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The following is a press release written by LMA’s John McBride announcing my upcoming appearance December 16th.  

South Coffeyville Stockyards hosting 2011 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion Dec. 16; public invited to attend

     SOUTH COFFEYVILLE, OKLA. – Buyers attending the Dec. 16 cattle sale at the South Coffeyville Stockyards, Inc., 900 South Willow, will have a special auctioneer catching bids: 2011 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion Charly Cummings.

     Stockyards owner-operator Jim Folk said Cummings, of Yates Center , Kan., will be working the sale that starts at 11 a.m.  Weaned and vaccinated cattle will be going through the sale ring, in conjunction with the market’s regular cattle sale, Folk said.

The sale is free and open to the public.  In addition to announcing Cummings’ appearance, Folk said the 16^th is also “Customer Appreciation Day,” with a complimentary luncheon that’ll be served starting at 11 a.m.

“We want to thank our customers, the bedrock of our business,” Folk said, “and we know they’ll enjoy watching – and listening to —  the world champion in action.

“We’re firm believers in the auction method of livestock marketing, and skilled auctioneers like Charly are an important part of that marketing process.”

Cummings’ appearance won’t mark the first time a world champion has worked a sale here.  Kenneth Wilcox, winner of the 1990 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) sells regularly for Folk, as does Justin Dodson, who was named 2011 reserve world champion, or second place.

Cummings, 32, defeated 32 other contestants to win this year’s WLAC, held in June in Williamston, S.C.  It was his fourth time competing for the world title

His previous highest finish was in Oklahoma City in 2010, when he was named runner-up world champion, or third place.  In 2008, he won the “Rookie of the Year” award, given to the first-time contestant with the highest score in that year’s semi-finals.

The annual WLAC, now in its 48^th year, is widely considered the World Series and Super Bowl of the livestock auctioneering profession.

The contest was created and is conducted by Livestock Marketing Association, the national trade association for progressive marketing businesses like the South Coffeyville  Stockyard.

In addition to being an auctioneer, Cummings is a partner in Southeast Kansas Stockyards in Gas, Kan.

During his year as champion, he is traveling across the U.S., appearing at LMA member markets and at industry events. And that’s just fine with him.

“I’m enjoying visiting livestock marketing businesses like the one in South Coffeyville, helping to turn the spotlight on what they do for America’s independent livestock producers, day in and day out,” Cummings said.

“Like markets all across the country, Jim’s market offers competitive marketing, where a producer’s cattle are put in front of several buyers – and competitive marketing is the best way to get the best price.”

Folk said, “For everyone who enjoys listening to a great auctioneer, our market is the place to be on December sixteenth.  Come and help us welcome Charly to South Coffeyville.”

From Left to Right: Blake McDaniel, Paul Ramirez, Jay Romine, Darren Carter, Brandon Neely, Will Epperly, Tom Frey, Brian Little

Yesterday was an awesome day!  I traveled to Coffeyville Livestock in Coffeyville, Kansas and was hosted by James King and Brian Little at their 7th Anniverary sale.  I want to say Congratulations to them on their 7th year of operation and on having their biggest sale yet of over 2,600 head of cattle!

It was a fun day full of ribeye sandwiches and great company.  There were a lot of familiar chants in the sale barn yesterday.  First off ther is Brian Little who just recently qualified for this year’s WLAC in Turlock, California and is one of the market’s co-owners.  Paul Ramirez and Jay Romine also qualified for WLAC in Glasgow, Kentucky and they were put to work as well.  Dustin Foct, last year’s WLAC Runner-Up Champion and Andrew McDowell, one of last year’s semi-finalist were also up on the block.  There was a new face in the midst, Blaine Lotz is an up and coming face to the auction block.  If you remember, last year during intermission of the Semi-Finalists competition, Blaine gave a speech about being an auctioneer.  This year he has graduated from speech giver to auction competitor.  He will be competing at the WLAC Quarterfinal in Greely, Colorado.  I think yesterday he was able to get some pointers and hopefully ‘us old veterans’ didn’t scare him off.  It is great to see new faces up on the block, especially ones with the passion and drive of Blaine. 

All day we were joking that Coffeyville was hosting their own auctioneer competition.  Though we didn’t have judges, and prizes weren’t awarded, Jay Romine named himself Champion of the day.  Congratulations Jay!

Throughout this mini auctioneer competition I got to thinking (dangerous, I know), about what makes events like this so much fun and I trailed off into thinking about the uniqueness of our industry when it comes to relationships and camaraderie.   Just look at it; at this one sale in the Midwest there were auctioneers representing Arizona, Kentucky, Illinois, Oklahoma and Kansas.  We were all in one place to support our peers, celebrate their success and get some work done.  Yes, it isn’t all work and we have a great time swapping stories, but at the end of the day we were all there FOR Coffeyville Livestock and to represent their consignors the best we possibly could.  I see this type of gathering often and it makes me proud to be part of an industry where differences can be put aside, and everyone joins together to celebrate a job well done.  The livestock marketing industry is very much about relationships.  When looking at the big picture, we all work together to overcome obstacles to keep our businesses viable on a global scale.  Livestock Marketing Association is a key example of how we get this done.  Yesterday was a reminder of the importance of maintaining positive relationships in the industry and of what can be accomplished through hard work.  My thanks, of course, go out to Coffeyville Livestock for hosting me and to all of my peers who helped make their special sale a success!

Well, this weekend I am off to watch the KSU vs MU game and the to NASCAR race in Kansas City!  It will be nice to have a weekend off from farm work and to enjoy some family time.  Happy Weekend to you all!

Hey all!

First and foremost let me take this opportunity to apologize for not updating the blog in two months.  It has taken a while to get used to my new travel schedule and keep up communication on the blog.  Finding the balance between my everyday commitments, family and responsibilities as WLAC has been challenging.  Luckily I have a supporting wife who has helped me to keep organized and stay on track.

Now that everything is in order and I have adapted to my new schedule I will be back in business on the blog.  To kick things off I will give you an overview of where I have been so far.  Right out of the gate I started traveling and it hasn’t really slowed down since.  I started my blog writing with documenting my ‘firsts’ while on the road.  I have since added many to my list and will not have a chance to mention all of them in this post-I will save that for later.

Below is a list to catch you up on my travels.  I have made a few mentions, but I cannot express my gratitude enough to everyone I met and for the generosity and hospitality I have experienced on the road.  I am blessed to be able to meet and work for such amazing people!

•  August 5- Dunlap Livestock Auction- Dunlap, Iowa.  Thank you to the Schaben family!
• August 9- Anthony Livestock Co.- Anthony, Kansas.  Thank you to Randy Patterson & his crew!
• August 18- Eureka Livestock Sales- Eureka, Kansas.  Thank you to the Ervin Family!
• August 24- Creston Livestock Auction, Inc.-Creston, Iowa. Thank you to the Frey Family!
• September 1- Farmers & Ranchers Comm. Co.- Salina, KS.     Thank you to Mike Samples & his crew!
• September 12- Montgomery Stockyards- Montgomery, AL.  Thank you to Jerry Etheredge and his staff!
• September 14- Kansas State Fair & the Kansas Auctioneers Association Contest- Thank you to the KAA for putting on a terrific contest!
• September 18- Farmers Livestock- Glasgow, Kentucky- WLAC Quarterfinal #1- Thank you to the Loy family for putting on an amazing contest and congratulations to Brandon Neely on being named the Champion for this event.
• September 20- Blue Grass Stockyards- Lexington, Kentucky.  Thank you to all Blue Grass staff and management-too many names to list!