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.
The cattle market is experiencing exceptional momentum, with Ben Hale noting, “Feeder steers, four to eight higher. Again, steer calves, higher. Feeder heifers, higher. I mean, just keeps climbing.” At the Oklahoma National Stockyards, around 4,500 head were moved—up from 4,000 the previous year—underscoring increased demand and activity. “Lots of activity, lots of demand,” Hale said, emphasizing that buyers are “just stepping all over themselves, wanting in.”
A key factor behind the strong demand is the scarcity of specific cattle types. Hale pointed out, “There’s just not many true long yearlings left. There’s a lot of 60 and 90-day weaned. But not true long year ones.” This has feedlots eager to secure heavier weights, particularly 10-weight cattle fetching impressive prices. “You get these 10-weight cattle, right at three bucks or a little over, lots of money on cattle like that, for sure,” he explained.
Compared to last fall, prices have jumped significantly. Hale illustrated this with a striking example: “We had… 580 weight heifers kind of bring 242–250 in the fall, they bring in 350 right now, seven, you know, seven, eight months later.” He emphasized the cumulative nature of these increases, saying, “When you go up four or five dollars every week… when you see it in black and white, it just kind of makes it… all more apparent.”
Unweaned calves also made an appearance at the stockyards this week, which Hale said is expected for this season: “About normal for them fall-born calves. You know, we usually see them starting to see them in June, and then ramp up through July.” He mentioned seeing “two or three deals yesterday that were fall-born calves” coming off cows directly.
Looking ahead, Hale previewed several active sales coming up, including Waurika and Comanche, with a strong offering of “several cows” and “graze and pairs,” plus a noteworthy upcoming dispersal. “We’re going to have about 90 fall covers at Waurika in about two weeks,” Hale shared, adding, “If somebody’s wanting some good cows out of Gardner genetics, they’ll want to be there.” With summer heat bearing down, he assured, “We’ve got lots of sprinklers and shades running trying to keep them cattle cool and the people to take care of them.”
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333. Check out more about the marketing options that Western offers by clicking here.
