Well everyone out there, you faithful blog readers, the time has come for me to try my hand at this blog thing and add yet another thing to the list of firsts I have experience this last month. So friends, bear with me and I will do my best not to disappoint!
Please be patient with the site as I work with the staff at LMA to get the blog site transfered over. It should be competed by next week. 
To staff off with, WOW! A year ago I set out determined to refine my interview skills and work my hardest to win. Now, I have the buckle on my belt, keys in my hand and a schedule to boot!
My first market visit was at Holton Livestock Exchange in Holton, Kansas. I have sold for Dan Harris before and it truly was a pleasure to be back at Holton. We had a great sale and sold about 1,200 calves and yearlings. I also had an opportunity to do my first television interview with WIBW Topeka. I answered questions for a few other radio and print publications and I am pretty sure I nailed them. Luckily they are starting me out easy and the questions were pretty general about what it was like to win. All in all, a terrific first market visit representing LMA as the 2011 WLAC.
This last Friday was a very special first for me and my partners. Friday, July 22, 2011 marked the first year of business for Southeast Kansas Stockyards, LLC in Gas, Kansas. My partners and I have worked so hard this last year and it was exciting to have a chance to celebrate our success with the community and the industry. It is hard to even put the last year into words; I think the numbers speak for themselves. In the last year we have sold over 36,000 head of cattle…22,000 head more than the previous year and we plan to keep increasing the numbers in the future. Friday we sold about 2,000 yearlings fresh off the grass and about 350-400 calves. A million thank yous to everyone who helped make our First Anniversary Event a success.
To add to the excitement of our Anniversay Sale, we had a long list of guest appearances by LMA leaders and fellow auctioneers. LMA CEO Mark Mackey came to check out the festivities. We had Lanny Ireland the 1996 World Livestock Auctioneer Champion sell for a bit as well as a few other familiar faces of the WLAC fellow competitors Brian Little, Russelle Sleep and Jim Hertzog were there, all of which have been in the WLAC Semi-Finals. Blain Lotz, the young gentleman who gave his FFA speech during the contest intermission, got a few more drafts under his belt and gained some experience and advice that should help him in his first auctioneer competition this fall. Everyone helped to make it a memorable event and I hope to get pictures up later this week.
Now, to finish up a month of firsts I am in Montana for the first time. I am currently seeing the sights of Billings, Montana, while being shuttled around by 2009 WLAC Ty Thompson. Details will be shared in my next post, but so far I am beyond impressed with Montana and the people I have met.
My list of firsts is below and I cannot wait to see what else I add to it this year!
My list of Firsts for this month:
- Win the title of World Livestock Auctioneer Champion
- Visit Livestock Marketing Association headquarters in Kansas City, MO
- Send my first Tweet- do not forget to follow me @WLAChampion
- Answer questions in a television interview
- Celebrate 1 year at SEK Stockyards
- Write a blog post
- Fly to Billings, Montana
This blog post would not be complete without sending out my congratulations to LMA’s VP of Membership Services Kristen Parman and her husband Grant on the birth of their son Brock. Congratulations Parman’s and I can’t wait to meet our newest LMA member.
