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 says the market is doing very well right now. When asked if the market was higher, he stated, “Yes, it is.” “The Weather is nicer, and we had about 5,500 head compared to 6,800 a year ago.” Despite typical seasonal trends that might suggest a fall dip, he noted the market continues to surprise producers. “You think, well, here it goes. And then you have a week like this week—it just comes rallying back.” Hale emphasized how unpredictable the current cattle market has been, calling it “uncharted territories” and noting, “I try to make notes every week. I know at some point in time, in the future, I’m going to want to come back and look at this.” Noting that this is an unprecedented time.
Hale described the recent volatility that’s keeping producers on edge. “We’re setting these new highs on this board, but yet you may be down three or four dollars in the morning and back up two or three and back down,” he said. “It’s yo-yoing a lot. And I think it’s just making people second-guess a lot.” He reflected on decades of watching the markets and said he couldn’t recall “week after week seeing these type of swings.” He noted, “Ten to twenty higher steers, steer and heifer calves twenty to thirty higher.” Even with the ups and downs, Hale stressed that when the market dips, it tends to “turn around and set a new high.”
When asked about overall market sentiment, Hale said the tone among sellers was upbeat. “There weren’t any holes in the market that I could tell yesterday,” he said. “It just stayed good and just got better all along.” He also observed renewed activity from feeder orders, explaining, “Some feeder orders I don’t think had been in play—you could sure tell were in play yesterday.” The quality of cattle moving through the market was strong across the board, with Hale saying, “Pretty good sprinkle in the feeder steers and heifers yesterday. And pretty good kind, all in all, but it sure looked like some guys decided, hey, we need to get some inventory.”
Looking ahead, Hale shared expectations for Western Livestock’s upcoming sales. “We’ll have 2,200 to 2,400 at Waurika today,” he said, noting a strong showing of feeder cattle but “not as many cows as we had last week.” He added, “We’ve got several nice bred cows in Woodward today—good black cows, medium bred to heavy bred—and then should have another good run at Woodward on Thursday.”
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333. Check out more about the marketing options that Western offers by clicking here.
