Spring cattle auction moves smoothly

With the new scale, grandstand, and auctioneer’s box in place, this year’s spring cattle auction at the Stratton sales yard was held Saturday with few glitches.
“It’s running a lot smoother,” said Harold Duivenvoorden. “This is a lot different than it was a year ago.”
Volunteers had been doing last-minute construction to complete the renovations, and built the new wooden grandstand in less than four days.
“A big factor was we had a lot of people come out here and we had lots of help,” Peter Spuzak, president of the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association, said before the auction began.
“We found the scale we thought would be suitable for the cattlemen here,” he noted.
Spuzak said he had been hoping they would be ready for business by May but the early spring allowed the ring to be installed ahead of schedule–in time for the April sale.
The pace of the auction also was better than ever as roughly 650 head were run through the new ring with few delays.
“Before you couldn’t run right through, there were a lot of corners to go around and cows don’t like doing that,” said Duivenvoorden.
Along with the new ring and stands, the auctioneer’s box and office space were built above the ring so weight and sales could be processed at the same pace as the cattle passed through.
The weight of young heifers, steers, and bulls that passed across the ring instantly was displayed on a digital board above the auctioneer.
The ring was a little slippery, leaving the cattle scampering for a foothold, but the grip improved as sand was spread over the floor.
“It should get better as the paint wears off,” said Scaleco employee Dave Mullin, who helped install the ring and was there to watch the grand opening.
Adding to the day’s excitement, one handler was momentarily pinned by an angry bull before being pulled to safety by a number of spectators.
“We’re having a rodeo and an auction,” chuckled Spuzak.
The Stratton barn, one of a few community-run and owned auctions, is a financial benefit for district farmers who don’t have to pay for freight to ship cattle to distant auction houses, and which keeps the exchanged money within the community.