Two ten, two ten, going once going twice – sold to the man in the black cowboy hat. Get your paper and see the front desk to finish your transaction. Congratulations! You are the proud owner of a calf. Next lot…” the auctioneer at the Kirbyville Auction Barn was on his game this morning. People and trailers were lined up to view, sell or buy a part of their ranching, FFA project, urban ranching or homesteading dreams.
Recently, I had the opportunity of accompanying Kristin Shirley to the auction to witness the sale of her hogs and piglets. The piglets took considerable corralling and some effort to crate for the journey from Jasper to Kirbyville. And weeks later – let’s just say her hogs were not thrilled or up for a road trip to the auction barn at Kirbyville. Weeks earlier, she successfully transported her bull and cow to the barn for sale. It was the first time I had ever been to that kind of livestock auction. As a kid, I went to some of the auctions at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – but those auctions mostly supported scholarships which artificially inflated the bids, and this was real life.
As she and her husband aged – and feed costs increased – it was time to find a new livestock source that would be easier to handle and could be utilized in different ways for a better return on their investment. The Shirleys decided on goats. So many things can be done with the smaller, easier to handle livestock. In addition to growing them for meat, they can be bred, and the kids sold, and can be milked for use in making both feta cheese or goat’s milk soap.
The auction barn we went to in Kirbyville was established in 1954 and matches buyers and sellers to quality livestock. It is located on U.S. Highway 96 in Kirbyville (for GPS – 802 North Margaret). Their Saturday livestock sales begin at 10 a.m. and feature goats, hogs, chickens, and farm-related items. The cattle auctions start at noon (between 12 – 1 p.m.) Horses and mules – when available – will be right before the cattle sale starts. They post an iMarket report every Monday morning at: https://www.facebook.com/KirbyvilleAuctionBarn/
You can reach them for information at:
Kirbyville Auction Barn
P.O. Drawer 400 Kirbyville, Texas 75956
(409) 423-2612 office
But Kirbyville is not the only auction barn in East Texas. In fact, according to an article written by Horace McQueen, back 30 or 40 years ago local livestock auction barns were in almost every East Texas county – some counties even boasting two. Auction barns in Lufkin, Jacksonville and Tyler had sale barns that sold many cattle in the ‘80s and ‘90s – but they are gone now. Other barns that are just a flicker of a memory are Palestine, which had had a thriving sale east of town for several years, Henderson and Sulphur Springs which both had two action barns during that time. But time marches on and owners have decided to close their auction barn doors for many reasons – aging out, property tax increases, or simply increased competition for a dwindling market.
But don’t think auction barns don’t still have a presence in East Texas. Maybe you can find one of these to locate that chicken, goat, or calf you have been wanting to raise. If you’re lucky, you might also find that pony you’ve been promising your child.
