At the 2024 Superior Livestock Bellringer Sale held live in Oklahoma City last week, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, caught up with the President of Superior Livestock, Danny Jones, and talked about the year 2023 and what 2024 holds for the cattle industry and Superior.
This year’s Bellringer Sale has been a success, Jones said, and about 110,000 cattle were included in the sale. The year of 2023 was also a big success for Superior Livestock, Jones added.
“It has been the third year in a row we have had significant growth,” Jones said. “We were up 205,000 cattle in 2023. In a year that had fewer cattle to be sold, we had a nice increase.”
Superior has not only seen growth in the number of cattle sellers and buyers who are willing to utilize an online sale, but also in the value-added programs.
“The programs started as kind of a niche market, but it has turned into a bigger deal,” Jones said. “As the programs have grown, obviously you are going to go specifically after those program dollars, then you have to put them in front of an audience where all those buyers can find those cattle. At Superior Livestock, we feel like we do a good job of accomplishing that for our customers.”
Jones said the programs have been promoted to consumers by end users such as the feedlot and the packer, which helps to deliver results to the buyer and seller.
One example of a program consumers have shown interest in is the Beef Quality Assurance program.
“From the handling of vaccines to the handling and care of the cattle, it is important to everyone in the chain that it be done right,” Jones said. “It all starts at the ranch level, and we have seen ranchers respond really well. They are proud of what they do, and they want to make sure they are doing it the right way and don’t mind the recognition for what they are accomplishing.”
Jones said he believes Superior Livestock will see another year of growth in 2024.
“We recognize the value in all the different ways that cattle are marketed,” Jones said. “In fact, as an organization through National Livestock, we are involved in every facet of how cattle get marketed, and we are supportive of all those ways.”
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