Economists will tell you that markets are shaped by supply, demand and outside pressures, everything from corn prices to global trade policies. All of that is true. But there’s another force at work in the cattle industry that economists don’t chart on a graph: relationships.
When a rancher sells calves to the same buyer year after year, that’s not just economics—it’s trust. When bull customers drive hundreds of miles back to the same program, it’s not just a habit, it’s respect for how they were treated. These relationships grease the wheels of our industry in ways statistics can’t measure.
Relationships are built in simple ways. They start with honesty. They grow through consistency. They strengthen when times are tough, because that’s when people learn who you really are. And over time, they create a loyalty that no spreadsheet can explain.
The truth is, relationships often outlast market cycles. A buyer who trusts you will stick with you even when prices are down, because he knows the cattle will perform and the deal will be fair. A neighbor who has worked beside you in a drought will be there again when you’re short-handed at branding time. These bonds matter more than we sometimes admit.
That’s not to say relationships replace business sense. Cattle still have to perform. Numbers still matter. But the deciding factor, time and again, is the strength of the relationship between buyer and seller, neighbor and neighbor, family and friend.
I’ve seen buyers return to the same bull sale for decades, not just because the cattle worked, but because they enjoyed dealing with the family behind them. They remembered the phone calls returned promptly, the transparency about what a bull would or wouldn’t do, the hospitality offered when they made the trip. I’ve seen ranchers stick with a particular marketing outfit not because it was the cheapest, but because they trusted the people running it. That trust became worth more than saving a few dollars in commission.
Relationships like that don’t just shape one transaction, they shape an entire industry. They influence who we do business with, where calves are sold, which bulls are turned out, and even how neighbors treat one another when times get tough. They ripple far beyond balance sheets and sale reports, creating an undercurrent of trust that keeps the cattle business moving forward.
You could argue that the industry is changing. More cattle are sold online, more information is shared digitally, and more buyers are making decisions before they ever set foot on a ranch. But even in that environment, relationships still matter. Behind every screen and every video lot, there’s still a person making a decision based on trust. If the buyer doesn’t believe in the seller, no catalog photo or EPD chart will make up the difference.
And it works both ways. Sellers, too, have to trust their buyers. They need to know that a check will clear, that cattle will be handled responsibly, and that a good working relationship will continue after the sale. That trust is what allows handshake deals to still hold weight in a world that’s otherwise drowning in contracts and disclaimers.
This September in California’s bull sale run, relationships once again proved to be the deciding factor. Buyers weren’t just purchasing genetics; they were investing in people. Programs with long-standing connections saw loyalty rewarded, and the sales reflected the strength of those bonds. Some customers drove hours out of their circle, not because there weren’t closer options, but because they valued the honesty, hospitality and history behind the program they chose to support.
It was a reminder that while economists talk about markets in charts and graphs, the real engine behind the cattle business is still people, trust and relationships. And as the numbers from this year’s California bull sale season show, those relationships are not just sentimental; they’re profitable. The strength of the market came down to more than indexes or averages. It came down to the human and program connections that have always defined this industry and still do today.
And if you needed proof, the California bull sale run told the story better than words ever could. WLJ attended 25 bull sales in 31 days and sold 2,302 bulls to average $10,235. That’s an 18.5% increase compared to the same period and run last year. Quite a ride, to say the least. More importantly, I am so grateful for all the accounts, customers and friends I get to work alongside of. — JARED PATTERSON
