Lekey Livestock Auction
Owners: Kelly Emerson and Lyle Tatum
Location: Clever, Mo.
History: Owners and partners, Kelly Emerson and Lyle Tatum established Lekey Livestock Auction about 2 1/2 years ago and have seen a steady growth of participation since then. “We decided to have an all animal auction – if it has feathers or fur, we’ll sell it,” said Lyle. Kelly and Lyle have both had many years of experience handling and raising a variety of livestock. “We enjoy it and it is a lot of work,” said Lyle, who oversees the acceptance of sale stock. “Sellers can drop off animals the Friday before the sale, on up to the time of the sale.” Lekey provides a state vet to inspect all animals, and accepts not only livestock such as cattle, swine, goats and sheep, but also handles exotic animals.
Though Kelly and Lyle handle all breeds and sizes of cattle, they also typically have a large showing of poultry at each sale. Another unique aspect is that they also include farm machinery and tools at their twice-monthly auction. “We start at 11 with the machinery and miscellaneous and then we move on to poultry. After that we auction the larger animals,” explained Lyle.
Other Services: During the auction, Lekey provides a cafe, “My aunt and uncle run the cafe. They make the best cheeseburgers ever,” said Kelly. Lekey also provides feed sales, which has become a full-time business. The auction and feedstore together makes a convenient combination for anyone buying animals on auction day. They have a full line of feed, and will special order any other animal supplies, “When you are a farmer, every penny counts, especially for small farmers. We try to keep costs low and help save farmers money if we can,” said Kelly.
