A day at the auction

At one time or another, we have all been on the road and have passed a tractor trailer hauling a load of cattle. Certainly, we have all wondered where are they going?

Since Sept. 25, 1970, some of those cows traveling on the road have most likely come from Fruitland Livestock Auction Co. in Jackson. The sale barn, owned by Steve and Jeff Preusser since 1995, moved its cattle sales from Fridays to Tuesdays in 1997. Every Tuesday throughout the year, except for holidays, the cattle start arriving around 7 a.m., bringing people from Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and all over Missouri. The fourth Tuesday of the month the sale barn has a pig sale, and the third Friday of the month is the sheep and goat sale.

Upon entering the sale arena, one hears fast-talking, longtime auctioneer Kenny Carney, who has been taking bids as fast as he sees them since 1972. Charlie Mangels, who has been with the sale barn since it opened in 1970, sits to the right of Carney and pins the cattle. Scattered in the seats are an array of great characters. A lot of them rugged, older men in bib overalls, laughing over some antics or just visiting while waiting for the right cattle to come along. One man jokes about having his photo taken, saying his wife will find out where he is. Throughout the summertime and Christmastime, the auction barn is abuzz with families. The children who are out of school get a life lesson in the family business. Some people go to the sale barn just to buy or sell one or a few head of cattle. Others are order buyers who go to a different auction everyday until they fill a rancher's cattle order. The majority of the cattle sold at the barn go out West. If you ever find yourself free on Tuesday afternoons, a visit to the Fruitland Livestock Auction Co. would be an afternoon well spent. It might even ... moo-ve you.