KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Brian Curless, 2017 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion (WLAC), will be selling Wednesday, Aug. 23, at Creston Livestock Auction, 201 N. Cherry St., in Creston. Curless will be on the auction block selling cattle with the chant that earned him the world title.
Creston Livestock Auction will host a special anniversary sale with a barbecue lunch beginning at 11 a.m. For more information, including a list of consignments, see www.crestonlivestock.com.
Curless defeated 30 other contestants to win WLAC at Public Auction Yards in Billings, Montana. The WLAC was created and is conducted by the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), a national trade association for progressive livestock marketing businesses. During his year as champion, Curless will travel across the U.S. with appearances at LMA member markets and industry events.
Local livestock markets across the country work diligently to bring in multiple buyers on sale day, increasing competition with more bids. This provides true price discovery of the value of all types of livestock, maximizing returns to the seller. In turn, markets provide buyers a centralized location with a ready supply of livestock in the offering.
In June 1963, LMA held the first annual WLAC at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver, Colorado. The purpose was to spotlight North America’s top livestock auctioneers and to salute their traditionally important role in the competitive livestock marketing process. That year, 23 auctioneers from the United States and Canada sold the same 20 head of cattle over and over again.
The contest was conducted at hotels until 1967, when it traveled to its first LMA member market. Since then, the WLAC has been in conjunction with the LMA Annual Convention at member markets around the U.S. and Canada. Recent locations include Alabama, California, Kansas, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Alberta, Canada.
Though the rules have changed, the enthusiasm for the competition hasn’t. On average each year, nearly 100 auctioneers enter the qualifying events and only 31 (10 from each qualifying event, one from the auctioneering competition at Calgary Stampede) are selected to compete in the WLAC. The championship consists of three stages: the regional qualifying events held at different markets around the country, followed by the semi-finals and the finals that are held each June in conjunction with the LMA Annual Convention. Contestants competing for the World Champion title must be 18 years old, employed as a livestock auctioneer and sponsored by a local auction market that shares in the favorable publicity generated by the winners.
The Livestock Marketing Association, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is North America's largest membership organization dedicated to supporting, representing and communicating with and for the entire livestock marketing sector. LMA has more than 800 member businesses across the U.S. and Canada, who in turn serve farmers, ranchers and rural communities. For more information, visit www.LMAWeb.com.