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Livestock seller says Midwest markets better than coasts, but volume down

A livestock marketer says so far, Wisconsin livestock sales have been affected less by COVID-19 than some other parts of the U.S.

Curt Larson with Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association says, “To this point, most of our normal packers have still been represented to some degree. You know, a lot of the issues have been out east and out west and, knock on wood, to this point, we haven’t been dramatically affected here in the Midwest.”

Larson tells Brownfield he thinks some producers are holding back some animals. “We’ve seen some lower volumes. I’m assuming there are some producers probably holding back, waiting for a little more stable marketplace, maybe. There’s been a lot of uncertainty about what the prices will be, who’s going to be represented.”

Larson says producers that are uncertain about whether to market their livestock should call their local market managers before loading the trucks and trailers. “These guys are in contact with the buyers daily, and especially on the feeder cattle and calf side, they know who they’ve got (for) buyers and they know what they’re looking for, so they can give people some pretty good advice day-to-day.”

Larson says producers bringing livestock in should plan on arriving early, as some of the auctions are ending sooner, with buyers leaving before late-arriving producers can unload.

Equity Livestock operates 12 auctions in Wisconsin, one in Waukon, Iowa and has collection centers in Menominee, Michigan, Ettrick, Wisconsin, and Arlington, Wisconsin.