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. Today, KC Sheperd visits with Hale.
Hale said the cattle market found a much more positive tone this week despite hot, dry conditions across much of the Southern Plains. Western Livestock marketed about 2,600 head during its regular sale and special Angus sale in Oklahoma City. “Compared to last Monday, we were better on all classes of cattle,” Hale said. “This week seemed to be a lot more optimism, had more friendly tone to the board, and the guys are kind of tacking those calves, wanting to turn some out.” He added that buyers continue looking for inventory because “this time of year you always think, well, there’s not going to be many of them this fall.”
Hale said the summer heat has not changed the mindset of experienced cattle buyers. “People are kind of operating like they do every year,” he said. “You’ve got some guys that are pretty aggressive, wanting to buy some calves because you know it’s kind of hard straightening them out in this heat and humidity.” Rather than backing away from the market, Hale said regular buyers are staying active. “I think the guys that do it all the time are just staying their course… buying and getting some inventory along as they go every week and every day at the sale.”
The special Angus sale featured fewer cattle than the annual December event, but Hale said quality more than made up for quantity. “There just wasn’t a lot of them but there was some really good quality there,” he said. Hale believes many of the top-selling heifers were purchased as replacements. “Some of those heifers you could tell probably went back to the country for what they brought. I would assume somebody’s probably going to make cows out of them.” He added, “The lighter calves were quite a bit higher than a week ago, and the bigger yearling steers were sure higher, but the quality was extremely good.”
While some analysts question whether herd rebuilding has begun, Hale said he’s already seeing evidence of expansion. “I think we are doing some rebuilding,” he said. “This is the first year… we’ve bought several heifers for guys to breed… and it’s the first time we’ve done it since ’15.” Hale also hopes a wetter weather pattern develops this fall. “We’re hoping for that El Niño,” he said. “We’re getting wheat ground ready personally right now… and we’re praying that we do get that El Niño. We’re hoping we get that water this fall… and get an abundance of wheat grazing that we hadn’t had in quite a while.” Looking ahead, he expects sale volumes to remain fairly steady until after Labor Day, when “the runs will start picking back up like they traditionally do.”
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333. Check out more about the marketing options that Western offers by clicking here.
