The sale must go on
Family-run business provides vital link in the food chain
Tuesday morning's calf auction at Four State Stockyards had many buyers that attended
April 1, 2020
Sheila Harris
When asked if the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting cattle prices, Chris Hammen, a behind-the-scenes voice at Four State Stockyards in Exeter, was philosophical.
“Fear and greed drive the market,” he stated. “That’s just the way it is. When the virus first started showing up in the Midwest, there was a downward spiral in prices as people reacted to a perceived threat. Then there was an uptick, in part, because there was a greater demand for packaged beef with people staying home and cooking. Now prices are heading down again.”
Chris Hammen’s son, Cade, attributes the current downward trend in beef prices to restaurants being closed as a result of the spread of COVID-19.
“People typically buy high-dollar cuts of beef when they go out to eat,” he said, “whereas the average person who buys meat in the grocery store buys mostly ground beef.”
While the demand for packaged beef in grocery stores is higher, with prices higher accordingly, it doesn’t necessarily translate to better profits for producers - those who raise the cattle - according to Chris Hammen.
“Everything’s so intertwined in our economy,” he said. “We all depend on each other, in a very real sense. Beef producers contribute to the food chain; we provide a substantial portion of what people eat, but we’re near the bottom of the chain. We don’t always reap the rewards of a good market for retailers.”
Hammen’s four oldest sons, Clay, Colby, Cale and Cade, and his wife Kim’s brother, Chris Keeling, are the owners of record of Four State Stockyards, but the elder Hammen was instrumental in helping his sons make their part of the purchase of the stockyards a little over a year ago.
Chris Hammen, his wife Kim, and Kim’s brother, Chris Keeling, and his wife, Kerry (who is also Chris Hammen’s sister), grew up on cattle farms in the Purdy area and raised their respective children in the same environment.
By the time Cade Hammen was 16, he had developed such a good eye for assessing cattle that it caught the attention of the stockyard’s previous owners.
“They asked me if I wanted to go to work for them,” Cade said. “I told them, no, but that I would be interested in buying the business. They just laughed, probably because of my age. A few years later, though, they came back and asked me if I still wanted to buy it. I did. I had to run it by Dad first, since he had the checkbook, but he thought it was a great opportunity, especially if I bought it jointly with my brothers.”
Chris Keeling, too, was eager to participate in the joint venture. After many years of working for other livestock auctions, he looked forward to the challenge of helping his own family grow a business.
Also contributing their time and skill to Four State Stockyards are Chris Hammen’s two youngest sons, Chad and Chet, and Chris Keeling’s sons, Colt, Cash and Carter. From unloading trailers to shuttling cattle in and out of pens, there’s plenty of work for everyone.
“These boys of ours are so responsible, and are such hard workers, they could go to work anywhere. With the stockyards, we get to work together as a family and the boys can make a living at the same time,” Chris Keeling said.
Since their purchase of the stockyards in January 2019, the Hammens and Keelings have added more fenced pens with feeders and automatic waterers, plus other improvements to increase the stockyard’s efficiency.
Sales, so far, have exceeded their expectations. Chris Hammen credits part of the reason to the sale day being moved from Saturday to Tuesday.
“People like to have Saturdays free for family activities, without being afraid they’ll miss a sale,” he said.
Having an award-winning auctioneer doesn’t hurt anything either. Justin Dodson, from Welch, Oklahoma, is happy to drive to Exeter on sale days to support the Hammens and Keelings with his services.
The women in the family help out with the business, too. Both Chrisses’ wives, mothers (Kitty Hammen and Leona Keeling) and daughters (Katy, Kloe and Kori Hammen and Lexi Keeling) cook and serve food in the café, which is currently closed to inside dining. Orders may be called in and carried out, though.
Cale Hammen’s wife, Breanna, also contributes a valuable service to the business in the position of office manager.
While the names and relationships can be a bit confusing, on any given sale day, it’s possible to find up to 18 members of the Hammen and Keeling families working together on the premises: a satisfactory arrangement for all involved.
In response to an Exeter resident’s concern about the large gathering at Four State Stockyards Tuesday morning, Chris Hammen would like to reassure the community that they are abiding by the Livestock Marketing Association’s request to minimize crowds.
“We have asked our sellers to drop cattle off prior to the sale, either the night or morning before, and that’s what they’re doing,” Chris Hammen said. “Then we just mail them a check after their cattle sell. They don’t have to attend the event.”
“We were told by the Association that we’re exempt from the gathering ordinance, since we provide a needed food commodity,” he continued.
According to Hammen, the large Tuesday morning crowd at the sale barn was made up of buyers.
“People like to buy cattle when the grass turns green and begins to grow,” he said. “Now’s the time to buy calves to allow them to grass-feed. We don’t want to discourage them from buying. They provide the beef that ends up on our tables.”
Cade Hammen and Chris Keeling have mixed feelings about the current depressed cattle prices.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now,” Keeling said. “COVID-19 is a global problem; it’s a legitimate concern, so we don’t want to rush things, but people need to get back to work. We’ve got to get past the scare first, though.”
Cade Hammen believes fear is the only thing keeping cattle prices down.
“Our imports and exports are good. We don’t have a lot of cattle standing around, so everything’s in place to push the market back up,” he said.
“We’re a ‘go-go’ society,” Chris Hammen said. “We like to go places and do things. Once we’re allowed to get back out and do them, there’ll be a huge economic rebound for everybody.”
Sheila Harris
When asked if the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting cattle prices, Chris Hammen, a behind-the-scenes voice at Four State Stockyards in Exeter, was philosophical.
“Fear and greed drive the market,” he stated. “That’s just the way it is. When the virus first started showing up in the Midwest, there was a downward spiral in prices as people reacted to a perceived threat. Then there was an uptick, in part, because there was a greater demand for packaged beef with people staying home and cooking. Now prices are heading down again.”
Chris Hammen’s son, Cade, attributes the current downward trend in beef prices to restaurants being closed as a result of the spread of COVID-19.
“People typically buy high-dollar cuts of beef when they go out to eat,” he said, “whereas the average person who buys meat in the grocery store buys mostly ground beef.”
While the demand for packaged beef in grocery stores is higher, with prices higher accordingly, it doesn’t necessarily translate to better profits for producers - those who raise the cattle - according to Chris Hammen.
“Everything’s so intertwined in our economy,” he said. “We all depend on each other, in a very real sense. Beef producers contribute to the food chain; we provide a substantial portion of what people eat, but we’re near the bottom of the chain. We don’t always reap the rewards of a good market for retailers.”
Hammen’s four oldest sons, Clay, Colby, Cale and Cade, and his wife Kim’s brother, Chris Keeling, are the owners of record of Four State Stockyards, but the elder Hammen was instrumental in helping his sons make their part of the purchase of the stockyards a little over a year ago.
Chris Hammen, his wife Kim, and Kim’s brother, Chris Keeling, and his wife, Kerry (who is also Chris Hammen’s sister), grew up on cattle farms in the Purdy area and raised their respective children in the same environment.
By the time Cade Hammen was 16, he had developed such a good eye for assessing cattle that it caught the attention of the stockyard’s previous owners.
“They asked me if I wanted to go to work for them,” Cade said. “I told them, no, but that I would be interested in buying the business. They just laughed, probably because of my age. A few years later, though, they came back and asked me if I still wanted to buy it. I did. I had to run it by Dad first, since he had the checkbook, but he thought it was a great opportunity, especially if I bought it jointly with my brothers.”
Chris Keeling, too, was eager to participate in the joint venture. After many years of working for other livestock auctions, he looked forward to the challenge of helping his own family grow a business.
Also contributing their time and skill to Four State Stockyards are Chris Hammen’s two youngest sons, Chad and Chet, and Chris Keeling’s sons, Colt, Cash and Carter. From unloading trailers to shuttling cattle in and out of pens, there’s plenty of work for everyone.
“These boys of ours are so responsible, and are such hard workers, they could go to work anywhere. With the stockyards, we get to work together as a family and the boys can make a living at the same time,” Chris Keeling said.
Since their purchase of the stockyards in January 2019, the Hammens and Keelings have added more fenced pens with feeders and automatic waterers, plus other improvements to increase the stockyard’s efficiency.
Sales, so far, have exceeded their expectations. Chris Hammen credits part of the reason to the sale day being moved from Saturday to Tuesday.
“People like to have Saturdays free for family activities, without being afraid they’ll miss a sale,” he said.
Having an award-winning auctioneer doesn’t hurt anything either. Justin Dodson, from Welch, Oklahoma, is happy to drive to Exeter on sale days to support the Hammens and Keelings with his services.
The women in the family help out with the business, too. Both Chrisses’ wives, mothers (Kitty Hammen and Leona Keeling) and daughters (Katy, Kloe and Kori Hammen and Lexi Keeling) cook and serve food in the café, which is currently closed to inside dining. Orders may be called in and carried out, though.
Cale Hammen’s wife, Breanna, also contributes a valuable service to the business in the position of office manager.
While the names and relationships can be a bit confusing, on any given sale day, it’s possible to find up to 18 members of the Hammen and Keeling families working together on the premises: a satisfactory arrangement for all involved.
In response to an Exeter resident’s concern about the large gathering at Four State Stockyards Tuesday morning, Chris Hammen would like to reassure the community that they are abiding by the Livestock Marketing Association’s request to minimize crowds.
“We have asked our sellers to drop cattle off prior to the sale, either the night or morning before, and that’s what they’re doing,” Chris Hammen said. “Then we just mail them a check after their cattle sell. They don’t have to attend the event.”
“We were told by the Association that we’re exempt from the gathering ordinance, since we provide a needed food commodity,” he continued.
According to Hammen, the large Tuesday morning crowd at the sale barn was made up of buyers.
“People like to buy cattle when the grass turns green and begins to grow,” he said. “Now’s the time to buy calves to allow them to grass-feed. We don’t want to discourage them from buying. They provide the beef that ends up on our tables.”
Cade Hammen and Chris Keeling have mixed feelings about the current depressed cattle prices.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now,” Keeling said. “COVID-19 is a global problem; it’s a legitimate concern, so we don’t want to rush things, but people need to get back to work. We’ve got to get past the scare first, though.”
Cade Hammen believes fear is the only thing keeping cattle prices down.
“Our imports and exports are good. We don’t have a lot of cattle standing around, so everything’s in place to push the market back up,” he said.
“We’re a ‘go-go’ society,” Chris Hammen said. “We like to go places and do things. Once we’re allowed to get back out and do them, there’ll be a huge economic rebound for everybody.”
