Central Livestock Holds Final Auction

Have you ever been to an auction?

Auctions are held to sell things. Buyers like auction sales because they usually get better prices than private treaty buys. Sellers like auctions because everything is fair and it’s easy.

Any auction is an exciting, happening place to be, but livestock auctions are one of the more highenergy events that can be held. Watching the friendly animals come ambling through and stand close to people, waiting to be petted, is one of my favorite parts of livestock auctions. You never know what you might find at livestock auction barns: Once, my husband had to just about drag me away from newborn baby lambs at one such auction. (He said no, and I guess I couldn’t blame him too much: It was late December).

Valley City is located between Jamestown’s livestock auction and Fargo’s auction barn. But that will change with the passing of November 25th.

Central Livestock in Fargo holds auctions every Wednesday, but the auction coming this week will be its last. Kelly Klein, manager for the past three years at Central and an auctioneer for the previous sixteen, says “Yep, this will be the last auction. It’ll be a good one, with around 75 bred cows and heifers, beginning at noon. We have 30 fancy red and red baldy heifers coming in on Wednesday.” There will also be some feeder calves and weigh-up cows (which are usually open).

Central Livestock is sitting on nearly 82 acres of prime land in the industrial part of Fargo, and it is listed at 2.375 million dollars. While there is an interested party, nothing is set in stone yet. What Central Livestock is sure of, though, is that the property will be torn down. All of the pens, facilities, and all of the livestock handling setup. Central Livestock was my favorite to drop off animals at, because it was a breeze to drive the trailer through the drop-off location, close a few gates, and presto! The critters were in the care of the sale barn, no backing up needed.

The property can hold an astonishing 6,700 head of cattle, 1,900 hogs, and 2,000 sheep. That’s an impressive volume of livestock, and at a sale in 1985, that capacity was nearly reached, with 6,475 cattle sold. Before it became Central Livestock in 1988, it was called ‘Union Stockyards.’ 1935 was Union’s first livestock sale. This year makes 85 years of auction sales held every Wednesday.

Progress isn’t always happy-go-lucky and simple. I won’t be able to drive past the turn for Central Livestock without thinking of the ‘auction dates’ my husband and I would go on. Little auction cafes make the best homecooked food and a perfect date atmosphere. Whatever Central Livestock becomes, it will be in the name of progress, although the Fargo auction barn will be greatly missed.