Page 8 Stories of the Heartland • Sunday, April 19, 2026 hometownsource. com / heartland /
A day at the auction
Folks come from near and far for weekly cattle sales
BY SHEILA MCCOY STORIES OF THE HEARTLAND
LONG PRAIRIE – The sound of traffic, open businesses and people milling around can be heard from a mile away on a clear blue morning. It’ s the normal bustle of a Friday morning in the rural country town of Long Prairie as it wakes up. But at the Long Prairie Livestock Exchange, it’ s like time has slowed- for a while anyway. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and country men and women make their way to start the day in preparation for the cattle sale scheduled at noon.
One lone man, Joe Kortuem, stands by the overhang near the barn where sellers and buyers drive their trucks and trailers through to either unload or load livestock. He, as a few other men that are slowly making their way to the chutes, are waiting for Dr. Rochelle Hulinsky and veterinary technician Ellie Roggenkamp with Long Prairie Veterinary Clinic to arrive.
Preg checking
Kortuem explains that heifers and cows are checked by a veterinarian to see if they’ re pregnant before they ever enter the sale ring. Although hundreds of animals are checked, everyone involved knows what they are doing and as a result, it all goes very quickly.
The heifers and cows that are checked, Roggenkamp said, begins with running the cattle into a cornerless crowding tub, which are checked against the information slip the livestock exchange is provided. This includes the number of cattle and whether they are supposed to be bred.
“ We check it to make sure it’ s accurate and then we write it down,” she said.
It is also determined whether a cow has a good and functional udder. Roggenkamp said whether or not a cow has a“ good bag” or not depends on if its udder is attached firmly above the hocks and has well-placed teats for easy calf nursing. All four teats have to be able to squirt milk, as well.
Each animal is given either a green, yellow, blue or red ear tag. As the different colors have a specific meaning, it makes it easier for auction staff and buyers to determine in which category an individual animal falls into. For instance, Roggenkamp said, animals who are pregnant and have a good udder are given a green ear tag. Heifers, who are too small to check, receive a yellow ear tag. Heifers and cows that are not pregnant, but are breedable, have a good bag and are healthy inside, are given a blue ear tag. Red tags are given to females that may, for instance, not have all their reproductive organs, and may be better suited for slaughter.
All the animals are also given a round, white tag. The number on the tag is then associated with that particular animal, and is written on its health papers. It’ s also needed when transporting cattle out of state and can be easily scanned. In a sense, Roggenkamp said, the animals are given two forms of identification
Some buyers, Roggenkamp said, will ask for the animals they bought back through the chute to be vaccinated and / or treated for respiratory issues before they are hauled to their new home.
Like in the good ole’ days
In the livestock exchange office, Lloyd Fellbaum and Jess Repp are preparing for the day’ s sale by greeting and helping buyers and sellers. Unlike many livestock exchanges that offer online bidding, the Long Prairie Livestock Exchange has opted to stay true to the“ good ole’ days.” As such, paper tickets are written for the buyer and the seller and while the information is entered into a computer, everything is written by hand.
“ I like the old-fashioned way things were done. Like my dad used to say,‘ If it works, don’ t fix it, don’ t change it,’” said Owner Brad Thelen.
Fellbaum said he really enjoys working in the office. A retired farmer himself, it’ s nice to see other farmers, many of whom he has known for several years.
A family owned business, Stacy Hiemenz and Brad Thelen enjoy working with buyers and sellers at the Long Prairie Livestock Exchange.