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New protocols with livestock auctions

Apr 02, 2020

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Producers will have different experiences at livestock auctions in the wake COVID-19

By Taryn Milton

Staff Writer

Farms.com

Businesses putting new protocols in place to keep the public safe is the new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One business that has changed its operations is Northern Livestock Sales (NLS). The company has three locations: Lloydminster, Meadow Lake and Prince Albert, Sask.

“NLS has implemented many changes to the operations of cattle sales after numerous consultations with the Livestock Marketers of Saskatchewan, the Livestock Markets Association of Canada as well as partnering producer groups within the livestock industry,” said Brent Brooks, president of NLS.

Producers can expect several changes, including restriction of people in the sale ring, social distancing and pre-booking cattle for delivery.

“Any changes that have been adopted at the market level to ensure the uninterrupted movement of cattle continues have been well accepted by producers, buyers, market staff and the public,” Brooks told Farms.com.

So far, most sales at NLS can continue. The main exception is horse sales.

Producers who are interesting in viewing a sale can do so online through the Direct Livestock Marketing Systems on NLS’s website. Once they’ve signed in, producers can view the sale and bid from the comfort of their homes, said Brooks.

NLS will continue sales while adhering to provincial and federal public health orders, he said.

“In these uncertain economic times and the public health emergency, please feel free to contact any of our competent sales staff in regard to the shipment of your cattle,” said Brooks. “Be smart, show respect, practice social distancing, be safe and stay home whenever possible.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.