Our Roots Run Deep

Pratt Livestock has been part of the Kansas cattle business for generations. Located just east of Pratt in the heart of wheat pasture country, the sale barn has long been a place where cattlemen come to buy, sell, visit with neighbors, and keep up with the market.

The roots of Pratt Livestock stretch back to at least 1950, and the barn at its present location was built in 1962. That same era helped establish Pratt as an important livestock market in the region, serving ranchers, farmers, stocker operators, feeders, and buyers from across Kansas and surrounding states.

A big part of the Pratt Livestock story is the Lewis family. Mike Lewis grew up in the cattle and auction business near Kinsley, Kansas, and started working at his father's livestock auction when he was only nine years old. That early experience eventually brought Mike and his wife, Ruth, to Pratt, where they became an important part of the barn and the community surrounding it.

In 1979, Mike Lewis and Bob Wilkey leased Pratt Livestock from the Wilkey family, and in 1987 they purchased the auction. Over the years, Mike and Ruth worked alongside family, employees, auctioneers, ringmen, buyers, and countless producers to continue building the market. Their son Jake would also become involved in the business, carrying another generation of the family into the sale barn.

Pratt has seen its share of big sale days. One of the most memorable came in 1988, when 12,633 head of cattle went through the ring in a single sale. The auction started at 8:00 in the morning and didn't finish until midnight. That year alone, Pratt Livestock marketed more than 300,000 head of cattle—a reminder of just how important the barn has been to the cattle trade in this part of the country.

But Pratt Livestock has never been defined by one big sale or one big year. It's the regular sale days, the familiar faces in the seats, the trucks lined up outside, and the relationships built over decades that make the barn what it is. Some families have been doing business here for multiple generations, and those relationships remain an important part of Pratt Livestock today.

The cattle business has changed considerably since the early days of the barn. Markets move faster, cattle travel farther, and technology has given buyers and sellers new ways to participate. Pratt Livestock has continued to move with the industry while holding on to what matters most—a competitive market, experienced people, and a place producers can depend on to market their cattle.

Today, thousands of cattle continue to move through Pratt Livestock each year. Whether it's a local producer bringing in a handful of cattle or a large consignment of wheat pasture calves, the goal remains the same: bring good cattle and serious buyers together and let the market work.