Five Valley Livestock Auction adjusts business plan

The Five Valley Livestock Auction service west of Missoula at the intersection area of I-90 and U.S. 93 is not closing, but the way they will be doing business with livestock is a big change. 

For years, this service has changed names and locations but they have been a rancher’s savior in many cases and a place where 4-H youngsters have cut their teeth. Cattle sales have been on Thursdays with horse and tack sales on the second Saturday of each month starting in March and ending around Thanksgiving. Sheep, goats and swine auctions were conducted at different times of the year. 

Now, those wanting to sell their critters will bring them in on a certain day and they will be shipped to Ramsy, where they will be auctioned off. This is strictly a business move but it will affect every ranch and farm that has had leeway to drop their critters off and go back home to wait for the check.

The property has been for sale for the last couple of years which could have been snatched up and developed into houses and condos. 

Josh Smith, owner of Josh Smith and MCK (Montana Knife Company) of Frenchtown is expanding his business by building a 42,000-square-foot manufacturing facility where his 56 employees will continue to build one of the fastest growing companies in outdoor recreation on the FVLA ground. 

“It was important to me to help Five Valley Livestock transition to their new plan of continuing to help ranchers market their livestock. The new building will be on the built on the northwest end of the property where there’s a big hole and a field of knapweed right now,” Smith said. 

So, no existing structures will be demolished and a new configuration of how to unload and load livestock will be developed. 

“It’s my understanding,” Smith said, “that the cattle will be dropped off in the morning and shipped to Ramsy to their auction to be sold the same day, so no overnight care is needed.”

 As a rancher in St. Regis, Denley Loge has used their services for years, as had his dad.  

“The problem with trucking cattle is the ‘shrink’ that will occur. Even as close as Ramsy is, the animal will experience it which lowers the net sale.” 

Shrink is weight loss of fluids as the transporting is stressful. And now the extended length of the shipping and added stress during the unloading and loading and extra time. Calves lose much more than cows as they are more nervous. 

“But it’s like we are now having our timber hauled to Thompson Falls or Deer Lodge, the rural industries are doing what they can to stay alive and with change comes other costs, like fuel and trucking expenses.” 

There is also the convenience of having the auction house close by for cattle that ranchers would cull. 

“Here’s an example,” explains Loge. “Say you have a cow that lost her calf. One of your options includes not keeping her after the loss if she’s a 6- or 7-year-old cow. You’d just load her up and take her to the auction house at any time. Another one is that sometimes you have odd age calves that are in the 500 to 600 pound range. When you get a couple of those that don’t match up to the rest of the calves you’re selling you could decide that you just want to haul them into town and sell them. That’s gone now.” 

It boils down to the ease it’s been, and Loge admits that having FVLA has been very simple.

East of Missoula, Wally Congdon raises Scottish Highlanders and the added fuel expense has him spooked for the cattle operations in Mineral and Sanders counties as well as Lake and other areas that relied on their services. But in his case, the immediate money will be gone. 

“Say you have a couple of crippled animals from predators or falling down the mountain, but they are mobile and healthy. They’d make great burger and I could take them into the ‘Y’ (Five Valley Livestock Auction) and get cash that day. That’s ‘summer money’ that you can use instead of digging into your savings.”

The cattle auctions are now gone and the last auction is for horses and tack will be Saturday, May 11.