A day of competitive bid-calling in California’s Central Valley produced 10 qualifiers for the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC). Led by Seth Schneider, Hershey, NE, the group advances to the semifinals at Cattlemen’s Livestock Market in Galt, CA, in June.
For the champion, a childhood fascination with auctioneering has grown into a career—and now his first WLAC qualifier victory.
Schneider’s interest began early. His great-grandfather and great-uncle were auctioneers, and trips with his grandparents to the sale barn in Ogallala, NE, introduced him to livestock auctions. There, he watched 1980 world champion Dean Schow work the auction block. Later, videos of past champions helped turn that fascination into a goal.
“I guess it’s always kind of been my dream to do that ever since I was a kid,” he said. “And now that I’m lucky enough to be in that position, it’s an honor for me to get to compete at these LMA (Livestock Marketing Association) events.”
Encouragement from his high school agriculture teacher helped Schneider take the next step and attend auctioneer school. Today, he sells every Tuesday at North Platte Stockyards in Nebraska and works full time for the same ownership in Ogallala, serving as field representative and sorting cattle.
As he looks toward the championship this summer, Schneider said the opportunity to improve comes with another benefit: camaraderie with fellow contestants.
“Everybody kind of roots for each other, which makes it really neat to me,” he said. “And then just making new connections in the industry and seeing some friends and making new ones.”
Among the other 26 contestants, Travis Moniz, Princeton, CA, was named reserve champion, and Trey Narramore, Portales, NM, was runner-up. Colby Hales, Riverton, WY, earned a spot in the top 10 and was the high-score rookie.
Rounding out the top 10, in no order, were:
• Ryan Konynenbelt, Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada.
• Austin Henderson, Dickinson, ND.
• A.J. Austin, Paragould, AR.
• Michael Imbrogno, Turlock, CA.
• John Kisner, Hays, KS.
• Jerran Miller, Chouteau, OK.
Facilitated by LMA, the final qualifying event of the season was hosted by Farmers Livestock Market, Oakdale, CA. WLAC Committee Chair Kyle Shobe, Lewistown, MT, said the qualifying event reflected the dedication of everyone involved.
“A successful contest takes a lot of work, and our hosts gave these contestants every opportunity to shine,” he said. “These auctioneers have put countless hours into their craft, and it showed. We’ll have a tremendous group heading to Galt for the one and only World Livestock Auctioneer Championship.”
As the 2010 world champion, Shobe has seen firsthand how participating can help an auctioneer grow professionally.
“You come into this hoping to win, but there’s so much to take home beyond the prizes,” he said. “You leave with friendships, fresh ideas and a little more confidence in what you can do. Those things stay with you long after the scores are announced.” — LMA
