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 said the market at the Oklahoma National Stockyards was lower Monday, but held up better than expected following last week's sharp drop in cattle futures. Hale said the market was especially difficult for shorter-weaned yearlings, while longer-yearling cattle continued to sell well. “When the real long yearlings came in, we got along extremely well,” Hale said. However, 60- to 90-day weaned yearlings were “sure sharply lower than a week ago,” as buyers discounted them amid concerns about sickness and changing weather conditions.
Hale said the recent weather changes have added to buyer caution, particularly with calves and shorter-weaned cattle moving into feedyards. “A 60-day weaned calf or a 45-day or 70-day looks great at home. But when you move him and stress him and then put him in the feedyard and that kind of stuff, he can change,” Hale said. Those concerns also spilled over into the calf market, despite improved moisture conditions and plenty of wheat pasture available. Buyers are looking ahead to March and May when evaluating potential returns, and Hale said there is not much margin to work with. “They want a long hard yearling, and there's just, you know, we've had three months of low placements, and it showed yesterday.”
The sharp market decline also caused some producers to hold cattle back rather than bring them to market. Hale said Western Livestock ended up with approximately 4,800 head after some producers decided to wait and see what happened. Despite the recent setback, he remains optimistic about the fundamentals supporting cattle prices. “We're going to have lots of wheat, going to have lots of grazing, going to spread these calves out tighter numbers,” Hale said. He added that cattle numbers remain tight overall and expects the market to eventually rebound. “You would think that the thing would have to rebound fundamentally where we're sitting, which I think we're sitting in a good spot, Ron.”
Looking ahead, Hale expects cattle markets to trade along for a while, with larger fall runs likely arriving around Thanksgiving or later. Western Livestock had sales scheduled throughout the week in Waurika, Woodward and Comanche, with another sale in Oklahoma City next Monday. Hale said some sales were delayed last week because of rain, and he expects more cattle to come to market once temperatures drop. “As soon as it freezes, we will see some numbers. How long they last, I don't know. But I do believe we got some big sales ahead of us this year.”
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333. Check out more about the marketing options that Western offers by clicking here.
