Torrington Livestock under new ownership
On July 10, Chuck Petersen and Lander Nicodemus assumed full co-ownership of Torrington Livestock Markets LLC after purchasing Lex Madden’s portion of the company.
Madden has been experiencing ongoing health issues and is stepping away from operations to focus on recovery.
Petersen and Nicodemus will take over all operations of Torrington Livestock Markets, including its affiliate organizations, Cattle Country Video (CCV) and Torrington Livestock Cattle Company.
Operations remain in capable hands with Petersen and Nicodemus, who have partnered in Torrington Livestock Markets alongside Lex for the past several years.
“Chuck and I view this role as a major responsibility,” Nicodemus says. “We love this community and felt a responsibility to step into this role to ensure business continues as usual.”
Petersen and Nicodemus
Petersen began working for Torrington Livestock Markets nearly two decades ago.
He started as a field representative in 2008, carrying years of experience from his family’s multigenerational cattle operation in Colorado into the field. Petersen took on a management role in 2017, joining Lex and Michael Schmitt in the partnership after Shawn Madden’s retirement.
Nicodemus started with Torrington Livestock Markets in 2014, working as a field representative and eventually as an auctioneer. Although Nicodemus comes from a long line of auctioneers, he credits Shawn with his official start behind the microphone.
Nicodemus sold his first pen of cattle at Torrington Livestock Markets at Shawn’s invitation with little prior experience aside from “selling fenceposts and telephone poles” during long drives.
“When people ask where I went to auctioneer school, I like to tell them I went to the auctioneer school of Shawn and Lex,” Nicodemus jokes, noting he has always looked up to the Madden brothers for their talent behind the auction block.
Shawn and Lex both hold world titles in auctioneering and were inducted into the Livestock Marketing Association’s Cattle Marketing Hall of Fame last July.
Nicodemus also holds Petersen in high regard, highlighting his tremendous eye for cattle and business philosophy as points of learning throughout their business relationship.
“I think the absolute world of Chuck,” Nicodemus says. “I’ve learned an immense amount from him about the salesmanship and marketing of cattle and have the utmost respect.”
Nicodemus was invited to partner with Petersen and Madden following Schmitt’s retirement in 2022. Nicodemus admits he was nervous to accept the offer, questioning what he could bring to the table with less experience than Madden and Petersen. Some good advice from Petersen quickly put his fears to rest, and Nicodemus joined as a partner in January of 2023.
“I had some pretty big reservations when they asked me to join them in partnership – I really questioned how much I had to offer and bring to the table,” Nicodemus says. “But I’ll never forget it. Chuck said to me, ‘We’re in the business of helping ranchers. As long as your heart is always in the right place of wanting to help ranchers succeed, you’ll be fine in this business.’”
Legacy of Torrington Livestock Markets
Torrington Livestock Markets has been in the business of helping ranchers succeed for several decades.
The full-service livestock marketing company offers a variety of avenues for producers to buy and sell cattle, including on-site auctions, video sales and private treaty offerings. Their online platform, Cattle Country Video, has been providing quality livestock sales over the internet since 2010.
Cattle buyers from a nine-state region encompassing Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, South Dakota and Montana look to Torrington Livestock Markets as a trusted source and seller of high-quality livestock.
Torrington Livestock Markets consistently ranks among the top 10 auction houses in cattle sales, marketing cattle to the tune of 400,000 head across all platforms annually.
During the fall, facilities see an uptick in business, with record sales amassing numbers of up to 19,000 head of cattle per week. Sales often bring anywhere between 3,000 to 7,000 head of cattle through the auction ring in one day.
“Wyoming’s Largest Livestock Market” employs approximately 35 full-time personnel and roughly 65 part-time employees in addition to several field representatives.
Nicodemus notes the shift in ownership has been aided by support from Torrington Livestock’s staff, who have banded together to make sure business continues as usual.
“We’ve got an incredible team at Torrington Livestock Markets,” Nicodemus says. “It was key to make sure we had the support and backing of our employees, because we absolutely couldn’t do it without them.”
Continuing excellence
The Madden name has been synonymous with Torrington Livestock Markets since 1989. This transition in ownership will mark a new era, but Petersen and Nicodemus have pledged to keep people at the heart of operations and carry over lessons learned from the brothers.
“It’s difficult to think about Torrington Livestock Markets without the Maddens in it, but at the same time, like all great leaders, they leave behind them a future,” Nicodemus says, emphasizing several years under the Maddens’ guidance have paved a path for continued success.
Petersen and Nicodemus will continue to build upon a legacy several decades in the making, maintaining a business ethic built upon quality relationships which has marked Torrington Livestock Markets for many years.
“This market has a legacy of so many great men who have come before us – incredible cattle marketers who will forever have a piece of the agricultural history in the state of Wyoming and beyond,” Nicodemus says.
“We want to make sure Torrington Livestock Markets continues as an industry hub known for marketing what we believe to be some of the finest cattle in the nation from some of the greatest producers,” he continues.
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
