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.
Even with threats of severe weather yesterday, the Oklahoma City National Stockyards experienced better than usual numbers as of late – 9,500 compared to 6,750 a year ago; however, prices were lower than normal, which Hale called $4 to $6 softer.
He noted that the cattle, overall, were of lesser quality than normal, and although lower than the past few weeks, prices were still strong.
“Where we’re at, everybody has a lot of water and a lot of grazing, so far,” Hale said. “If you look out there for the next two weeks, it’s going to cool back off a little bit, so I think everybody is feeling pretty optimistic. You don’t have to sell if you don’t want to.”
The sale in Waurika will run 2,500 today, including four or five hundred cows and numerous yearlings. Hale expects another good run at Comanche on Wednesday, and five hundred head are already consigned for the Woodward auction on Thursday.
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333. Check out more about the marketing options that Western offers by clicking here.
