The Mountaineer

A new livestock marketplace in Canton is one step further to becoming a reality. 

On Oct. 26, Canton’s Zoning Board of Adjustments approved the use of an old landfill owned by International Papers, zoned heavy industrial, to allow the livestock market to open at the site.

WNC Communities, the facilitator of the project for local cattle producers and family farms, is waiting on a permit from the state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources before construction can begin.

L.T. Ward, vice president of WNC Communities, said he expects that permit in the next 30 to 45 days.

“Construction will begin immediately after the permit is available,” Ward said. “We hope to have this open in the late spring, April time frame.”

At last Tuesday’s Canton Board of Aldermen meeting, Ward updated the board on the project. He said the market will be constructed in two phases: the first phase will include the construction of a sales arena, an office area and livestock barn plus the needed infrastructure and parking. The second phase would provide for a meeting area and an expanded market arena area.

There is a $2.1 million budget to get the work done, with money coming from grants through the Rural Center, Golden LEAF Foundation and Appalachian Regional Commission and from donations from several Western North Carolina counties, local producers and the Economic Development Commission.

Ward told the board this drive to open a new cattle auction was begun by cattle producers and farmers who were tired of traveling outside Western North Carolina to sell their cattle.

“There was a feasibility study conducted that gave us statistical information on the number of head of cattle being produced (in WNC),” Ward said. “There are 40,000 head of cattle being sold outside of Western North Carolina. We want to bring that 40,000 back to Western North Carolina.”

Ward said he expects the market to handle 500 head per week with a maximum of 1,100 at peak times. Southeast Auction Exchange, overseen by John Queen, will run the auction. By keeping the cattle closer to the 19 Western North Carolina counties where cattle producers are, Ward said greater profits will be realized.

“The plan is to serve Western North Carolina producers,” he said to the Canton board. “There is $250,000 net gain for interested parties.”

In addition to cattle sales, Ward said the new market will provide educational opportunities to producers and farmers regarding inoculations, genetics and other cattle-related topics. The organization is working with Haywood Community College and N.C. State to deliver the programs.

“This is a producer market that had its birth from the suggestion of producers, WNC Communities and WNC Regional Livestock,” Ward said. “It will be operated for the benefit of family farmers and producers, improving income for family farms and hopefully replacing some income lost from tobacco.”

Edward Johnson, of Edward Johnson Auctioneers, opened a cattle auction in May 2008 in Canton to address the needs of cattle producers in the area. Up until then, there had not been a cattle auction in the area for about a decade. Edward said he saw a need and did something about it by opening a cattle auction.

The auction takes place every Wednesday at noon and it has had its ups and downs. Last year during the drought, Johnson had big numbers, with several sales topping 420 head. He said his auction can handle more.

But with the drought over, Johnson said the cattle numbers have dwindled and his auction is at half the numbers it was last year.

“Summer has been light,” he said. “The cattle are pretty much gone this year. Last year, everybody had to sell their cattle off. This year, they’re keeping their cattle.”

Johnson supports the need for a newer, bigger facility, but at the same time he worries about the future of his business, especially when the cattle numbers have been down.

“It’s not going to help,” he said about the location of a new facility, about a mile or so from his auction. “We’ll continue doing what we’re doing because we haven’t spent the last two years of our lives building a company just to stop. I want to see it happen, but I don’t want to be put out of business.”