Proposed livestock sales barn lauded

Market would be part of sugar factory site

MOSES LAKE — If attendance at the public hearing for a new livestock sales barn was any indication, people are tired of driving their cattle more than 90 miles to existing sales markets.

Approximately 40 to 45 people turned out at the public hearing at Moses Lake Fire Station No. 1, for the hearing process for applicants Pamp Maiers and Larry Campbell to do business as Central Washington Livestock, LLC, and create a new public livestock market in Moses Lake.

"About everybody I've talked to is all in favor of having this everybody says it's needed," Campbell said, noting that he is expecting to draw most of cattle from Moses Lake, Okanogan, Othello, Odessa, Ellensburg, Quincy and even Spokane.

Markets in Okanogan, Quincy, Ellensburg and Walla Walla closed for a variety of reasons over recent years.

Campbell said that he primarily anticipated that the market would draw beef cattle, but there would also be dairy cattle, horse trade and some smaller livestock like sheep and goats.

"There's probably 100 people in this area that have two or three pastures for two or three head that don't have the ability or the opportunity to get (cattle) because there's nothing close," he said, noting some area cattle traders have quit because it's too far to go buy cattle at the other two operating livestock markets in the geographic area, located in Davenport and Toppenish, about 90 miles and 110 miles away, respectively.

"Once a sale yard gets back in here, it will promote the livestock business and people will go to sale, buy a couple head and then they'll bring them back in the fall and sell them again," Campbell said.

Campbell noted that the area is in a good location near Interstate 90 and Highway 17, and said that he and Maiers would be equal partners in the venture.

Speaking on behalf of Maiers, Bob Fancher said that three acres of the former Pacific Northwest Sugar Company plant, which he manages, would house the new facility.

He added that about 50 acres of existing lined treatment ponds would be used to as receptacles for manure at the new facility.

"It's the perfect location for environmental situations," Fancher said, noting that environmental concerns have been a problem for other, similar businesses. "All we have to do is hook up a pipe to existing pipes."

Campbell said that if the facility would have had to build something along those lines, it would take another year.

Of the people who stood to address administrative law judge Ed Steinmetz, with the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings, all were in support of Maiers' and Campbell's application. No one voiced an opinion against the barn.

Many spoke out against the long travel to Toppenish and Davenport, the high gas prices, the ill effects of the transportation on livestock and the poor hours involved.

Gorden Melcher of Moses Lake said that the Davenport sales often go late into the evening. He worked in the original sale yard for 18 years, until it burned down and the owners could not afford to build it back.

"I think around here, if we had a sale yard, we'd have a lot more people involved," he said. "A sale yard here would, I think, do wonders, because there's a lot of little pastures (not being used), three to four head, goats are getting to be a big item, sheep are a big item …"

"Everybody's going to benefit from something like this," said Sam Engelhardt of Moses Lake, adding that he trusted Campbell and Maiers. "They're the kind of guys that are going to be here. Pamp will do it right, and Larry will do it right. It won't be some fly-by-night deal. These guys are good."

Moses Lake resident Martel Palmer said he buys and sells 200 to 300 head of cattle a year, and raises around 1,000 acres of cattle feed.

"We'd like to see more cattle in this area," he told Steinmetz. "We raise a lot of feed here, not only corn, but there's a lot of hay raised. We have an abundance of feed for livestock."

Quincy resident Rita Butler noted that when the market in Quincy closed down, 15 people lost jobs.

"We need to have it back in this area," she said.

Fancher later said that the new facility would probably create at least 15 to 20 new jobs after it has been in operation for a while.

"It'd just depend how big it gets, " he said, adding that he thought the hearing went very well. "There's no question there's strong support from the entire community — not only local Moses Lake community, but people from the whole surrounding area, the Columbia Basin and, by the looks of the letters that we included, (support) came from all over the state."

The proposed sale days for the market would be weekly sales days on Tuesday and Wednesday, seasonal livestock on the second Saturday of each month and the third Saturday of each month for horses.

If approved, Campbell said that he and Maiers aim to open the new facility in September.

"I think that the buyers and sellers of this area had some very valid points as far as the advantages of having a local market," Steinmetz said. "Particularly when you consider the impact to the local economy and also the impact that the rising gas prices are having on producers' ability to market their product."

Steinmetz said he would have to evaluate all the evidence before making his final decision and recommendation to the director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture. He added that he will consider the strong support for the market, and the fact that a market used to operate successfully in the area for many years.

Leslie Alexander, assistant manager for the livestock identification program for the WSDA, called the hearing positive.

"They had a good turn-out, the local people that have an interest in the market, whether they be a hay producer or a livestock producer," she said. "There was a very positive feeling in the room."