World auctioneer championships set June 28

Everyone that raises livestock, at one time or another, takes at least some of their cattle to sell at the local sale barn, or goes there to bid and buy something they need for their ranch. The auctioneer conducting the sale is the central focus of these sale barn visits, and his acumen goes a long way in setting prices and keeping the market moving. A bad auctioneer is also a substantial impediment to the market, and doesn't usually last very long. The bidders and sellers vote with their feet.

This coming June 28 at the market in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the 45th annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship will be conducted. 33 contestants will compete, selling real cattle in a real sale barn, working from a real auction block. I've attended over the years, and it is fascinating, if you're a fan of the auction method of selling at all.

To the untrained ear, they all sound alike, or at best, the differences between them are very subtle. If you're heard and attended hundreds of auctions over the years, and done a little amateur auctioneering yourself, it's easier to separate the wheat from the chaff. None of the 33 will be terrible. They've survived video competition regionally, shot at the sale barn where they work and judged by experts, to winnow the field to 33.

Not to be too crass, and say publicly what many are afraid to say, but the stain of politics does enter the ring on championship day. It does make a difference who sponsors you into the competition, and what their relationship is to the sponsoring Livestock Marketing Association and its directors. It's also well known that if you enter long enough, your turn will eventually come. This is inevitable in a competition organized and run by human beings. To deny that it happens is all that defies credulity.

Like any other competition, some winners use it as a springboard to jumpstart their career, while others drop out of sight, never to be heard from again.

The championship is a matter of great professional pride and prestige. That's why auctioneers enter year after year.