A3O-Lancast«r Farming, Saturday, Octobar 16, 1993
JOYCE BUPP
York Co. Correspondent
STEWARTSTOWN (York
Co.) The last livestock auction
in York County went out of busi
ness this week.
Isennock Auction Services,
which operated the Stewartstown
livestock auction, ran the last
calves, cattle and hogs through its
ring late Mopday evening. When
the last animal cleared the ring,
even the holding lot separating
gates were available for sale.
While regular buyers and sell
ers who used the auction service
learned of its closing in mid-
September, the decision to discon
tinue the livestock sales portion of
the Stewartstown facility was
made well over a year ago. Sales
of produce, poultry, rabbits and
tools will contin as before at the
Monday evenin ; auction.
‘The number of cattle going
through the sale has dropped off a
couple of hundred head each
year,” says Cindy Isennock, co
owner with her husband, Robert,
of Isennock Auction Services,
Inc., White Hall, Maryland. “And
in the last year, five of the local
dairy farmers who supported the
sale with their cattle and calves
went out of business.’’
Only in 1991 did the auction’s
numbers take an upswing trend
since it opened for business in
January, 1989. And that, say the
Isennocks, was primarily related
to several local farmers going out
of business and marketing their
herds that year. In the last nine
months, total number of head was
down 582 from the same period
one year ago.
Along with declining
numbers of livestock
supporting the auction
and loss of local far
mers, the Isennocks cite
several other reasons for
their decision to cease
handling cattle, hogs
and sheep.
Fewer buyers and
slaughter-packing facil
ities, skyrocketing
insurance rates, espe
cially workmen’s com
pensation coverage,
increasing numbers of
hogs raised under con
tract, and the changing
American diet focusing
on less beef and dairy
products all contribute
to the declining auction
numbers, the Isennocks
believe.
Buyers and sellers of
livestock on hand to
watch the final night of
auction Monday even
ing noted that, while the
closing is an inconveni
ence to the local farm
business, auctions in
neighboring counties
will probably fill the
gap.
Stan Godfrey, partner
in the family-owned
Godfrey Brothers Meats
atLoganville, expects to
do more buying for their
retail market use at the
various Lancaster'
County livestock auc
tions, as well as the
Tuesday evening one
held at Westminster.
Maryland.
Terry Stroehecker,
livestock buyer from
Herndon, had no defi
nite game plan for
replacing the numbers
he normally bought at
Stewartstown.
Last York County Livestock Auction Closes
Brad Yost. Loganville, bought
calves at the evening auction for
Jeff Craig of Greencastle Sales.
Since a full-time job prohibits him
from attending day sales, Yost
was uncertain if he would con
tinue buying livestock at all.
Local dairy farmer Bob Gross,
of nearby Fawn Grove, marketed
his calves through the Stewarts
town sale. Gross predicted he will
use Lancaster County auctions
more heavily and added that, on
occasion, he has hauled animals
during the night to Lancaster area
sales so he could be back home in
time for morning milking.
The Stewartstown facility has
been a local livestock marketing
source for York County farmers
since 1964. The Sechrist family,
which owned and operated it for
many years, sold the auction in the
mid-1980’s to an out-of-county
owner who continued to run it as
the York County Livestock Auc
tion. The Isennocks took over the
auction in December, 1988, open
ing for business the first Monday
evening in 1989.
“This was simply a business
decision,” affirms Cindy Isen
nock, of the closing of the Stew
artstown livestock auction.”
ONE MORE DOMINO
While the auction’s closing, in
itself, is not expected to create
severe hardship overall to the
county’s livestock business, long
time industry observers see it’s
demise as “one more domino” in
the continuing decline of agricul
ture and related agri-business in
York County.
“There are at least 25 feed
stores that once operated in York
County that have gone out of busi-
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York County’s last livestock auction closed Monday evening after the evening’s
consignments of cattle and hogs cleared the sale arena. Isennock Auction Service,
Inc., plans to continue the weekly sales of produce, small animals, and tools.
ness since the mid-19605,” says ne ®d f° r all ag-rclated services.
Marlyn Flaharty, owner and oper- "We’re in the people business
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Delta. “The ‘free market' portion rathenhan in the agriculture busi
of feed business, as opposed to ness.” Continuning population
feed sold through contracting expansion into York County from
arrangements, has gone way down Harrisburg and Baltimore is
over the years.” ‘ expected to only intensify that
“With fewer farmers, there’s squeeze on ag land and the loss of
less need for feed mills,” Flaharty fanners,
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Supplier cites studies which have
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Arm, along with Codorus Fertiliz
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