September 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 15 From left to right, Scott VanWinkle, Jay Nordhausen, Kevin Schow, Leah Schow, Kyle Schow, Dwayne Mays and Lance VanWinkle. Above: Weekly sales occur every Wednesday at Ogallala Livestock Auction Market. For more information on special sales throughout the fall and winter, be sure to visit their website. Right: Open for 73 years, Ogallala Livestock Auction Market is always adapting to keep up with an ever-changing market. Like many other sale barns across the country, buyers can purchase livestock in person or online. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 events of what was going on. I got a great education on the cattle business there, along with maybe a few tall tales,” Nordhausen says with a laugh. The lineage of ownership and workers at OLAM was the key to success when it came time to hand over the reins to Van Winkle and Nordhausen. Just as the world was starting to shut down, the sale of the auction yard was finalized. “Dwayne started here in 1975 and he retired last June, but Dwayne is still very integral in our operations. I mean, I talk to Dwayne all of the time,” Nordhausen says. “Those guys made the transition of ownership something special. They stayed on with us to make sure it was a smooth transition, not only for us but for the customers as well. Especially since it was during COVID-19. I thank God every day they were with us.” A Legacy of Loyalty Ogallala Livestock takes pride in the relationships they have built over the years, from the generations of men and women working behind the scenes to their steadfast relationship with Adams Bank and Trust, with whom they have worked since 1951. Adams Bank and Trust was founded by Mel Adams, who happened to be a good friend of Rector Searle, one of the original owners of Ogallala Livestock. “We are extremely loyal to those who we do business with,” Nordhausen says. OLAM has stood as a testament to hard work and determination in an industry that has seen a lot of change over the last seven decades. Ogallala has always been a major hub of the cattle industry since it is located off Interstate 80 and is considered the gateway to the Sandhills, with well-established roads going in every direction. At one time, it saw thousands of cattle pass through on the big cattle drives from Texas to Montana. In the era of transporting livestock on trains, OLAM contracted cattle to Omaha to be harvested, and did so until 1975. “During the peak of the cattle drives, Ogallala would run about 170,000 to 180,000 head through the stockyards or through town going to Montana. That’s about the exact same number we run through the ring here today,” Nordhausen explains. “I always think about that and just find it fascinating that with all of the time and all of the advancements, Ogallala has always been the Cowboy Capital of Nebraska. The cattle volume run through Ogallala has been more or less steady for 150 years.” Looking back over the last 73 years, the auction yard has seen some changes. When asked about the most notable differences, Nordhausen jokes that they used to pull the less
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