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- selling cattle on Mondays and Tuesdays. They also operate the livestock auction markets in Woodward, Comanche and Knoxville, Iowa.
In the second sale of 2025, the cattle market was still on fire. Numbers were nearly half of what they were a year ago, but demand continued to drive higher prices.
“It is just a snappy market,” Hale said. “It was higher again this week, and there was a lot of activity on all classes of cattle. Whether it is a four-weight steer bringing north of four dollars or a seven-weight steer almost bringing three bucks. We are just in unchartered territory right now. There is just a strong market on everything.”
Hale advised LRP protection for buyers to safeguard their investments, but there is no other option but to ride the market out to see where it goes from these historic highs.
Today, the sale in Woodward will have lots of bred heifers and Comanche is expected to have good numbers tomorrow. Another expected artic blast has him holding out to see what happens in Oklahoma City next Monday.
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333. Check out more about the marketing options that Western offers by clicking here.
