Buffalo Livestock Marketing: Local sale barn serves Buffalo and beyond
Buffalo Livestock Marketing has been meeting the marketing needs of livestock producers from Johnson County and beyond for three decades.
Located in Buffalo at the base of the Big Horn Mountains, the auction will celebrate 30 years of operations in the fall of 2026.
Co-owners Austin and Taylor Snook have been expanding operations in partnership with Craig Deveraux for the past three years, prioritizing customer connection in building the barn’s reputation from the heart of northeastern Wyoming’s cattle country.
Barn background
The Buffalo Livestock Auction held its first sale in November 1996, and the barn was founded by Jay Godley, who managed operations for 21 years before selling to Greg and Danny Matney in 2017.
The Matneys ran the barn for five years before the Snooks, Craig and Dan Catlin assumed ownership in 2022 and rebranded as Buffalo Livestock Marketing.
Austin explains he and Taylor come from a ranching background near Devils Tower, and Craig is a long-time friend of the family. The Snook brothers have managed cattle and worked in sale barns their whole lives, and Craig has deep roots in the horse industry.
Buffalo Livestock Marketing holds biweekly cattle sales every Wednesday and Saturday, with the busiest season landing during the fall run from September through December.
Several local seedstock producers also utilize the sale’s facilities for their annual production sales.
Horse sales take place in the spring, aided by the expertise of Craig and Auctioneer Curt Westland, and special sheep sales are held whenever numbers are high enough.
Spacious yard facilities are designed with workflow in mind and can accommodate several thousand head of cattle at capacity.
The barn comfortably seats 200 people on sale day, and seats fill up fast thanks to support from the surrounding community and buyers across Wyoming.
Proximity to I-25 and I-90 make it a prime location for serving a range of customers from surrounding states like Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska as well.
“We’re kind of out there in the middle of nowhere, but at the same time, it’s kind of central,” says Austin. “The two interstates come together and make it easy for a buyer wanting to go north or east with some cattle – or any direction really.”
Austin notes the physical sale barn serves as headquarters, but Buffalo Livestock Marketing also utilizes video sales conducted through Northern Livestock Video Auction to maximize customer service and impact.
A team of field representatives also work with customers in the country, marketing several classes and species of livestock via private treaty sales.
Setting records
Record-high cattle prices swept auctions across the nation in 2025, and Buffalo Livestock Marketing was no exception.
The auction made local news headlines consistently throughout the duration of the fall run, breaking barn records and maintaining competitive prices in the midst of mid-season market volatility.
Austin attributes this success to a variety of factors, including advancements in the market, quality cattle and exceptional help.
“The busy season went really well,” he says. “It seems like every week we broke another record.”
In addition to higher market prices, Austin says the volume of cattle being sold also rose.
“One week we sold just under 4,800 spring calves through the barn,” he recalls. “This was a new headcount record for us.”
Austin also highlights the support of the local community, noting Johnson County ranchers always show up in full force on sale day to lend a hand from both the buyer seats and the back alleys.
“The community around Johnson County as a whole is amazing,” says Austin. “They all come out to support us.”
Day help keeps stock moving swiftly through the yard on sale days, while a team of three full-time office employees work to compile market reports, coordinate consignments and make preparations throughout the week.
“We have some of the best help I’ve ever seen,” Austin says. “Everyone knows their job, which helps us cycle through the cattle faster so we can get through more numbers.”
Looking ahead
As far as the future is concerned, Austin says Buffalo Livestock Marketing remains focused on “doing good business” with customers from all over, keeping honesty and customer connection top of mind.
He looks forward to continuing to connect clients with quality cattle and says he’d like to see sheep sales grow in the future as well.
“I believe northeast Wyoming is one of the better areas when it comes to quality cattle,” Austin says. “There’s a ton of really high-quality cattle out here, and people are starting to figure it out.”
“We see a lot of new faces around buying cattle,” he continues. “Our area gets bigger all the time.”
Austin anticipates demand for beef cattle to stay steady in 2026 as the nation continues to rebuild herd numbers. He hopes for another good year at the auction across all platforms and emphasizes the crew at Buffalo Livestock Marketing will prioritize the needs of producers however market conditions play out.
“Any way you want to sell one, we’ll do our best to get you a good price,” Austin says. “We always try to sell them just as high as we can and to be honest and good to work with.”
He also encourages people to get in touch and build connections.
“We try to reach out to people as much as we can, but we love to be reached out to as well,” Austin says. “If anyone has questions about sales or any aspect of the market, we’re always open to talk.”
“Our phones are always on,” he continues. “We answer them all the time.”
For more information about Buffalo Livestock Marketing, visit buffalolivestockwyo.com, e-mail buffalolivestockmarketing@outlook.com or call the office at 307-684-0789.
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
