Spencer's livestock sale down for the count
By Bob Weaver 2018
We returned to the Spencer Livestock Sale, what is now a shadowy image of a former time, a symbol of the agricultural era that has essentially faded into the food dependence of agri-corporations in the 21st century.
Stopping by it gives comfort, a reminder of a simpler and slower time, with sale's going back to the early 1900s.
It was once a big event for most farm boys and girls to accompany their parents or grandparents to the weekly livestock sale, herding pigs, cows, sheep, goats, turkeys, or chickens onto the family truck, and head toward Spencer.
In earlier days, farmers would drive their animals by road to the sale.
The activity around the large but now
empty pens will soon fade into memory
The sale, during much of the 20th century, started on Friday and often lasted into Saturday, with hundreds coming to buy and sell.
The center of activity was the auction ring, the snack bar, and the socialization on the sale grounds. Kids would play while their parents often bartered with items on the side.
While the auction was re-invented for a period of time in the 21st Century, it is down for the count.
See related story SPENCER'S LIVESTOCK MARKET FADING INTO HISTORY?
| 
