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 FULL HOUSE--There was a full house at the Sioux Falls Regional Livestock barn in Worthing, S.D., for the 2008 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship on June 28. (Journal photo by Jennifer Bremer.) Sandhills chant helps Nebraskan become World ChampionBy Jennifer Bremer Many years of traveling the Sandhills of north central Nebraska selling windmills to his mom in the truck has paid off for Burwell's Matt Lowery. Or maybe it was the Sandhills chant that lifted him to the top. The chant, which Lowery describes as, "a rhythmic, easy to understand chant with a deep, powerful voice." On June 28, he was one of 33 semi-finalists in the 45th annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship at Sioux Falls Regional Livestock. This was his ninth time entering the competition and his perseverance helped him finally earn the title. He had won the reserve title twice and had been runner-up champion once. "Growing up in the Sandhills I love the cattle business and as a young boy I played auctioneer a lot," he said. "Words really can't describe what this means. It's like a dream of mine." Lowery's mom, Sandy, remembers traveling down the roads and listening to him sell windmill after windmill. "He played auctioneer all the time as a boy," she said. "After a year of college in Wyoming he decided he really wanted to go to auctioneering school so that is what he did." He attended auctioneering school in Mason City, Iowa, in 1998 and entered his first contest in 1999. The title of World Champion gives Lowery the last leg of the triple crown of auctioneering championships. In 2006 he won the International Livestock Auctioneer Championship in Calgary as well as the Greater Midwest Auctioneer Championship. It wasn't until he was asked about his goals while attending the school that he realized he wanted to be the world champion. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of some of his mentors--Doug Jaggers of Rushville, Neb., and Ronald Woodward of Broken Bow, Neb.--who had that same Sandhills chant and were also world champions. In the preliminary round of the WLAC, Lowery was the first to take the microphone. "As a general rule, nobody wants to be first," he said. "It's a mental adjustment. You just have to do what we do every day. If you try to change and do something different, that's when you get in trouble." Lowery grew up in a family ranching operation, which has always been a part of his life. He and his mom currently run a cow-calf herd and will be dispersing their horses in August. He has sold all types of livestock, but spends most of his time selling cattle. Selling cattle is nearly an everyday thing for him, as he works barns in Burwell and Valentine, Neb., on a regular basis. Last year, the two barns sold a combined total of nearly 190,000 head of cattle, with the biggest runs from October through April. Judges from the sponsoring Livestock Marketing Association rated the auctioneers on the clarity of their chant and voice quality, their ability to catch bids and execute a sale, and whether they would hire the contestant. Candidates were interviewed on their knowledge of the livestock industry and their effectiveness as spokesmen for the industry. Ted Odle, of Brush, Colo., was the reserve champion and Ty Thompson, of Billings, Mont., was named runner-up champion. The remaining seven finalists were Lance Cochran, Medford, Okla.; Charly Cummings, Yates Center, Kan.; Justin Dodson, Welch, Okla.; Tom Frey, Creston, Iowa; Brian Little, Wann, Okla.; Paul Ramirez, Tucson, Ariz.; and Rick Shoemaker of Kearney. Cummings earned the Audrey K. Banks "Rookie of the Year" award, which is given to the highest-scoring first-time entrant to make the semi-finals. Lowery's prizes include $5,000, use of a 2008 Chevrolet truck for a year, a bronze sculpture, a buckle, and the world champion gold and diamond ring, in addition to other awards. The LMA welcomes past champions back to the championship each year, even though they cannot compete once winning the title. Each auctioneer has sponsors to support him through the contest. Lowery's sponsors were the Valentine, Neb., Livestock Auction Co.; the Burwell, Neb., Livestock Market, Inc.; the Gordon, Neb., Livestock Auction Market, Inc.; dealer/broker Bryce Heinrichs, of Deshler, Neb.; and Kneuppel Livestock and Order Buying, Inc., of Shawano, Wis. During the contest, the entrants sold more than 5,000 head of cattle to buyers from across the country. The judges of the contest are a group of market owners and professional livestock dealers. After all 33 semi-finalists sold several drafts of cattle, the group was narrowed down to 10 finalists and they returned to the auction block to sell several more drafts of cattle and be judged again. This was the second year LMA used four quarter-final competitions to qualify contestants for the WLAC. The eight top-scoring contestants in each competition move on to the June contest. On tradition, the last contestant is the International Auctioneer Champion. Next year's quarter-final competitions will be held in Miles City, Mont.; Texhoma, Okla.; Zanesville, Ohio; and Kingsville, Mo. The 2009 WLAC will be June 13 at Fergus Falls Livestock Auction Market, Fergus Falls, Minn. Lowery will get to show off his world champion talents at the next sale in Burwell--the 25th anniversary sale on July 18. It will be quite a celebration. Jennifer Bremer can be reached by phone at 515-833-2120 or by e-mail at jbremermaj@hotmail.com. 7/7/08 Date: 7/2/08
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