CARRYING ON
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AUCTION MARKET CONTINUES TIME-HONORED TRADITION OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE FOR BUYERS AND SELLERS by CCA Associate Director of Communications Maureen LaGrande
Auction yards play a crucial role in the cycle of livestock production. When producers have animals that need to be sold or are in the market to expand their herd, they head to the sale. While there are various yards located throughout California, transporting animals can be costly depending on the distance traveled to get there and the toll it takes on the animals after traveling such a long distance. For producers who live in the more rural parts of California, having access to a nearby auction yard is critical to the success of their operation. In the Northeastern part of the state, on the outskirts of Alturas in Modoc County, the Modoc Auction Yard has been in operation since the late 1940s bringing in livestock from Oregon, Nevada and California. The yard was built and run by Fritz Nosler up until the mid to late ‘70s. From the late ‘70s to the early ‘90s the timeline of who owned and operated the yard is a bit vague and during this span the yard was not always in operation. In 1996 Col. Jerry Kresge and Carmen Kresge, Alturas, purchased the Modoc Auction Yard and ran it up until 2023 when they sold it to the current owners, Reed and Amie Martinez. Growing up, Kresge remembers going to the sale as a five-year-old alongside his father and grandfather to purchase cattle. “Sitting there at the sale, made me want to become an auctioneer,” said Kresge. As a young adult,
20 California Cattleman May/June 2024
Kresge would return to the yard to not only purchase cattle but auctioneer some of the sales. After spending two years auctioneering, the opportunity to purchase the yard came about. Following his dream, alongside his wife the Kresge’s became the new owners. As new auction yard operators, the Kresge’s received an abundance of knowledge and advice from Orland Livestock Auction Yard Owner Ed Lacque, Orland. “Ed was a big help when we were first getting started, he was a very kind mentor and helped us get on our feet,” said Kresge. At the time of the Kresge’s purchase, the yard was about 50 years old and had been built completely of wood. Little by little the pair put in a new watering system, and replaced the pens, and gates with steel pipe and guard rail. After five years of renovations and the addition of a new set of scales, the yard was brand new again. Despite all the maintenance, changes and work that took place over those years, the yard never once closed and continually hosted its sales on Saturdays. Operating the yard for 26 years both Jerry and Carmen met many people from different facets of the industry. “The friends and the people that we were able to make during this time was huge,” said Kresge. Doing all the jobs imaginable, Kresge would even hire auctioneers so that he could help sort and push cattle up and Carmen would do the same. “There is no position that my wife could not