In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays continues his conversation with Cattlemen’s Congress Executive VP Bray Haven, who says organizers are preparing for the seventh Cattlemen’s Congress, set to begin January 3rd 2027, with an expanded board, new sales opportunities and continued efforts to grow the event for the future.
Expanded Board Brings More Industry Voices to the Table
As anticipation builds for the 2027 event, Haven says the Cattlemen’s Congress board of directors has recently expanded to include more industry representation from across the country. “Our current board decided earlier this year to expand the board of directors to get buy-in from some folks who had different backgrounds, different people from across the country that have experience with some of the other breeds, and really give them a seat at the table when we’re making some of the decisions that we make,” Haven said.
The organization now has approximately 15 board members from across the country. Haven says the expansion gives Cattlemen’s Congress additional perspectives from exhibitors and breeds that have not traditionally been represented on the board. “Gives us an ear to the industry. Gives us an ear to people who travel in here and exhibit at the show and participate within some of the other breeds that we haven’t traditionally had on the board,” Haven said. “We’re really looking forward to their input and their ideas as we continue to grow into the future.”
While the event is still relatively young, Haven says the support behind Cattlemen’s Congress has made it feel like an established part of the cattle industry. “We’re talking about the sixth and then the seventh show ever in the history of Cattlemen’s Congress. It feels like it’s been happening forever, just because of the support that we’ve had from the industry,” Haven said.
He says that support extends beyond breed associations and exhibitors to those involved throughout the seedstock and purebred cattle industries. “We’re really excited to continue to get that not necessarily financial investment, but the investment of their time and their ideas and their input on what they believe we need to continue to do to make sure Cattlemen’s Congress exists in 100 years,” Haven said.
A Show Focused on Seedstock Cattle Commerce
Cattlemen’s Congress is focused specifically on the cattle industry and creating opportunities for seedstock producers to exhibit, market, and sell cattle. “You look at some of the other types of events that happen like this. They operate around a fair, maybe a rodeo,” Haven said. “We have the opportunity to really just focus on commerce of the seedstock cattle industry, and that’s really our focus.”
Haven says the board’s discussions have centered on making sure exhibitors have opportunities to display and market their livestock. “When you give people the opportunity to exhibit, display, and then sell and market their livestock or their cattle, in this instance, then everything else falls into place,” Haven said.
That focus on commerce extends well beyond the organized sales held during Cattlemen’s Congress. “A lot of those people participate. They bring some of those cattle that they may be going to sell later in the spring at some of their sales, and so this is an opportunity for them to get them out, let them compete a little bit, and then take them back home and sell them in their bull sales or their female sales or whatever might be,” Haven said.
New Sales and More Reasons to Attend
One of the major additions for 2027 will be the relocation of a larger Angus sale from Heritage Place to the Cattlemen’s Congress sales arena. Haven says the commercial female sale featuring bred heifers and potentially some open females will also return. “We’re excited about that,” Haven said. “Matt Sims, who puts that sale on, we were visiting the other day, and he was already out trying to gather some consignments for that.”
Organizers are also looking for additional ways to attract cattle producers and visitors to the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. “We’ve got some of the different breeds looking at having free meals that come with attending their pen show and things like that,” Haven said. “Really just trying to open new doors to new folks to come on site and participate.”
Haven encourages cattle producers, including those who may not traditionally attend major purebred events, to come experience what Cattlemen’s Congress has to offer. “Those are the type of people. They come once. They want to come back,” Haven said. “They spend the day looking at cattle, trade show. It’s an event. It’s not just coming up and watching a show. There’s a lot more to it. There’s a lot going on.”
He points out that there is no admission charge or parking fee. “We’re not charging at the gate. There’s no entry fee. You don’t have to pay to park. Just find you a spot and walk in the barn, and you’re going to find something that you’ll like,” Haven said. “Whether it’s somebody that’s selling trinkets or somebody that’s got really nice cattle from an area of the country that you haven’t seen before, I think there’s something for everybody here in Oklahoma City in January during the Cattlemen’s Congress.”
More Space for Exhibitors in 2027
While the new connector project will not be complete until after the 2027 event, Haven says organizers are making some adjustments to improve the use of existing facilities. “Really, the only thing is what I mentioned in retrofitting some of that Super Barn. We’re going to move a couple of breeds of cattle into that barn,” Haven said. “That’ll give us some more flexibility. People get spread out a little bit more.”
With cattle currently occupying nearly every available space during the event, the additional flexibility is expected to improve the exhibitor experience. “If you’ve ever been on site, you’ll see we’ve got literally cattle in every nook and cranny of every barn that is here,” Haven said. “That’ll give us a little bit more space, give people opportunity to spread out.”
The organization has also added wash racks and made other improvements. However, Haven says larger changes to the event’s layout and schedule will likely come in 2028 after the connector is finished. “A lot of the big changes as far as the schedule and some of that, we’ll be looking to do in 2028 when we finish the connector and kind of get settled into the new barn,” Haven said.
Twenty-Five Breeds Expected for 2027
Cattlemen’s Congress added Wagyu cattle to the event last year, and Haven says organizers have been exploring the possibility of adding another breed in the future. “We added the Wagyu last year. We were looking at adding another breed. We hope they’ll join us in ’27. I think they may be pushing off to ’28 to come,” Haven said.
Even without another addition, Haven says the 2027 event will feature 25 breeds and dozens of shows when junior and open competitions are included. “Twenty-five solid breeds, and so we’re gonna have, you know, the lens for 35, 40 shows, even more than that if you’re considering their junior and open shows different,” Haven said. “Really set up for a really fun year, and we’re going to pack the show ring and give people an opportunity to sell some cattle.”
Ultimately, Haven says Cattlemen’s Congress is designed to connect cattle producers and create business opportunities throughout the event. “That is our number one goal at Cattlemen’s Congress, is give them that opportunity,” Haven said. “We hope that you, as a listener, as a rancher maybe here in Oklahoma, might give us an opportunity to impress you a little bit with some of the genetics that are here in Oklahoma City in January.”
Entries for the 2027 Cattlemen’s Congress open November 1, with the seventh annual event beginning January 3 in Oklahoma City.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
