14 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN September 2024 Ogallala Livestock Auction Market PEOPLE An Established Legacy of Loyalty and Quality TRESSA LAWRENCE | CONTRIBUTING WRITER The sale barn known today as Ogallala Livestock Auction Market (OLAM) was established in 1951 under the name Ogallala Livestock Commission Company. Over the last seven decades, Ogallala Livestock has established a trusted legacy that is steeped in tradition. Rector Searle, Burt Reynolds and Clyde Speck were the founding fathers of the auction yard. Clyde Speck went on to own the business until he passed away in 1977, at which point his son, Jerry, owned it until 2003. Jerry then sold the company to Dwayne Mays and Scott Van Winkle, who owned the sale barn until 2020, when current owners Lance Van Winkle and Jay Nordhausen bought in. Family Traditions “There are a lot of family ties still in the barn,” says owner Jay Nordhausen. “I think having that corporation set in 1951 and carrying it over until 2024 is very unique. We can go see the original stock papers that they drew up in 1951. It’s a legacy that we’ve established, and generations of these families are still carrying it on now.” The sale barn has seen multiple generations of the same families working the ring for many decades. Dean Schow was a world champion auctioneer who started working at Ogallala Livestock in the ‘70s and worked there until his death, alongside his wife, Leah, who kept things in order in the office. His sons, Kyle and Kevin, are the current auctioneers, and Kevin’s son, Kaden, also works at OLAM full time. Even though Scott Van Winkle sold to his son Lance, Scott has worked the sale barn for 51 years, and in 2013, Lance’s son started working at the sale barn as well. Jay’s dad, Errol, started working at Ogallala Livestock in 1977, and Jay spent many hours of his childhood at the sale barn and with the crew of men who worked there. “I grew up in Ogallala. I was here a lot after school, waiting for my dad to get done on big sales. My mom waited tables, so I’d have to go with my dad to Front Street after the sales, and I got to listen to all the stories and the current An aerial photo of Ogallala Livestock from the early days. Ogallala Livestock Commission Company opened its doors in 1951. An aerial photo of Ogallala Livestock Auction Market taken circa 2020 when Jay Nordhausen and Lance Van Winkle bought the business.
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