Campbell: Fall Run Slower to Begin for Some Producers

September 8, 2025

La Junta, Colorado’s Winter Livestock is seeing a slower start to the fall run this year with unusually wet conditions but, that’s certainly not the case west of the Arkansas Valley.

John Campbell has been a fixture at Winter Livestock in LaJunta for over 40 years and is one of the newest inductees into the Cattle Marketing Hall of Fame. His area isn’t known for lush pastures, but he said they’re in good shape so far.

“We have grass and everybody’s in pretty good shape, so nobody’s very excited about moving anything just yet, but west of us they’re going to have to start doing a little something maybe sooner than later,” he said. “You get over in the San Luis Valley and, for sure, way west along the Utah border – really the whole stretch of Colorado, which I’m sure you’re aware of, man they’re dry. Arizona is really dry, western New Mexico is really dry.”

Campbell said the prices cattle are fetching currently reflect the high quality of the livestock being brought to town.

There’s great money in the cattle business and the cow calf business, and these guys are getting a well-deserved shot in the arm the way the market currently is,” he said. “Hopefully there’ll be a chance to get some expansion.”

Campbell said in his experience, especially in the early 2000’s severe drought years, producers at the mercy of Mother Nature, the rebuild is way slower than the dispersal.

Gabel will have more this week on Campbell’s career and recent induction into the Cattle Marketing Hall of Fame.

Source: Rachel Gabel