101 Livestock Auction
Owner: John Knight (pictured)
Location: Atkins, Ark.
Business: 101 Livestock Auction
History: 101 Livestock was started by John Paul Jones and Donny White in 2003. John Knight purchased the barn in 2008, after selling his farm equipment business.
“Since taking over, I have upgraded computers, software, and monitors as well as areas of the facility. Recent interest in cows and heifers is evident by the lower female numbers coming to market. During my ownership I have also witnessed a huge improvement in the Arkansas cow herd due to skyrocketing genetics and heavy culling. Those cattlemen who survived the variable market and weather issues are developing excellent cattle.”
Products and Services: “We accept cattle 24/7, when someone calls ahead. We’re open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and the gate opens at 7 a.m. on Saturday. Early arrivals are supplied hay and water at no extra charge and grain is available as an option. The vast majority of animals come in on Saturday, because it’s handy for working folks, and we accept arrivals as late as possible. We average 49 sales a year and sell cattle, horses, goats and sheep on the same day, with cattle providing 95 percent of the business. We always sell livestock in the same order so customers know what to expect: goats and sheep, horses, calves, bulls, pairs, bred cows and then open cows. Each week we have a sub sale of preconditioned calves that are verified and issued special ear tags. This allows the seller to optimize a return on the extra money he has put into his calves. We provide a full complement of veterinarian services on sale day even for animals not being sold as well as animals just purchased. These services include on-site Coggins labs for horses. We are perhaps the only Arkansas sale that accepts credit and debit cards. We have a gathering station in Little Rock which provides free livestock transportation to the sale for customers in that area. We have inbound and out bound hauling available for all of our customers, wherever they may be. We have an on-site snack shack and a truck stop less than a mile away. Access to the sale barn is easy because we are just off Interstate 40.”
