Where that consent is given, bids, acceptance records, invoices and transaction communications may be recorded electronically. Participants should retain copies of the Terms, listings, confirmations and invoices relevant to their purchases. Statutory notices must still be delivered in the manner required by law; routine use of email does not replace those requirements.

4. Auction schedule and extended bidding

Event dates, opening times and scheduled closing times appear in the listings rather than in these permanent Terms. All lots are scheduled to open and close together, subject to individual extensions and announced technical adjustments. Times are United States Eastern Time, observing daylight saving time where applicable. The site's server-recorded times govern, subject to correction of verified errors.

The Auction uses 120-second sniper protection. A qualifying bid within the final 120 seconds automatically extends that lot using the platform's 120-second extension setting. Further qualifying bids may produce further extensions. Only the affected lot is extended; other lots do not automatically extend with it. Participants must monitor each lot's updated countdown.

Bidders must follow the minimum increments and any automatic-bidding or equal-bid rules displayed before submitting a bid. A bid is submitted only when received and recorded by the auction system. Clicking a button, an unsent bid, or an interrupted connection is not proof that a bid was received.

5. Reserves, winning bids and sale formation

All lots are offered with reserve. A reserve is the Seller's minimum acceptable price. A lot is sold when its actual bidding period, including extensions, closes with a valid highest bid at or above the reserve and the system records that bidder as the winner, subject to the technical-error provisions below. The winning bidder then has a purchase obligation; paying a deposit or requesting an invoice is not a separate opportunity to decide whether to buy.

A lot that does not meet its reserve is a no-sale. Failure to enter a reserve through an administrative error does not authorize a below-reserve sale; such an error must be addressed under Section 7 and applicable law, not by inventing a higher price after bidding.

A bid withdrawal permitted by applicable law will be honored. A bidder seeking a pre-closing withdrawal or reporting a bid error must promptly contact VRFCA and identify the account, lot and bid. A legally effective retraction does not automatically revive an earlier bid. Beyond any legal right of withdrawal, corrections are considered individually and are not guaranteed. After a valid sale closes, the winning bidder may not cancel merely because of a change of mind.

If a winning sale is lawfully canceled, VRFCA may offer the animal to the next-highest bidder at that bidder's highest valid recorded bid, provided it meets the reserve. That bidder must affirmatively accept the new offer; an unsuccessful bid is not an indefinite obligation to purchase later. Otherwise, the Seller may retain or lawfully resell the animal.

6. Honest bidding and prohibited conduct

Bids must be genuine purchase offers. Shill bidding, coordinated price manipulation, fraudulent accounts, unauthorized access, intentional interference with the site, and efforts to evade a participation ban are prohibited.

Sellers, employees and related parties may bid on unrelated lots for genuine purchases, but may not bid, directly or indirectly, on their own lots or lots in which they or their affiliated Seller have a financial interest. This prohibition includes bids placed through another person or account. Operator personnel may not use confidential bidder information to gain an advantage.

A substantiated violation of the own-lot bidding prohibition may result in cancellation or correction of affected transactions as permitted by law and permanent exclusion from future auctions. VRFCA reserves lawful claims for losses caused by prohibited conduct; this reservation does not create automatic damages or criminal liability.

7. Listing errors, interruptions and technical failures

Report a suspected error promptly. VRFCA may correct a listing and notify affected bidders. A material correction after bidding begins will be handled with appropriate notice and a fair opportunity to withdraw or reconfirm affected bids, rather than silently changing what a bidder agreed to purchase.

For a material failure affecting a specific lot, VRFCA may pause, extend or restart that lot as reasonably necessary to restore a fair bidding process. For a material site-wide failure, VRFCA may postpone the affected auction and restart affected, unfinished lots after announcing a replacement schedule. Affected prior bids will not carry into a restarted lot unless that treatment is clearly disclosed and lawfully agreed.

An outage does not automatically cancel an unaffected, validly completed sale. A completed result corrupted by a verified technical failure will be addressed with notice to the affected parties and a lawful correction, agreed resolution or cancellation. Amounts received for a transaction canceled because of such a failure will be refunded. VRFCA will retain relevant transaction records rather than erase the audit trail.

8. Prices, buyer fee and additional services

Prices are in United States dollars. Unless a listing expressly and clearly states another bidding unit before bidding opens, the winning amount purchases the entire lot as described, including its stated animal count.

The Buyer pays a 3% buyer fee calculated on the final winning bid, in addition to that bid. The fee is not a card-processing surcharge and applies regardless of payment method. The winning bid plus this fee is the "Purchase Subtotal."

Requested delivery, destination-specific veterinary work, travel documentation and other approved services are additional Buyer expenses and must be itemized. A quote or other written agreement must identify the service and charge before it is undertaken, except reasonably necessary emergency care addressed in Section 14. Additional charges do not become part of the winning bid for percentage-fee calculations merely because they appear on the same invoice.

9. Taxes and exemption certificates

An agricultural sales-tax exemption is applied only where the purchase qualifies and the required documentation is supplied. VRFCA will provide Virginia Form ST-18 to Buyers claiming the applicable agricultural exemption. A Buyer must accurately complete and return the appropriate certificate; an ineligible Buyer must not claim an exemption.

Applicable taxes will be collected where the Seller or VRFCA is legally required to collect them. Buyers remain responsible for taxes they are legally required to report or pay and for accurate exemption and destination information. These Terms do not transfer or eliminate a Seller's or VRFCA's statutory tax-collection obligations, including any obligation arising outside Virginia.

10. Payment methods and clearance

Electronic payment is made using an invoice issued through an approved payment process. Available options may include credit or debit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, and a United States bank account/ACH payment, only to the extent enabled and offered on that invoice. An unavailable wallet or bank option does not extend a payment deadline; another approved method must be arranged.

Cashier's checks are accepted by mail or in person. Cash is accepted in person. Personal checks and business checks are not accepted. Unless different remittance instructions are issued in writing, cashier's checks must be payable to 1Tribe LLC or 1Tribe Farm. Do not use the VRFCA fictitious name as the payee unless VRFCA specifically authorizes it in updated instructions.

Cash or cashier's-check payment at pickup is available for amounts then due, but does not excuse the earlier deposit deadline. Do not send cash through the mail. Verify any unexpected change to payment instructions by calling the published auction telephone number.

All amounts required for release must be received and cleared before any animal is released, without exception. A pending payment, card authorization, payment screenshot or deposit slip is not cleared payment. Buyers must allow for bank and processor timing.

A saved card is not blanket permission to debit a disputed loss, penalty or invoice balance. Charges must follow the Buyer's actual payment authorization, disclosed fee arrangements, processor requirements and applicable law.

11. Contact, deposit and final balance

The winning Buyer must contact the Seller or VRFCA within one business day after the applicable lot closes to arrange invoicing, payment and collection. VRFCA or the Seller will attempt contact on the next business day if the Buyer has not responded. An invoice may be sent without waiting for the Buyer to request it.

A minimum deposit of 50% of the Purchase Subtotal is due within five calendar days after the applicable lot closes. The balance, together with applicable taxes and approved additional charges, is due at pickup or before delivery is dispatched and must clear before release. The deposit is credited toward the invoice; it is not an additional fee.

The collection period begins when the required deposit is received in cleared funds, as shown in the written payment confirmation. Payment and collection deadlines may be extended by an express written agreement identifying the new dates. VRFCA must approve any extension affecting money it collects. The parties aim to finish payment and transfer within two weeks after the auction closes, but Section 13 establishes the default collection deadline.

A Buyer who promptly requests payment instructions will not be treated as late solely because the Seller or VRFCA failed to provide a usable invoice or payment instructions in time. Any resulting adjusted deadline must be confirmed in writing.

12. Nonpayment, cancellation and recovery of losses

If the Buyer does not make timely contact, VRFCA will send a notice requesting a response within three business days after that notice. A Buyer who does not respond may be treated as in default after that period, subject to any unexpired payment deadline or approved extension. Failure to pay a required amount when due is also a default.

Before canceling for an unresolved default, VRFCA or the Seller will provide written notice identifying the failure and the applicable response or payment deadline. Cancellation for silence alone will not occur before both the notice-response period and the applicable deposit deadline have expired. Any additional notice required by law will also be given.

After lawful cancellation, the Seller may withhold delivery, retain the animal or resell it in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner. The responsible party may seek legally recoverable losses, including a qualifying resale shortfall and reasonable, documented incidental expenses, less costs avoided and amounts already credited. Required resale notices must be given. Court costs or attorney fees are recoverable only where an applicable law or enforceable agreement authorizes them.

The deposit is not automatically forfeited in full. Payments may be applied only to amounts lawfully retainable or recoverable, with an accounting and return of any balance due. No loss may be recovered twice. These Terms do not automatically add a $250 buyer-default penalty, a percentage dishonor penalty, or an estimated reputational-damage amount.

A substantiated refusal to honor a valid winning purchase without lawful justification may result in permanent exclusion from future VRFCA auctions. Good-faith complaints and the exercise of legal rights are not, by themselves, misconduct.

13. Collection deadline, extensions and boarding

Animals remain at the Seller's farm unless another arrangement is expressly agreed. The Buyer and Seller must coordinate the appointment, loading location, destination and authorized hauler. The Buyer may collect the animal or engage a transport provider.

Unless extended in writing, the Buyer must receive the animal within 14 calendar days after the required deposit clears. A collection confirmation should state the actual deadline. The Seller must make the animal reasonably available for lawful transfer. Seller-caused delays or a Seller's inability to furnish required movement documentation do not trigger Buyer boarding charges or a default solely for that delay.

After the deadline, where the delay is attributable to the Buyer and no extension has been approved, boarding is $10 per animal per calendar day, beginning the following day, for up to 30 additional calendar days. An extension should specify whether boarding is waived and whether the risk-of-loss date changes. Necessary additional veterinary expenses are handled separately under these Terms.

After the 30-day boarding period, VRFCA or the Seller may cancel the uncompleted transaction or pursue another lawful remedy after written notice and any legally required process. Cancellation does not automatically convert a fully paid animal back into the Seller's property. Any resale, application of money, and refund or damage calculation must follow Section 12 and applicable law. VRFCA may exclude a Buyer responsible for an unjustified, prolonged collection default for at least five years.

14. Transport, movement documents, loading and care

The Seller is responsible for arranging legally required movement documentation, identification, examinations, tests and permits, including applicable federal and destination-state requirements. The Buyer must promptly provide the destination and transport details and pays the disclosed, itemized destination-specific costs. The Seller remains responsible for the ordinary prelisting documentation required for consignment. No animal may be moved contrary to a health restriction or legal requirement.

Where the Seller personally provides delivery, the Buyer and Seller must agree to its price and terms; the Seller may invoice delivery separately. Where VRFCA procures a third-party hauler, the Buyer pays the quoted transport-company charge plus a 3% coordination fee calculated on that transport charge. VRFCA's coordination fee does not apply to transport arranged independently by the Buyer or directly with the Seller.

Before loading, the Buyer, Seller and hauler must agree on the handoff arrangements and comply with reasonable farm-safety, biosecurity and humane-handling requirements. An unsafe or unlawful loading or transport arrangement may be refused. A refusal caused by the Buyer's unsafe arrangements does not automatically extend a collection deadline.

The Seller must continue reasonable care while the animal remains in the Seller's custody. In an emergency, the custodian may arrange reasonably necessary veterinary attention and must attempt to contact the other party as soon as practicable. Expenses are allocated under the risk-of-loss provisions and the special calving rule below. A party remains responsible for loss it causes through a breach of duty; no provision permits neglect.

15. Ownership and risk of loss

Ownership of the identified animal transfers when the entire purchase amount and required charges have been received in cleared funds, subject to any expressly disclosed retained rights. Breed-association record processing is a separate administrative step and does not, by itself, determine possession or risk of loss.

Before the collection deadline, the Seller bears the risk of accidental injury, illness or death until the animal is handed over at the Seller's farm to the Buyer or an independently engaged hauler. After that handoff, the Buyer bears transit risk, subject to any separate enforceable carrier obligations and claims against a party responsible for harm.

If the Buyer delays collection beyond the 14-day deadline without an approved extension, risk passes to the Buyer at that deadline only if the Seller has made the conforming animal and required documents available for lawful transfer and the delay is attributable to the Buyer. This does not excuse the Seller's continuing duty of reasonable care or override mandatory rules governing risk where a party is in breach.

Seller-delivery exception: if the Seller personally transports the animal as the agreed delivery provider, the Seller bears transit risk through unloading at the agreed destination. Hiring an independent carrier is not personal Seller delivery merely because the Seller helped arrange it.

If an animal dies or cannot be delivered as agreed while the relevant risk remains with the Seller, amounts paid for the undeliverable animal, including its buyer fee, must be refunded unless the Buyer expressly accepts a lawful alternative. No substitute animal may be imposed without agreement.

16. Pre-sale inspection, descriptions and limited warranties

Prospective bidders may request an in-person viewing or video call by appointment before bidding opens. Outside veterinarians may not accompany Buyers on these pre-sale visits. Available photographs and applicable veterinary, pedigree and registration records are provided with the listing. Questions should be resolved before bidding. The availability of an inspection does not, by itself, eliminate the Seller's express promises.

The Seller must provide truthful information and disclose known material health, structural, behavioral and reproductive conditions. Records and test results describe the animal as of their stated dates. Estimates of age, weight, exposure or calving dates must be identified as estimates where appropriate. A Seller must promptly disclose a known material change before transfer.

VRFCA prepares third-party listings from information supplied by the consignor and does not independently re-examine every animal or authenticate every underlying record. This does not excuse VRFCA's own misleading statements, knowledge of inaccuracies or legally required duties. For its own animals, 1Tribe LLC remains responsible as Seller.

Statements about expected temperament, fertility, breeding ability or future production are not guarantees of future results unless expressly stated as a guarantee. Factual descriptions, disclosed test results and specific promises are not converted into mere opinions by this paragraph.

EXCEPT FOR EXPRESS DESCRIPTIONS, TITLE OBLIGATIONS, THE LIMITED PREGNANCY UNDERTAKING BELOW, OTHER EXPRESS WRITTEN GUARANTEES, AND RIGHTS THAT CANNOT LAWFULLY BE EXCLUDED, LIVESTOCK IS SOLD AS IS, WITH ALL FAULTS. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SELLER DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

17. Bred females and pregnancy discrepancies

A female described as veterinarian-confirmed bred must have a positive veterinary pregnancy examination identifying the animal and the examination date, together with the approximate breeding or exposure information available to the Seller. The limited undertaking in this section concerns the accuracy of that reported diagnosis as of the stated examination date. It does not promise continuing pregnancy, a live calf, an uncomplicated birth, calf quality or future reproductive performance. A Seller must not conceal a known loss of pregnancy or contradict a more specific express promise in the listing.

A Buyer whose veterinarian finds the animal open must report the issue within Section 19's claim-notice period and provide animal identification, the examination date, the method used and the veterinarian's written findings. A later open examination does not, by itself, establish that the original diagnosis was wrong.

The Seller will arrange review with the original veterinarian, including a new examination when reasonably necessary and feasible. The veterinarians should distinguish, where possible, an erroneous original diagnosis from a pregnancy lost afterward. The original veterinarian's opinion is evidence, not an unchallengeable final decision. A genuinely conflicting result may be referred to a mutually agreed independent veterinarian, with the scope and cost allocation agreed in advance.

If a reasonable re-examination confirms that the animal remains pregnant and the complaint was incorrect, the Buyer pays the Seller's reasonable, documented re-examination fee. If the evidence establishes an erroneous original positive diagnosis, the Seller refunds 35% of the winning bid attributable to that animal, and the Buyer keeps the animal. For a multi-animal lot, the parties must use a reasonable, documented allocation of the lot price. The 35% calculation excludes buyer fees, delivery and other service charges.

This is the agreed price-adjustment remedy for an innocent original pregnancy-diagnosis error, to the extent enforceable. It does not restrict remedies for fraud, concealed material information, a different express guarantee, or a limitation that applicable law will not enforce. Unresolved veterinary disagreement is handled through the dispute process, not automatically decided against the Buyer.

18. Calving, registration and authority to sell

If a purchased bred female calves after the sale closes but before collection, the calf accompanies the dam without an additional livestock purchase price unless the listing expressly disclosed a retained right before bidding opened. The Buyer is responsible for reasonable, documented birthing and pregnancy-complication expenses arising after the sale, even if collection has not occurred, except costs attributable to the Seller's breach, neglect or concealed material condition. The Seller must communicate material complications promptly and obtain advance approval for nonemergency elective services.

Calving alone does not cancel the purchase. The Buyer accepts the dam and any surviving calf, subject to the express descriptions, risk-of-loss allocation and nonwaivable rights in these Terms. The calf's risk follows the dam's applicable risk allocation. This paragraph does not make the Buyer bear a death or other loss that Section 15 assigns to the Seller.

For registered animals, the Seller must correctly submit the transfer, with the ordinary association transfer fee, within 30 calendar days after final purchase funds clear. Association processing delays outside the Seller's control do not alone constitute a missed deadline if the Seller submitted complete paperwork on time and diligently follows up. Buyer-caused delays in supplying required registration details extend the submission deadline by the resulting delay. Optional expedited or additional Buyer-requested services may be separately agreed.

Each Seller must have legal authority to sell and provide lawful title free of undisclosed liens or other ownership interests. A plain-language statement of that authority must appear in the listing. A Buyer may request supporting proof but has no obligation to discover or cure a Seller's lack of authority. Any retained semen, breeding or ownership rights must be specifically described before bidding opens.

19. Complaints, incorrect animals and refunds

Notify VRFCA at the auction email address, and the Seller where different, of an animal-related complaint by the later of five business days or seven calendar days after the Buyer physically receives the animal at its destination. Include the lot number, animal identification, a description of the issue, photographs or video where relevant, and available veterinary or other verifiable records. Submit timely notice even if additional records are still being obtained; reasonably necessary supporting material may follow promptly.

This is the ordinary notification period for administration of the stated remedies, not an agreement shortening every legal limitation period or extinguishing claims that cannot fairly or lawfully be cut off, including concealed defects or fraud. Continue necessary animal care and preserve relevant evidence. Do not return, substitute or materially alter the animal without coordination unless emergency care or applicable law requires action.

For an incorrect animal, the Seller must pay reasonable corrective transportation and logistics necessary to retrieve it and deliver the correct animal. The Buyer's original agreed delivery charge remains payable if the correct purchase is ultimately fulfilled; the Buyer does not pay a second delivery charge to correct the Seller's error. If proper fulfillment is impossible or the sale is otherwise lawfully rescinded, refund and damage rights are assessed accordingly rather than automatically retaining the original delivery charge.

Other complaints are evaluated on their facts, express promises and applicable law. Section 17 applies specifically to pregnancy-diagnosis disputes; its 35% adjustment is not a general remedy for unrelated defects. A limited adjustment may not be substituted for a full refund where the latter is legally due.

For a Seller's established failure to deliver, lack of authority to sell, or failure to provide a promised remedy, the Seller is responsible for the required refund and legally recoverable corrective costs. A full cancellation refund includes the corresponding buyer fee and other amounts required to be refunded. VRFCA must refund fees and funds it is obligated to return; a third-party Seller must repay amounts it received and owes back. Any additional Seller sanctions are addressed in Section 25.

20. Operator responsibility and disputes

For third-party lots, the identified Seller remains primarily responsible for its animal, representations, title, care, documents, delivery and guarantees. VRFCA may coordinate a complaint but is not an independent veterinary adjudicator or a court. Operating the site does not, by itself, make VRFCA the guarantor of every consignor's performance or every bidder's payment.

These allocations do not relieve 1Tribe LLC of responsibility for its own sales, handling of funds, representations, contractual commitments, negligence or other nonexcludable duties. Nothing limits remedies for fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence, personal injury to the extent a waiver is prohibited, or another liability that applicable law does not permit to be excluded.

To the extent permitted by law and consistent with the express remedies above, the parties exclude recovery of speculative or indirect business losses arising solely from site interruptions or an animal's failure to achieve an unguaranteed future result. This is not a cap on purchase refunds or a waiver of mandatory statutory remedies.

Participants should first send a written explanation and relevant records to the auction email address so the parties can attempt a practical resolution. This request does not bar timely court filings, urgent relief, regulator reports or other lawful remedies. These Terms impose no mandatory arbitration, class-action waiver or exclusive court venue.

Virginia law governs to the extent a choice of Virginia law is effective, subject to applicable federal law and mandatory protections that cannot be displaced. Any legal action must be brought in a court with proper jurisdiction and venue.

21. Changes, communications and interpretation

An updated version applies prospectively after proper notice and acceptance. New terms are not retroactively imposed on a bid or completed purchase merely by editing this page. Event schedules and factual lot details may be updated through the procedures above. Auction-wide payment and fee rules cannot be privately waived by a third-party Seller where doing so would change VRFCA's rights or obligations.

The accepted version of these Terms, the applicable listing and expressly approved written arrangements together describe the transaction. A listing supplies animal-specific facts and disclosed retained rights; it does not silently override uniform Auction fees or required legal protections. Approved written logistical arrangements may set a different collection date, delivery plan or cost allocation for that transaction. Material post-bid changes require affected-party agreement or another lawful basis.

A waiver in one case is not a general waiver. If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions apply to the extent the agreement can lawfully continue. No provision authorizes recovery greater than applicable law permits.

"Business day" means Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. Other stated days are calendar days. Counting begins on the day after the triggering event unless an exact deadline is stated. Routine communications use the account contact details and auction email address; participants must keep them current. Contact VRFCA promptly if an expected invoice, confirmation or reply is missing.

22. Additional terms for future consignments

Sections 22–26 become applicable to a third-party Seller only when VRFCA has expressly accepted its consignment under a signed agreement for an eligible event. Required registrations, bonding, fund-handling arrangements and payment rules must be addressed before third-party commission sales begin. A separate payment-processor account or these Terms alone do not satisfy those requirements.

Consignors must be Virginia-owned and Virginia-operated farms or ranches using regenerative agricultural practices acceptable to VRFCA. Relevant practices may include managed rotational grazing and pasture rest, maintaining soil cover, integrating livestock into pasture improvement, and responsible soil and water management. Selection is based on the application and supporting information; participation is not an independent environmental certification. Priority may be given to South Poll producers, but other livestock breeds are eligible.

VRFCA retains approval authority over consignors and lots. Sellers submit the required application and animal records; they may not create or alter their own listings. Required records may include breeding soundness and trichomoniasis results, veterinary examinations, pregnancy records, registration information and other event-specific eligibility materials. Applicable documentation and testing deadlines must be supplied with the consignment requirements before acceptance.

23. Consignor duties, withdrawals and custody

The consignor warrants the accuracy and completeness of submitted information, permission to use supplied media, lawful selling authority, and disclosure of liens and retained interests. It must promptly correct inaccuracies, disclose material changes and cooperate in resolving legitimate claims. VRFCA's preparation of a listing does not transfer these duties to VRFCA.

Animals remain in the consignor's custody. Neither VRFCA nor 1Tribe Farm undertakes to house, feed or care for third-party consigned animals. The consignor must coordinate lawful transfer with the Buyer and provide the care and records required under these Terms.

Ordinary withdrawal requests must reach VRFCA no later than 14 calendar days before the auction catalog opens for public viewing, not 14 days before bidding opens. A preview commonly precedes bidding, so the announced catalog-publication date controls. An accepted withdrawal does not automatically waive earned listing charges or an applicable no-sale fee.

Report an animal's death, health problem, Seller emergency or other exceptional circumstance immediately, even after the ordinary withdrawal deadline. VRFCA will consider necessary withdrawal and any fee relief individually. Nothing requires offering or transporting an unfit animal, concealing a health issue, or delaying a legally required health action.

24. Consignor charges and settlement

The listing charge is $25 per head for an accepted consignment. The seller commission is 5% of the final winning bid per sold lot, not 5% per animal and not a percentage of buyer fees or transport charges. The listing charge is separate from the seller commission. Charges already paid must be credited and not collected twice. The signed consignment agreement will state when listing charges become due and when any refund or waiver is available.

A $250 no-sale fee per lot, in addition to any earned listing charge, applies when an accepted lot closes without meeting its reserve, the Seller withdraws it, or it is rejected for animal-health reasons, unless VRFCA expressly waives the charge. Only one such fee applies to the same no-sale event; a five-animal lot does not incur five no-sale fees. The charge remains subject to applicable law and any required approved fee schedule. A 5% selling commission is not charged on a lot that never results in a completed, paid sale.

Buyer nonpayment does not create a $250 no-sale charge for the Seller. It also does not automatically create a $250 recoverable loss against the Buyer. Actual losses and authorized charges are addressed under Section 12. No listing or marketing effort guarantees that an animal will sell or that a bidder will perform, subject to any payment responsibility imposed by law.

The 3% buyer fee is charged above the winning bid and is separate from the 5% seller commission. The settlement statement must show the winning amount, buyer fee received, commissions, other authorized deductions, prior payments and net proceeds. It must not deduct the buyer fee a second time from the winning bid. For example, a $10,000 winning bid produces a $300 buyer fee and a $500 seller commission; the Seller's proceeds are $9,500 before an unpaid listing charge or other authorized deductions.

VRFCA will collect, hold, account for and disburse third-party sale proceeds using the arrangements required by applicable law and the signed consignment agreement. Any mandatory custodial-account or prompt-remittance requirement controls over an instruction to wait indefinitely for all money to clear. Required payments may not be delayed merely because another invoice or unrelated transaction remains outstanding. Buyer payment problems must be communicated promptly to the affected consignor.

25. Consignor breach and participation sanctions

A Seller that lacks authority to sell must provide the required full refund and corrective relief. VRFCA may treat the consignment as a no-sale, charge the otherwise applicable lawful no-sale fee, and exclude the Seller for at least five years. This does not place the burden of proving lawful title on the Buyer.

An established unjustified failure to deliver an animal, honor a guarantee or provide an agreed remedy may result in a required refund, the applicable lawful no-sale fee, recovery of proven losses and permanent exclusion from future auctions. These consequences do not create an automatic 15% dishonor charge. An honest dispute that remains unresolved is not automatically a substantiated breach.

VRFCA and the injured party retain legal remedies available for the actual conduct and proven losses. A breach is not automatically defamation, and this section does not restrict truthful statements, legitimate complaints or reports to authorities. Refunds, credits, no-sale charges and damages must be accounted for without duplicate recovery.

26. Consignor media and auction marketing

By accepting a consignment, the Seller grants VRFCA permission to use its supplied animal photographs, videos, descriptions, farm name and approved public listing information to prepare and promote that auction. Permitted channels include the auction website, social media, lot spotlights, email and newsletters. The Seller represents that it has the necessary rights and permissions. Banking, tax, private contact or other sensitive application information is not included in this marketing permission merely because it was submitted.

During the period from approval of the consignment through the relevant auction's bidding close, marketing of the consigned animals is controlled by VRFCA. Unless VRFCA gives written permission, the Seller may state that it is participating and link to the general auction site, but may not publish separate promotions identifying its consigned animals, disclose its lot-specific listing details for promotional purposes, or link directly to its lots. This restriction does not prevent required disclosures, private transaction communications, recordkeeping, legal advice or regulatory reporting.

This is a limited marketing license and coordination restriction, not a transfer of ownership of the Seller's animals, farm facts, photographs or other underlying rights. After bidding closes, the Seller may again use its own information and materials. VRFCA may retain transaction records and keep already-published auction materials in a historical archive, but new promotional use for another event requires separate permission. The parties should agree separately to removal of existing public posts where needed.

Optional paid spotlight or advertising services require a separately accepted quote specifying the service and fee. No optional promotional charge is imposed solely because the Seller submits a consignment.