Good Morning Kansas City

I am currently on a trip in Missouri and had an awesome day yesterday in Kansas City and Butler.  I had the opportunity to promote the industry I love on television and sell at a highly respected market.  All in all it was a day for the books or in this case, this blog!

There will be two different posts about yesterday and I will put up notes about today as soon as possible!

 I started yesterday morning at the Fox 4 News Station in Kansas City at around 8:00 AM.  Even though I had been briefed before entering the studio I was still a tad nervous about what I had gotten myself into.  In the fifteen minutes before my airtime I met with meteorologist Karli Ritter and news anchors Mark Alford and Loren Halifax.  They gave me a very quick rundown of what would happen and then it was Showtime.

My first job in the studio was to do part of the weather broadcast.  I stood in front of the green screen and did my best to interpret the image I saw on the monitor with numbers and arrows.  Karli seemed impressed by how quickly I picked up the system.  I was happy I made it through without any major stumbles and I hope the unsuspecting citizens of Kansas City understood what I was saying.

 Funny thing happened when I started with the weather, the camera cut off the top of my head/hat.  The cameras are all controlled by a remote and it took them a second of me being on screen to adjust it for my height.  I was almost the headless auctioneer and everyone I know who was watching found it pretty comical.

Next stop in the studio was the anchor desk.  I stood next to news anchor Mark Alford and we did a little segment on auctioneering and then transitioned into talking about the value of livestock markets toKansas City and local communities across the country.  It was nice to have the opportunity to focus on the industry and importance of livestock marketing, not just auctioneering.  He did ask questions about ‘fast talking’ but seemed to understand that livestock auctioneering is more than just spitting out numbers and I appreciate that.

A side note about Mark Alford, he actually is a bit of an auctioneer himself.  He has done some charity auctions in Kansas City and even gave me a sample of his chant on air, cowboy hat on and all.  I gave him some pointers on what to say between the numbers and I hope they helped!  Good luck at your next auction Mark!

 After about an hour at the Fox 4 News studio LMA REO Jeff Hazaleus and I headed off to Butler, Missouri  to check out the sale at MO-KAN Livestock Market, Inc.  It was a relatively short drive and it gave me time to re-group and fully realize that I had just done a weather broadcast and interview LIVE on the News.  What a great day for firsts!

A Visit to Corn Husker Country

I had my wisdom teeth yanked out yesterday, so I had a little time to put some thoughts together about my recent trip to Ogallala, NE.

 I first met Dwayne Mays several years ago while I was attending the University of Wyoming in Laramie.  He introduced himself following a benefit auction I was working and invited me over to Ogallala Livestock to sell for a day.  I never could make it fit in my schedule before we moved back to Montana.  A couple of weeks ago, I finally had an opportunity to make that trip!

I was really looking forward to working beside Dwayne and the Schow’s.  Following the contest in Oklahoma City last summer, Dean and Leah offered to drive my new truck for a while, since we were heading the same direction  (Jodie and I hadn’t planned on bringing 2 vehicles home).  So, Dean and one of his grandsons hopped in the Chevy and headed north, while Jodie and I followed.  Our coordination with the weather was impeccable, as we all drove straight to the middle of a Kansas hail storm.  We ended up staying in Concordia, Kansas for the night to let the system blow over and had a good laugh about Dean’s driving and timing.  Jodie and I took off early the next morning in our two separate outfits, but I was honored to have a former World Champ put the first 300 miles on the pickup…and almost just as honored that he was responsible for the first 18 dents!  

                Roy Barta, the LMA Executive Officer for the region picked me up at the airport in North Platte and we had a good visit on our way over to Ogallala.  It was the 55^th Annual Stock Show Special at the market and sale day had 7500 head of feeder cattle in the pens and a ring full of buyers!  Dean and I shared some laughs during a few newspaper and TV interviews, and then the sale got underway.  The cattle out of that Sand Hills country are awfully impressive.  There  were loads upon loads of even, green calves throughout the entire day.  I saw some familiar buyers and had a chance to visit with quite a few consignors too.  Mike Nuss even made the trip down from Minitare, Nebraska to say howdy.  Among all the highlights was the chance to visit with Jerry Speck for a while.   Jerry is a former owner of Ogallala Livestock and a very well-known cattle man in this part of the country. 

                The band had a show to play in Billings on Friday night, so I was off and on the plane by 5:30 Friday morning.  A side note about the band- Kyle Shobe and the Walk Em’ Boys- we will be making a guest appearance at the 2011 WLAC Awards Banquet in Greenville, South Carolina! 

A big thank you to Dwayne, Dean and Kevin as well as Scott Van Winkle for the opportunity to be a part of a grand day.  You run a very impressive operation.                                                                                                                                                         

On another note, I’m headed to St. Onge, SD this weekend for the Greater Midwest Auctioneer Championship.  It looks like there are over 40 auctioneers competing and I am excited to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones.  If you’re in the area, you’ll be able to tune in on the radio for the finals.  I’ll have more information about it this week.  Doug Dietterle and Justin Tupper have been working hard at putting that together.

The 4^th WLAC Quarterfinal is only a month away in Bloomington, WI.  Can’t believe the Semi-Finals are only 5 months away! 

 If you are not already become a fan of Livestock Marketing Association on Facebook and confirm your attendance to the 2011 WLAC—click on the EVENTS tab!

A busy November

Wow…it’s been a busy month of November.  I’ve had to transition from Livestock Auctioneer to Antique Auctioneer back to Livestock, to Ranch Equipment to Real Estate and back to Livestock all in a 3 weeks time! 

Following the Burlington Quarterfinal, we held a large 2-day Western Memorabilia auction.  The merchandise was owned by Leonard and Spunky Llewellyn of Martinsdale, MT, and included an original Charles M. Russell letter, a book signed by General George Custer, 12 Bob Scriver bronzes, original western art and many one-of-a-kind historical items.  Cary Aasness, 2005 International Auctioneer Champion from Dalton, Minnesota, and his wife Anita, lent us a hand for the weekend.  It turned out to be a phenomenal couple of days with over 500 registered bidders; everything sold very well.  Beyond the monetary aspect though, the auction was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.  To stand in the presence of four simple pieces of paper, knowing that Charlie Russell himself penned the script, sketch and signature, was absolutely incredible.  The Custer book came out of his personal library at Fort Lincoln, Dakota and was signed in pencil with several marks throughout the book where Custer, in his genuine arrogance, corrected the author’s grammar.   Most importantly, we became very good friends with some people we may have never met, had it not been for the auction business. 

Leonard was born and raised in the small rural community of Martinsdale.  He went on to fly over 150 air combat missions in Vietnam and then piloted Air Force One for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.  He was literally a living book of  U.S. and western history and quite willing to share the knowledge he had gained in his years of life.  He’s also proof that no matter where we come from, anything is achievable!  Leonard passed away one week following the auction, but we all will cherish the relationship we had with him forever.

The following week we had a large ranch equipment and hay auction, just an hour south of us in Harlowton for the historical Muir Ranch.  The ranch sold recently and this was a liquidation of the equipment and 700 ton of hay.  We got lucky on the weather and had a beautiful day for the auction.  It only warmed up to about 25 degrees, but there was little wind and we had over 300 buyers registered for the sale.  There was plenty of interest in the tractors, feed pickups and Haybusters and again, everything sold very well including the hay, which averaged $57/ton for straight grass. (Considering the fact that hay is in abundant supply in central Montana this year!)

That is a brief update of my most recent endeavors.  From here on out I should have a little more free time to update more frequently.  I apologize for the gap in my posts.  Until we meet again, Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless!

Good Company and Pink Lightning

I already shared with you the business end of my trip to Oklahoma and Kansas so I think it is only fair that I share with you the rest of my adventure.  I have great friends and colleagues that are always coming up with ways to entertain, so there was never a dull moment!

Rodeo Announcers Shop Talk- Justin McKee, Me, Wayne Brooks

I helped Justin and Jeannie McKee gather cows on Thursday and Friday mornings.  On Friday, I had just hopped off my horse and was getting ready to hit to road to Gas, KS when Wayne Brooks pulled up.  Wayne is a former PRCA Announcer of the Year and was in the area to work the State Fair rodeo.  He had the morning off and decided to drive up to see Justin.  It was a pleasant surprise on both ends to run into each other.  The three of us, Wayne, Justin and myself, stood around and talked announcer shop for a while before I hit the road.  It never ceases to amaze me how small the World is some days.

 Friday evening was enjoyed with good company and lots of laughs.  Thanks to the always entertaining Andrew!

The Bird Hunting A Team- Charly, Me, Blaine, Mike

 Saturday morning started with a hearty breakfast at the Copan, OK truck stop.  We then headed off pheasant hunting.  Brian Little, our host, along with the rest of the participants all decided to add some friendly competition to the hunt and place a wager on the team that could bring in the most birds.  My team consisted of Charly Cummings, cattle buyer Mike Lotz and his son Blaine.  Sadly, I had to leave the hunt early in order to catch a plane in Wichita, KS.  However, our team still won the competition!  I don’t know if that shows how good Charly, Mike and Blaine are or how the rest of the boys need a little more practice…hmmm?!

 

 I want to give a quick shout out about Blaine Lotz.  He is a hard work young man and an aspiring auctioneer.  I first had the pleasure of meeting him when he was a student at the Western College of Auctioneering last year.  He is currently President of his FFA Chapter and is active in the livestock industry.  He was at the sale Thursday helping his dad buy cattle.  It is great to see young people so involved with the livestock marketing industry.  I look forward to hearing about his continued accomplishments.  Hats off to you Blaine!

 Finally, the story of my trip would not be complete without mentioning Jay Romine and his pink moped.  I thought my rental car was small until I saw him on Pink Lightning!

Jay Romine on Pink Lightning

Just a reminder that next Saturday, October 23 is the second of the 2011 WLAC Quarterfinal events.  It will be in Ponoka, Alberta Canada and will start at 10:00 AM GMT.  As always, the contest will be broadcast live on LMAAuctions.  You will not want to miss this event as it will be a true World showcase of Livestock Auctioneers.  There will be contestants from the US, Canada and Australia competing!