Good Cattle, Great Customers: Riverton Livestock Auction sells quality Cowboy State cattle
Since the 1940s, Riverton Livestock Auction has been providing a platform for cattlemen from Fremont County and beyond to buy and sell some of the highest-quality livestock the Mountain West has to offer.
History of the auction
Riverton Livestock Auction has been operating at its present location near the Fremont County Fairgrounds for almost 80 years.
The original sale barn and corrals were constructed by Marion Petsch in 1947. In the several decades since, the auction has undergone several changes in ownership and weathered three different fires. The current facilities were constructed in 1969.
Throughout the decades, Riverton Livestock Auction’s commitment to delivering quality livestock marketing services has remained steadfast.
In 2005, Riverton Livestock Auction was purchased by Winter Livestock – a multi-state livestock auction company with sale barns in Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Jeff Brown, general manager of Riverton Livestock Auction, has spent the last 20 years in the business of marketing quality cattle and building relationships.
He’s seen plenty of changes over the years, but says the caliber of customers and quality of livestock frequenting Riverton Livestock Auction has remained unchanged.
Quality livestock
In its early years, Riverton Livestock Auction regularly held cattle, sheep, hog and horse sales. Today, Riverton Livestock is primarily a cattle auction. Several local seedstock producers also hold their annual sales there.
Cattle sales at Riverton Livestock Auction are held weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays. Sheep, goat and horse sales also take place once a month throughout the fall – the sale barn’s busiest season of the year.
Calves and yearlings sell on Tuesdays, and cows are sold on Fridays. According to Jeff, busy sales usually see between 4,000 to 6,000 head of calves pass through the ring, while lighter sales bring anywhere from 3,500 to 5,000 head.
“This is big Angus country,” Jeff says of Fremont County. “We have great customers who are all running a really great class of cattle, so it’s fun to market them.”
No matter the size of the sale, the days are always full of action, with work starting before dawn and lasting past dark. Jeff says the long hours are worth the effort, aided by great help and a good class of cattle.
Trustworthy team
According to Jeff, a team of five full-time and roughly 25 part-time employees are instrumental in keeping everything running smoothly. Like Jeff, several members of the crew are long-time employees who grew up around the sale barn and are therefore familiar with the auction’s layout, customers, livestock and expectations.
“We’re fortunate to have the crew we do,” Jeff says. “Cattle are easy to understand, but the crew here understands intangibles which otherwise would be near impossible to have to explain to a new crew every time.”
From clerks and cooks to alley help and auctioneers, Jeff notes having a trustworthy network of people in several different positions is key to maintaining a smooth-running, reputable operation.
“It’s a total team effort here,” Jeff emphasizes. “Our crew cares about cattle, and they care about people. They really understand the relationship side of business.”
Relationship business
For Jeff, building relationships with people is the best part of working in the cattle business. Marketing quality livestock is an added bonus.
“The cattle business is a relationship business,” Jeff says. “The biggest asset we have here is the people. The fact they run good cattle is just a bonus.”
Clientele come from several states including Idaho, Utah, Nebraska and Montana, but Jeff emphasizes most of Riverton Livestock Auction’s regular business is from long-time customers whose ranching roots run deep in Wyoming.
“Our people are real ranch and country folk who feel the same way about relationships as I do,” Jeff continues. “It means something to people here.”
In an industry marked by variables – especially fluctuating markets and unpredictable weather conditions – forging reliable relationships is essential. Resiliency also helps.
“Challenges in this industry are not new, so for the people who run cattle here it’s just another day,” Jeff says. “They can take about anything.”
In terms of the future, Jeff is hopeful for the next generation of cattle ranchers in Fremont County.
“We have a few younger producers here – some really good ones who belong in the business,” he states. “They’re good cattlemen and cattlewomen. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t like to see more, but I’m very grateful for the ones we do have.”
“The great part about this business is a lot of things don’t change,” Jeff adds. “Good cattle are still good cattle. Good people are still good people.”
Riverton Livestock Auction is ready for a busy fall season of marketing quality cattle in the face of record-high prices.
Riverton Livestock Auction is located at 1490 S 8th St. E, Riverton, WY 82501. For more information and to view upcoming sales, visit winterlivestock.com/riverton-consignments or call 307-856-2209.
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
