Wyoming Ranchers Selling Off Cattle As Drought Tightens Grip Across State

Wyoming’s largest livestock marketing company sold 9,000 head of cattle in a special drought sale on Wednesday—more than ten times its typical weekly volume. “Guys are selling because they’re droughted out,” said Lander Nicodemus, co-owner of Torrington Livestock Markets. May is normally a slow season; the sale barn typically holds one cattle sale a week, moving 400 to 700 head on Fridays. But on Wednesday, the special drought sale pushed 6,500 head through the barn while another 2,500 head sold through its video auction platform. “Today’s sale is because of drought,” Nicodemus said.

The unusually large sale reflects a growing reality across Wyoming as dry conditions force ranchers to sell cattle early because grass is scarce and feed supplies are tightening. Nicodemus said many ranchers have compared this year’s conditions to Wyoming’s devastating 2012 drought. “Many would put it up against one of the worst droughts they remember,” he said. “This is historically significant.”

At Williamson Land and Cattle in Moorcroft, drought-related selloffs happen every year, but this year feels different, said Jeran Williamson. He estimated about 20 of the company’s customers have sold off cattle this year because of drought, with about half of those producers in Wyoming. “I think there’s a bigger region affected by it than most years,” he said. Recently, the company helped a Riverton-area rancher sell cows, advertising: “Drought is forcing these girls to move.” The timing is unusual because cows are calving now—a season when ranchers are typically focused on building herds, not selling them off.

Drought sales often mean discounted prices, not because of poor quality, but because ranchers need to move animals quickly before forage conditions worsen. “It’s a tricky place to be,” Williamson said. Ranchers face a rock-or-hard-place decision: sell at a discount and lose money, or watch animals die during drought conditions and face a total loss.

Wyoming’s dry winter set the stage for growing anxiety. “We had a less-than-average winter,” Nicodemus said. “We got warm really early. It caused a lot of people to panic a little early.” Now, ranchers continue to watch the weather closely. “There’s a lot more panic now,” he said. “I think the next couple of weeks will really tell. We need moisture to get good summer grass.”

Wyoming meteorologist Don Day said, “We’re far from a situation where we could say we’re going to be fine.” He is watching a weather system expected late this weekend and early next week that could bring some promise. After that, he said, “there are indications that we’ll have fairly frequent chances for showers and thunderstorms,” though those showers could be spotty.

Most of the cattle sold Wednesday will head to feedlots, Nicodemus said. Others may be shipped south to states with better grazing conditions. Williamson said his company moved about 500 head south last week to Oklahoma and New Mexico, and buyers in North Dakota have also been buying. A large share of the cattle sold likely would have been marketed months from now. Nicodemus said a selloff this size will postpone any cattle herd rebuild in the region, further complicating a market already at a historic 75-year low. “You can’t rebuild in a drought,” he said.