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Listen To Ron Hays And Ben Hale<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Ben Hale from Western Livestock noted strong activity at the Oklahoma National Stockyards this week, despite buyers being a bit choosy. \u201cWe wound up 6000, you know, with close to 4000 a year ago,\u201d Hale said, adding that \u201ca lot of it was the quality cattle.\u201d He emphasized that prices jumped \u201cfrom, you know, 10 to 20 higher\u201d in just a week. Hale highlighted one impressive offering: \u201c580 yearlings off one deal, predominantly all black hide it\u2026 they look like they come out of the same cow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prices were notably strong for heavier cattle. \u201cSome of those 777-pound steers bring 350, some 860 threes at 335, and, you know, some 927 at 325, and the 1000 pounders at 305,\u201d he detailed. Hale made it clear that \u201cthe better kind of cattle, I don\u2019t know, it was any cheaper\u2014maybe even a little bit better.\u201d However, he noted that \u201cplainer type cattle, or cattle carrying a little more flesh, might have been steady to a little softer,\u201d though overall, \u201cit was an awful snappy market yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Discussing current grazing conditions, Hale was optimistic. \u201cPeople are\u2026 wanting to try to, you know, use the grass and potentially maybe some wheat down a few weeks down the road.\u201d He acknowledged some variability, noting \u201cNorth Texas didn\u2019t get much rain,\u201d but emphasized that \u201cthe big part of west northwest Oklahoma\u2019s got good rains\u2026 people in awful good shape.\u201d This favorable environment is fueling demand, especially with light calves: \u201cThere\u2019s still not a lot of them moving\u2026 they\u2019re getting softer and shorter, weaned or unweaned as you go.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the pricing front, Hale expressed amazement at the current market. \u201cWe had a customer who yesterday sent some steers that weighed 601, weighed 684, and those cattle bring 390 and 395,\u201d he shared. \u201cThose cattle are a dollar per- and weigh way well over 2500, it\u2019s just amazing what they\u2019re doing.\u201d With such high prices, Hale stressed the importance of financial planning: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be better friends with your banker than ever before when you get them bought, now that interest starts ticking off pretty quick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hale also highlighted the strength of the bred cow and pair market, saying, \u201cWe had those cows last week in Comanche bring 4500, those heavy bred falls.\u201d He emphasized opportunities in the market with \u201cseveral of them at Warrica today and Woodward last Tuesday.\u201d With high prices and tools like LRP (Livestock Risk Protection), Hale advised, \u201cIt\u2019s a good opportunity to protect yourself.\u201d <\/p>\n