Bloomington Livestock Exchange, Bloomington, WI, will host the 2018 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) on Saturday, June 9. The 55th annual WLAC will take place in conjunction with the Livestock Marketing Association’s (LMA) Annual Convention in Dubuque, IA.
For the World Livestock Auctioneer Champion title, 31 semi-finalist auctioneers will compete in auctioneering and interviewing contests. The auctioneering contest will take place during a live sale where contestants will sell cattle to actual bidders in the seats. Additionally, because of the important, high-profile role, each WLAC semi-finalist must establish their knowledge of the livestock marketing business, and demonstrate the ability to express that knowledge with clarity in an interview competition.
The interviews will be on Friday, June 8, at the Grand River Center in Dubuque and can be viewed live on LMAauctions.com starting at 3 p.m. (CDT). The auctioneering competition will be at Bloomington Livestock Exchange beginning at 8 a.m. (CDT) and will also be streamed live on LMAauctions.com. On June 25, the WLAC will be broadcast as a special, one-hour show on RFD-TV, starting at 7 p.m. (CDT).
Reigning World Livestock Auctioneer Champion, Brian Curless, will serve as event emcee. Many past World Livestock Auctioneer Champions will attend this year’s contest, and each will sell cattle during the Parade of Champions, a portion of the WLAC sale between the semi-finalist and finalist rounds.
Contestants who have qualified to compete are: Mitch Barthel, Perham, MN; Neil Bouray, Webber, KS; Chuck Bradley, Rockford, AL; Colton Brantley, Modesto, CA; Albert Carroll, Downeyville, Ontario, CN; Leon Caselman, Long Lane, MO; Bill Cook, Billings, MT; Eric Drees, Nampa, ID; Dean Edge, Rimbey, Alberta, CN; Will Epperly, Dunlap, IA; Brandon Frey, Creston, IA; Philip Gilstrap, Pendleton, SC; Steven M. Goedert, Dillon, MT; Cody Hanold, Brighton, IL; Jonathan Kraft, Hobart, IN; Kyle Layman, Morland, KS; Wade Leist, Boyne City, MI; Cody Lowderman, Macomb, IL; Jacob Massey, Petersburg, TN; Thad McDermott, Wellfleet, NE; Brandon McLagan, Milan, MO; Jared Miller, Leon, IA; Daniel Mitchell, Cumberland, OH; Lander Nicodemus, Cheyenne, WY; Jay Romine, Mt. Washington, KY; Jason Santomaso, Sterling, CO; Ethan Schuette, Washington, KS; Russele Sleep, Bedford, IA; Justin Steward, Wyoming, IA; Tim Yoder, Montezuma, GA; and Zack Zumstein, Prairie, ID.
The general public may attend the auctioneering portion of the contest free of charge. More information about the events can be found at www.LMAweb.com. — LMA
