Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 13, 1995 TAG: 9504210006
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-18 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: AIMEE RATLIFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It started as a purebred pavilion for registered livestock in the early 1950s and began auction sales in 1958. The facility, which sells sheep, goats, hogs and cattle, is owned by Virginia Purebreed Sales, which has about 100 stockholders.
The market holds its primary sale on Mondays, selling an average of 2,000 head of livestock. It also has special sales about seven times a year.
In addition to the auction sales, the market also specializes in "agent commissioning," or acting as a middle man between the buyer and seller of livestock.
"We work the country a lot. We'll go out and sell people's cattle on trailer load lots. We'll ship them most of the time and get them on a commission basis if we sell them," said Eddie Stevens, vice president and manager of the livestock yard. He has been with the yard for about 20 years and has been assisted by Chris Theimer since 1988. Stevens' daughter, Ann Frances, is the office manager.
"We usually get what we call a country sale out of all this. First we go to their farm and look at their cattle and then sell them to a buyer. We're responsible for getting them weighed, loaded and paying the seller for them, and collecting their money. This has come to be called a commission agent."
The Livestock Yard has grown over the years, but the 1980s brought such a growth in the amount of cattle that were being sold that Stevens said: "It was more than we could handle. There was so much that we couldn't be efficient."
Sales have since dropped by about one-third. Some of this decrease is because of nearby competition with livestock yards in Moneta and Lynchburg.
Other reasons for the decrease include the geographical area from which the market draws. Roanoke has become so urbanized that the market has withered, he said.
Also, the roads and traffic into Roanoke are really not conducive to large trailers carrying livestock. Some business has transferred to Lynchburg because it is easier to get there, and the sales are bigger with more buyers, said Stevens.
The livestock yard has 20 employees and all the company's paperwork was done manually until 1984.
"We are one of the first livestock yards to go to computer sales. Before we had the computer program to handle the billing, the sales were frustrating. It has definitely cut down on the manpower that is required," said Stevens.
Other frustations that Stevens recalls include electricity failures during the sales and the flood of 1985, which occurred on a sale day.
"The water rose six or seven feet in seconds. We had customers trapped here until it went back down. We even had a helicopter come in, but only one person left."
The Livestock Yard has made an effort to support community events by boarding animals brought to town by visiting rodeos. The Budweiser Clydesdales have also stayed there.
"You've got to want to do this. It's not just a place to stop for a job. It's long hours and hard work," Stevens said. "Its after the sales that I feel the most relief, although I learn something new every sale. I've pretty much seen it all."
Roanoke-Hollins Livestock Yard is on U.S. 11, P. O. Box 7005, Roanoke, Va. 24019. The phone number is 992-1112.
by CNB