On Tuesdays, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays visits with Ben Hale of Western Livestock Auctions as he talks about the latest in the markets and more. Established in 1995, Western has grown into a multi-generational family-owned and operated business and stands as a symbol of tradition, excellence, and a deep-rooted passion for the cattle industry. Western Livestock Auctions operates the Western Livestock Commission Firm, which sells cattle on Mondays and Tuesdays. They also operate the livestock auction markets in Woodward, Comanche, Waurika, and Knoxville, Iowa.
Despite a lower market at Oklahoma National Stockyards this week, Hale says demand for cattle remains solid as buyers continue searching for limited supplies. Hale said the market softened after an extended period of higher prices but held up better than expected.
“We’ve had a good year, year and a half… talking about it going up every day,” Hale said. “Right when it gets the hottest, it did settle back.” While prices declined following weakness in the futures market, Hale noted, “From the commission side of it… it was better than I was anticipating it to be.” He added that demand remained active throughout the sale. “Once you set those cattle in, they would kind of bid to them,” he said. “There was a lot of demand on those light cattle.” Hale said one buyer from Kansas summed up the current situation by telling him, “I’m just glad to see some calves. We’re just not seeing anything.”
Hale believes the biggest challenge facing the market continues to be the limited supply of available cattle. “I think they’re wanting some,” he said of buyers looking to refill inventories after marketing finished cattle. “There’s plenty of grass around a lot of areas that you can turn them out on… still a lot of optimism.” He added that feeder cattle remain difficult to locate. “You go to buy three or four loads of feeders somewhere, they’re hard to find.” Hale also pointed to cattle already being committed in grazing regions, saying, “A lot of those cattle are probably already captive and/or already sold.”
As Oklahoma enters another stretch of triple-digit temperatures, Hale said Western Livestock’s auction facilities are taking extra steps to protect livestock during sale days. The company expects around 1,500 head at Waurika, roughly 300 cows at Woodward, and 800 to 900 head at Comanche this week. “Just trying to get through the heat and take care of the cattle,” Hale said. “We’ve got lots of shades up and different stuff, and then all the other barns we’ve got lots of sprinklers up, so we can keep them comfortable and then get them on the truck. Once you get the air moving through them, they’re all right.”
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333. Check out more about the marketing options that Western offers by clicking here.
