Elaine Blaisdell
GRANTSVILLE — Area residents interested in buying or selling livestock can go to either one of two places in Garrett County — Friend’s Stockyard in Accident or Grantsville Stockyards. Both are managed by Vice President Joe Friend Jr.
“I like coming here (Grantsville) because there is a variety of animals, it’s a good place to make friends and they have a good restaurant,” said Kerm Yoder, who has been attending livestock auctions for 20 years.
Yoder buys livestock in the spring and sells in the fall.
“I buy lay hens for $10 and sell them for $2,” said Yoder, who sells the hens back after they’ve laid their eggs.
A livestock auction is held every Monday at Friend’s Stockyard and an auction is held every Saturday starting at 10 a.m. at the Grantsville Stockyards. The two livestock auctions differ because Grantsville is more diversified, said Friend.
Sam Jinks, who owns a petting zoo at Blackwater Falls, W.Va., comes to Grantsville to purchase calves, pigs and lambs for the petting zoo.
“I like this auction better because this one has more quality animals. Sometimes they even have alpacas, ” said Jinks.
The Grantsville livestock auction starts with the smaller animals — ducklings, hens and rabbits. The auction for the smaller animals keeps going until all the animals are sold or until 1 p.m. when the large livestock is auctioned, according to Yoder.
During the smaller animal auction bidders hold up their cards and during the large animal auction bidders just provide the auctioneer with a last name.
Friend’s Stockyard has special feeder calf sales in the spring and fall, according to Friend.
Both auctions get about 200 sellers a week and Friend makes 3 percent of each sale.
“We survive off of it, but we don’t get rich,” said Friend.
The livestock auctions are the only ones of that magnitude in the area. The Grantsville auction is better attended because it’s held on the weekend, Friend said.
