New sales yard holds first livestock auction

Enthusiastic response greets Central Washington Livestock opening

MOSES LAKE — Some of the animals up for sale didn't really look or act pleased to be there, but they probably were the only ones with that sentiment.

Central Washington Livestock held its first auction Wednesday morning, to a crowded parking lot and standing room only in the 130-seat arena.

At the facility owned by Moses Lake businessmen Larry Campbell and Pamp Maiers, cattle and an assortment of other livestock, including pigs and goats, were available for sale.

As the proceedings progressed, Campbell said that the facility received the kind of response that he had been expecting.

"We're just trying to break in new people, a new system," Campbell said, estimating that about 500 people were in attendance and 600 to 700 head of cattle up for sale. "We're providing a good service here for them. The buyers love it. You can tell that. And it's a good place for sellers. The location's good for everybody here. And we've made this a pretty nice facility. We're going to keep working on it."

Campbell said at about noon Wednesday that there had been no problems, although he added with a chuckle that the yard was running out of holding pens.

Moses Lake resident and longtime cattle farmer Guy Bonar said he was on hand to watch the auction.

"We haven't had one like this for, what, 10 years? Longer?" he said, explaining that the previous yard burned down. "We had a good set-up raising beef here, but there's not near as much cattle in the country now."

The Central Washington yard may help in that regard, Bonar said.

"Basically, it's another source for cattle, which we need here," Quincy resident Nick Todd said of the yard. He was on hand as a buyer. "It's closer to here than it is (to other sales yards in) Davenport or Toppenish. When it turns out we have to sell something, we'll just bring them here."

Like any new endeavor, Todd said, the Central Washington process has a few bugs to work out, but he said it takes time to get things streamlined and running smoothly.

Moses Lake resident Dale Curtiss said he was present for two reasons.

"I raised cattle all my life, and we live close here and I know the people that started this," he said, calling the facility beautiful. "It's something that we needed here in Moses Lake and it's going to work real good."

Places with small acreages of land can take advantage of the Moses Lake facility to purchase one or two animals to put on their land, eat their grass and keep their weeds down without going long distances, Curtiss added.

"Transportation, anymore, is getting to be one of the biggest problems of any business, so Pamp and Larry are going to make a real good go of this," he said. "They're doing an excellent job of getting it built. They've got work to do to it yet, but for what I've seen of the first time around, they've done good."