Published: June 27, 2009 11:47 pm         

Weathering tough times

FAIRVIEW — Bobby Smith officially has begun his second year as president of the Livestock Marketing Association.

The 58-year-old Fairview man says he hopes to guide the 800-member organization through difficult times.

“Our members are faced with the declining cattle numbers and a decline in economy,” Smith said. “I want to try to lead them through that.”

Smith, whose other ventures include the Fairview Sale Barn, has made his home in the town for 56 years. His father, Bob, owned the sale barn in 1967, and died a few years later in 1972.

In 1975, Bobby Smith leased the business, then later purchased it in the early 1980s.

Smith began auctioneering at the age of 20, when he was working in the ring at the sale barn. The owners at the time were ready to start the sale, he said, but the auctioneer hadn’t shown up. So, he volunteered to take the reigns as temporary auctioneer.

“I’m sure I wasn’t very good,” he said with a chuckle.

Several decades later, the Fairview man has held numerous executive posts in several livestock organizations. From 1997 to 1998 he was president of the Oklahoma Livestock Marketing Association, of which he is a 30-year member. Smith also has been a representative for the Oklahoma Beef Council since 2003, and was president from 2006 to 2007.

Smith first became a member of the Livestock Marketing Association in 1979. The LMA, which is comprised of more than 800 members throughout the United States and Canada, provides services including online cattle auctions, insurance products and legal assistance.

Smith served as vice president of the LMA for two years before beginning his two-year term as president. Following his presidency, he will spend another two years as chairman of the board.

“I just want to be a constructive member (of the board) when my time is up as chairman,” Smith said.

Right now, though, Smith is concentrating on his role as president, and along with that, the hope cattle sales will continue to be higher than last year.

In 2008, around 86,000 cattle were sold out of Fairview. Smith says cattle sales so far are up 3 to 4 percent since the end of last year.

Whether or not that percentage stays up remains to be seen.

“A lot of that depends on the weather,” Smith said. “If it rains and the grass stays green and good and it lets the farmers produce those cattle, (the percentage) will (stay up).”

But, he doesn’t think those percentages will get any higher.

A 3 or 4 percent rise in sales is still good news to Smith, though, who was expecting a 10 to 15 percent downturn from 2008 sales.

As president, Smith focuses on several important issues facing the livestock industry, one of which is the NAIS, or National Animal Identification System. Under the system, which has been promoted by the Obama administration, all cattle would be marked with an electronic tag.

Smith said that would be a real hardship on his operation, because it would mean a lot of extra work and money to maintain the system.

Another facet of the business Smith has tried to address is handling practices, or how livestock are treated. Smith said he is a big proponent of treating livestock in a good manner.

Throughout all the tasks and economic struggles Smith goes through, though, he doesn’t see his work as merely “a job.” Taking a quote from writer Lee Pitts, Smith said, “When you find a job you love, you never have to get up and go to work again.”

“I love what I do; my customers are wonderful people,” he said. “I just enjoy working with the people.”