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 reported that the final September auction at the Oklahoma National Stockyards saw about 4,800 head, compared to 5,800 a year ago. “They called it a little softer on the feeder steers and heifers, steady to three lower,” Hale said, noting that one strong load of black steers sold well but overall softness was likely tied to weather and the October transition period.
He emphasized the importance of weaning and vaccinations at this time of year. “In the 575 weight steers, weaned and unweaned, there’s about $40 to $50 a hundred difference,” Hale explained. “On the heifer side of it, on them four weights, kind of a $30, $40 a hundred. So there is a spread in them.” He added that despite the costs, “these guys are still dollar and outweigh more than they ever have.”
Buyers remain cautious when cattle are unweaned or unworked. “We do get into this time of year and a lot of them are unweaned and still bulls,” Hale said. “Some of them guys get kind of hesitant on bidding when they know it’s going to be tough keeping them alive.” He stressed that buyers “would love to have them worked” and that vaccinations “would sure help them.”
Hale also gave a breakdown of this week’s offering. “We had a pretty big push this week in the 675 weight range on the heifers we had, like 270 in there, and the rest of them pretty light,” he said. “On the steer side it was lighter on the feeder steers this week too, but still having more steers than we got heifers.”
Looking ahead, Hale expects lighter runs until conditions change. “I think it’s going to be kind of a little bit quiet maybe until we get a frost or something,” he said. Wheat planting is underway, but he cautioned, “We’re going to need another rain, so hopefully we can get one the first half of October and get a lot of wheat pasture out.”
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333. Check out more about the marketing options that Western offers by clicking here.
