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Some livestock auction markets are seeing greatly reduced runs

Photo courtesy Callaway Livestock Auction

Some Midwestern livestock auction markets have seen greatly reduced runs since early March.

Jack Harrison, who owns the Callaway Livestock Auction in central Missouri, says their numbers over the last forty days are running about 50 percent of normal for this time of year.

“It’s kind of been a livestock market owner’s nightmare. It’s backlogged a lot of cattle,” Harrison says. “We’ve got a lot of people that need to buy grass cattle, but they’re scared to buy grass cattle right now. Guys selling their calves to go to grass, they’re scared to sell them because of the market.”

Harrison says calf prices are down about 25 percent from where they should be.

“The goal for most cow-calf operations is to try to get a thousand dollars for their calves,” he says. “Right now, a 500-pound steer, it’s hard to get 750 to 800 dollars for them. Even the big steers, the nine-weight steers, it’s hard to make them bring a thousand.”

Harrison says he hears more producers talking about calling it quits.

“Several of my big grass guys, they’re getting older, and they’re just tired of losing money.”

Callaway Livestock Auction is located at Kingdom City, Missouri.

AUDIO: Jack Harrison

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