01/28/05 Idaho cyberspace cattle sale is a first

It was a first for Idaho and it happened at the Treasure Valley Livestock Auction in Caldwell. Co-owner Ron Davison held his first live televised sale this week. DAVISON "They've done it from Wyoming, Nebraska and Elko. It worked real good. It let the local people kind of see what we're talking about when you talk about video sales." About 50 cattlemen were in the building during the Caldwell auction. California based Western Video Market provided the cameras, big screens and equipment that sent the auction to television sets and computers around the country. DAVISON "We had 20 telephones here hooked up that they could call in and bid. It went real well. We sold like 38 thousand head of cattle that day anywhere from Oklahoma to Washington, all the Western states, six thousand out of this local area." Davison says he'll probably try another televised sale next year. Buyers like it because they don't have to travel nearly as often. Sellers obviously have a larger market for their animals and many times the sales take place right on the ranch or feedlot. While keeping an eye on politics and the Canadian situation Davison believes that Idaho producers will see 'good prices for several years.' Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott