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.
Hale reflected on an unusually strong week in the cattle markets. “The numbers at the Oklahoma National Stockyards this week went 7000 head—and higher, higher,” Hale remarked, comparing it to 6,200 a year ago. He noted the explosive impact of recent trade disruptions, saying, “With that third time closing the southern border and the Brazil deal, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the futures take off like they did last week.” Despite some board fluctuation, he added, “Most of the buyers are disregarding it and still bidding those feeder cattle up.”
Hale emphasized just how exceptional the price action was in local markets. “Woodward was an absolute runaway on Thursday,” he said. “It was an absolute runaway—10 to 20 higher on steers and 15 to 25 higher on heifers.” While Hale acknowledged occasional smaller price runs earlier in the spring, last week’s surge stood out. “We’ve had some five and 10 cent run but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a market move like it did last week.” He attributed part of this to tight supply: “There’s still not a lot of them around to go. I mean, they got to fight over them to get them.”
The calf trade also remained unusually firm. “Usually them soft calves will get a little cheaper this time of year, but it don’t seem to be at all,” Hale explained. “The bulls just keep staying stout.” He suggested that abundant green pasture was pushing demand higher. “For what all you got to do to them to get them ready to graze these guys are saying, ‘Hey, we got to have something to put on this green pasture.’” He added that recent profits were encouraging more movement: “The cattle they’ve sold has made money. So, you know, that’s a good combination.”
Looking ahead to market activity, Hale shared upcoming numbers from several key sale barns. “We had about 1200 today at Waurika, probably have 800 or 1000 tomorrow at Comanche, and had a little over 2500 last week at Woodward,” he reported. While this week’s run might not match those volumes, he said, “We’re gonna have pretty good run feeders I got coming.” As always, Hale encouraged producers to consider taking advantage of high prices: “I know you got a lot of green grass, but it’s also good to cash in on them too—as good as this market is.”
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333. Check out more about the marketing options that Western offers by clicking here.
