Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is back talking about the 2025 Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City with the Executive Vice President of the show, Bray Haven.
The Cattlemen’s Congress began as a replacement show when COVID restrictions caused the cancellation of the National Western Stock Show in 2021. It has quickly become a cornerstone of the beef cattle industry and North America’s largest breeding beef cattle show. The fifth annual event is slated for January 4 – 11, 2025 at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City.
Haven expressed excitement about the progress being made on the new coliseum at the fairgrounds and looks forward to seeing the reactions of Cattlemen’s Congress attendees when they see it.
“It is really exciting to see what is going on here in Oklahoma City,” he said. “Oklahomans have seen the transformation of Oklahoma City, and it is continuing right here on the fairgrounds. It will be exciting when we get to move into it next year, but the 2025 Cattlemen’s Congress is upon us, and we are excited to welcome people back to Oklahoma City!”
Numbers indicate that this year’s event has grown once again – both in show entries of all breeds and in cattle consigned to the multiple sales held during the event.
“We are getting a lot of those sale catalogs in, and they are getting up on our website,” Bray said. “There are lots of outstanding bulls and females, lots of live lots, and then a lot of genetic opportunities through embryos and semen, as well. I think the sales are going to be really strong this year which has made Cattlemen’s Congress stand out.”
The Commercial Female Sale is a new addition this year and features more than 500 head of bred females, pairs, and some open animals, too. It will be held on the afternoon of Thursday, January 9. A free luncheon will be served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during the National Hereford Pen Show, and the new Commercial Female Sale will follow it at 1 p.m. in the Super Barn Sale Arena. The afternoon will wrap up with the Cattlemen’s Congress Female Sale Awards & Social at 3:30 pm.
The animals will be shown and sold via video to save consigners on freight costs. “We are going to offer some awards to the consigners of the high-selling lots,” Haven said. “There is a lot of history for cattlemen here in the state of Oklahoma. We have a lot of legacy ranches and people who raise high-quality commercial cattle, and we are just trying to give them a platform to market some of their cattle and interact with this great event that we have here.”
The event schedule is jam-packed with three to four breeds showing daily along with sales on nearly every day of the show. “From the first show, we have condensed our days back to make sure we are maximizing, not only the use of the facility but also people’s experience here,” Haven explained. “If you come to Cattlemen’s Congress, there is something for you to see all day long.”
Tradeshow space is sold out and will include new products, technology, clothing, and all of the other expected wares. “Come experience the whole gamut of things at Cattlemen’s Congress, from the show to the sales to the tradeshow,” Haven compelled. “There is something to do all day long and if you are visiting for a day or a weekend, I promise that you won’t be disappointed in what you will find.”
Cattle from over forty states will be on display at Cattlemen’s Congress, and they aren’t only show cattle. Haven said, “I think people in the industry tend to separate show cattle from commercial cattle, but some of these breeds are improving genetics for everybody. It’s not just phenotype for the show ring, but cattle that work in the pasture, too. These people are developing genetics that will improve your herd, so I hope that you will come to Cattlemen’s Congress with an open mind and see what all these folks have done to improve their breeds.”
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 at the top of the story for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
