Murnin Departs WLJ and joins Livestock Marketing Assn.

July 16, 2025

BILLINGS, MT., - From California to Colorado and from New Mexico to Alberta, the Livestock Marketing Association’s Western region’s new Region Executive Officer is on the job in what he said is one of the most exciting cattle markets he’s seen.

He’s new to LMA, but Billings, Montana’s Devin Murnin is no stranger to the cattle business. Raised on a commercial operation, he began as a USDA markets reporter before joining the Western Livestock Journal for the past decade. Now, he’s on the road visiting member markets and making the most of the hottest market in recent memory.

Murnin’s first trip in his new role was to California, visiting 16 member markets there. From there, he went to Reno to the Western Video Market special sale.

“That sale brings together quite a few of the auction markets there,” he said. “There will be a lot of cattle there represented by the different auction markets.”

LMA will have a booth in Billings at the Northern Livestock Video Market and in Sheridan at the Bighorn Classic by Superior.

“We’re at historic prices, and it’s good to see producers being rewarded for the work they’ve been putting,” Murnin said. “A lot of these guys sure deserve what they’re getting, and I hope nobody’s apologizing for these prices because there’s been a lot of years where they just barely got by and hopefully this is a time to actually let them get recognized for all their effort, staying in, and raising high-quality calves.”

He said it’s an exciting time in the market overall, even in the weigh cows and bulls, where he said mature bulls are often bringing more than when they were originally purchased.

Murnin and his wife, Samantha’s work hosting Livestock Tours across the country and bringing together hundreds of producers during his time at WLJ will continue, with the next tour location being announced this fall.

Source: Rachel Gabel, Western Ag Network