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Just a scoop full
(June 20)--When it rains it pours. It is amazing how easy it rains at times, once it starts raining, and how hard it is to get it to start at other times. Every few days we get another rain. I feel guilty if I ever hope that it doesn't rain because we are almost always needing rain. However, a lot of farmers have wheat that is ripe and need to desperately salvage what they can before the wheat gets too many weeds or goes down. In some areas not far away the wheat has been disappointing enough that they have pulled out of the field. The grass in our area looks great. Even pasture that was desperately short now looks like a garden--that is, a garden with some weeds. I went to the LMA World Livestock Auctioneer Championship contest held in Springfield, Mo., this past week. That is really a great contest. This year they held four different regional contests across the United States allowing the top eight auctioneers from each region to advance to the championship. Then they allow the champion from Canada to compete also, which totals 33 trying to take home the honor of being the best. Each auctioneer competed in an interview portion on Friday. Then early Saturday morning all 33 contestants got to auction eight drafts of cattle each. They were judged on bid catching, clarity of voice or being able to understand them, speed, and the basic fact of "would you like to hire this auctioneer" to auction at your facility. An auctioneer is extremely important as to whether your auction is successful or not. I have always felt that whether it is the auctioneer, the owner, or manager of the auction there is a fine line of trying to get along with the buyers and sellers and being run over by them and letting them run the auction. After each contestant gets to show his ability five judges sitting in the audience from different areas across the United States pick the top 10. They each get to auction again and then the winner is announced later that evening. I really enjoyed the event. The Springfield Livestock Marketing Center did a great job. This year's World Champion is Trent Stewart from Redmond, Ore. He will be making various stops at local auctions across the United States for the next year. If you get a chance maybe you will get to hear him. The feeder cattle market is holding very well. Hopefully we can get the fat cattle prices to pick up. We won't be able to keep feeders where they are unless something changes in the fat cattle price or else grain would have to go lower. Editor's note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Okla., is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family's ranch near Laverne, Okla.
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