For nearly 15 years, Blake Nuffer has operated the Montana Livestock Auction (MLA) near Ramsay, MT. In addition to his time serving western Montana producers by establishing price discovery at MLA, Blake also has experience in the video marketing sector as a past Superior Livestock Auction representative.
“Coming out of the video portion of the industry I had the opportunity to buy MLA, and so I did,” Blake told WLJ.“I have a great team here that helps me, and I just couldn’t have it any better, that’s for sure.”
As a regional manager for Superior, Blake worked extensively with helping producers market their calves. Now, as a seasoned auction market owner, Blake sees the value of a relationship between video auctions and auction markets, and the opportunity both lend producers.
“They go hand in hand,” Blake said. “We’re all in it together.”
Blake is a strong proponent of regional auction markets and says they play a role in not just the local community, but the region, helping to drive the market and true price discovery. Educating more people about true price discovery isn’t just better for producers, but for the industry as a whole, he said.
“I think that something that everybody needs to remember is that we as livestock markets in Montana and in the United States are right there with the ranchers,” Blake said. “They make money, we make money. We’re all in the same boat.”
It’s not only a mutually beneficial relationship, but one that MLA loves to kindle and grow. “We love to support the local communities and the youth groups,” Blake said. “And I’m a big-time supporter of scholarships to those youth in agriculture.”
MLA
MLA holds sales every week, and multiple sales a week during the fall. The feeder cattle sale season is kicked off in September by the Cream of the Crop I sale, followed by the Cream of the Crop II sale. From October through the rest of the year, MLA holds special feeder cattle sales on Fridays and regular and special stock cow sales on Tuesdays. In addition, the sale barn also hosts several seedstock sales throughout the year.
Blake emphasized MLA’s willingness to help their customers market their livestock in any way possible, even if it means adding a new sale. “We pretty well will bend over backwards to get it done,” he said.
Blake said the location of MLA is prime for buyers and sellers not just in Montana, but in neighboring states and Canada. The market draws cattle from the Canadian border all the way south to Utah and Idaho, thanks to the centrally located Interstate 15, giving “a great value for players.”
With the new True West beef packing plant being built in Twin Falls, ID, Blake projects even more buyers coming up to purchase genetics in western Montana.
Adding value
To add value to a calf crop, Blake stressed the importance of preparing calves as much as possible to be loaded onto a truck and shipped a thousand miles away. This includes administering vaccinations, implementing a good mineral program, deworming and having a proper weaning program in place.
“If you’re going to wean a calf, wean them for 45 days,” he said. “There’s no 30-day weans around the country—that is not a weaned calf. Forty to 45 days is a weaned calf.”
In addition, to reap the full benefits of consigning at an auction market, Blake recommends consigning cattle early and getting info to the barn two to three weeks in advance so the cattle can be promoted. At MLA, a consignment list is posted to the market’s website, which buyers appreciate and utilize, Blake said.
Market predictions
Blake said historically, the last couple of weeks in October tend to take a dip in the market. Markets already seem to have adjusted back though, with buyer demand fantastic at the most recent sale. He predicts the feeder cattle market is going to stay fairly steady throughout the rest of the year, along with the cull cow market, with some slight fluctuations. Blake projects that as cow numbers get shorter, the market may climb higher into December.
Coming up in late November, MLA will be hosting a stock cow sale, offering more than 1,000 bred cows. In October, demand was solid for females, with younger cows and pairs selling around the $3,000 mark, and middle-aged and younger cows selling at $2,500-2,700, he said.
Although Montana received a lot of moisture last year, he doesn’t see the drought being over quite yet and thinks producers are going to remain cautious as they move into spring and summer. However, with hay abundant and the price point decent, Blake does expect producers to step out and take a few more risks, perhaps beginning to rebuild the cow herd in 2024.
“We’re dealing with historic low numbers and I truly believe we have the opportunity to keep this market awfully good for the next two, three years,” he said. He noted, however, “I don’t think the rebuilding of this cow herd is going to go as fast as we all maybe thought it was going to.”
He continued that some producers may need a chance to play catch up for a year or 18 months, which will slow herd rebuilding a bit. “There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. “Let those producers come back and be solid for their opportunity to grow that herd. Let’s come back so that we can continue for generations to come.”
Blake is optimistic about the future of the industry and expects the next few years to be positive. He stressed that a year from now, we could be living in a new America and enjoying some very good times for a while, and he is excited to see what happens, and hoping for the best.
“We’re all in this together and let’s stay in it together,” Blake finished. “No pointing of the fingers—go forward and enjoy the life that we have been blessed to have.” — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
