As a proven world champion auctioneer, Max Olvera serves the West by selling thousands of cattle on a regular basis and creating price discovery for producers.
Max grew up knowing at the age of 7 that he wanted to be an auctioneer after attending an auction with his grandfather in his hometown of Turlock, CA.
“When you wake up every morning and you can’t think of anything except selling cattle, being in the marketing business and being a bid caller, well then, you’re supposed to be an auctioneer,” Max told WLJ.
Today, Max is the owner and auctioneer of Turlock Livestock Auction Yard (TLAY) and an auctioneer for Western Video Market (WVM).
WVM recently hosted their Reno video sale in mid-July, a sale that Max simply described as “extraordinary.” The sale marketed over 140,000 head of cattle to a wide variety of producers across the western U.S., and demand was red hot.
“I’m very happy for our cattle producers because they’ve needed a raise for a long time and they got one,” Max said. “When you look at what we did over those three days, and marketed as many cattle as we did, from a lightweight calf to a heavy yearling, it just feels good.”
Max emphasized the number of program cattle that were sold, and his encouragement for producers to look into value-added programs to elevate their cattle to another level. Whether it be non-hormone treated cattle (NHTC), Global Animal Partnership (GAP) or something else, Max recommended producers explore whether value-added programs can be incorporated into their marketing programs.
Max noted, “I thought the non-program cattle—which were good, honest cattle with great vaccination programs and great genetics—sold very well,” but reiterated that program cattle were more likely to see higher premiums throughout the three-day sale.
“I would tell anybody it is darn sure worth you taking a look at if it fits your program and take it to the next level if you can,” he said.
Max acknowledged there is no way to tell how long the market will remain at its current level, but it is what it is right now, and the industry is going to enjoy it. However, “History has told us that we do go up and down and the market does fluctuate. So even in the tougher times, if you’re on these programs and you’ve got the right vaccination program and you’re using the top genetics that are available to you, you can maybe make it a little easier,” he said.
It currently feels like the industry is in the middle of a perfect storm right now, in terms of the market and the amount of moisture received and the feed grown.
“I don’t remember seeing this like this before,” Max said. “We’ve had one or the other over the years, but to get them together like this—and when Mother Nature decided she was going to rain and stay wet throughout the winter and into the early spring—as far as I’m concerned, that saved our industry out here in the West.
“If we would’ve had another dry year, our industry, in my opinion, would have been in jeopardy,” he added.
With that, the demand and interest for bred heifers and young cows has increased over the past few months, and Max believes the fall will show great demand for bred females and pairs. Producers downsized to work their way through the drought, and with cow inventory numbers down, they are now looking to rebuild
“Our annual sale is coming up on Aug. 5 and it has an extremely high-quality lineup,” he said. “I think you’re going to see a full house of folks in there that need to buy some cows.”
The sale features more than 800 females from California cattle producers. Max shared his appreciation for producers of all sizes who consign to sales, and noted the significant contribution small producers provide.
“When you own and operate a livestock market, the small producer is the life of our business,” he said. “Our average consignment—even on a big sale—is right around 50 head on average. They are very important to what we do.”
TLAY has hosted four special feeder sales featuring consignments from producers with 50 head or less, showcasing the producers for the quality of their cattle and their health programs. “We really try to highlight and take care of the smaller producers, because I believe it’s really our business,” Max said.
He continued, “Those folks’ 20, 30 or 40 head are just as important as somebody with 1,000 head. And we realize that and recognize that.”
TLAY also hosts educational sessions for producers, offering expertise and knowledge on enhancing programs and providing marketing insights. For the most recent educational session, TLAY brought in buyers to talk to producers about what they are looking for.
“You’re hearing it from the source,” Max said. “These are the folks that are going to bid on and buy your cattle. Why would you want to hear it from anyone else but them?”
Max emphasized the importance and value of having a strong buyer base, stressing that the buyers in the seats are one of the most valuable parts of marketing. “We can have 150,000 cattle lined up, with the right programs, but if there is no one to buy them, then we are at a loss,” Max said.
It has been said before that the competitive marketing system featuring an auctioneer and live bidders was going to become a thing of the past, but Max is confident that will never be the case. “It’s the future,” he said. “People depend on us as market operators and creating that true price discovery. When our producers face problems we are the voice for them.”
Max doesn’t see the beef industry going away any time soon, and hopes young people continue to become involved and carry on for the next generation.
“I believe that people enjoy eating beef and that’s not going anywhere,” he finished. “It starts with us. We have to produce a great product and we want to market that product to the best of our ability. And it takes all of us to do it. I really hope these younger folks want to be part of it.” — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
