PRESS RELEASE
Jay Romine named Champion at 2018 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship qualifier
December 16, 2017
Kansas City, Mo.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Kristen Parman
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Jay Romine named Champion at 2018 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship qualifier
Jay Romine, Mt. Washington, Ky., was named Champion at the 2018 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) Eastern Regional Qualifying Event. The auctioneering contest was hosted by Shipshewana Auction Inc., Shipshewana, Ind., and was the final of three regional qualifiers. A total of 21 contestants competed for a top 10 placing, granting them a spot in the 2018 WLAC at Bloomington Livestock Exchange in Bloomington, Wis., hosted by the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) in conjunction with LMA’s Annual Convention.
Romine, a veteran of the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship, found his passion for auctioneering through going with his father to livestock markets and helping out. “I have loved it all my life” said Romine.
Since 1999, this will be the sixteenth time Romine has qualified for the WLAC. He has been a Top 10 finalist in the WLAC multiple times as well as qualifying event Champion multiple times. Romine said this was “probably the funnest [sic] contest he has been in.”
Moving forward, Romine said there is not a whole lot of preparation for the WLAC and that it is just “another day at the office.” He says for the interview portion, he is just going to relax and not overthink it. Romine is looking forward to the comradery and meetings, but the highlight will be “sitting down for 5-10 minutes selling cattle.”
Romine was sponsored by Blue Grass Marketing Group, Lexington, Ky.
Also making a great showing was Reserve Champion, Zack Zumstein of Prairie, Idaho, and Runner-up Champion, Ab Carroll, Downeyville, Ontario. The Top Rookie award is given to the high-scoring, first-time contestant, and Jonathan Kraft, Valparaiso, Ind., won the award as well as a spot in the 2018 WLAC. The following contestants rounded out the Top 10 as qualifiers for the 2018 WLAC: Leon Caselman, Long Lane, Mo.; Brandon Frey, Creston, Iowa; Cody Hanold, Brighton, Ill.; Wade Leist, Boyne City, Mich.; Cody Lowderman, Macomb, Ill.; and Daniel Mitchell, Cumberland, Ohio.
Each qualifying event is a live sale where the contestants auction cattle to actual bidders in the seats. Contestants are judged on the clarity of their auction chant; vocal quality; and their ability to catch bids and conduct the sale. Judges are livestock market owners and managers from across the United States. The 2018 WLAC Midwest Regional Qualifier judges were Bob Fidler, Fairview Sale Barn Inc., Fairview, Ill.; Bill Goehring, Keosauqua Sales Company, Inc., Keosauqua, Iowa; Dean Hanson, Hanson Cattle Company, Renick, W.Va.; Billy Perrin, Past President of LMA, Hugo, Okla.; and Mike VanMaanen, Eastern Missouri Commission Company, Bowling Green, Mo.
Other contestants were: Ryan Adams, Prairie de Chien, Wis.; Zach Ballard, Chariton, Iowa; Luke Benjamin, Wilmington, Ill.; Andrew Finlay, Carbondale, Kan.; Andrew Korb, Oxford, Ohio; Ed Liest, Petoskey, Mich.; Terry Moe, Watford, N.D.; Larry Nisly, Quaker City, Ohio; Alex Popplewell, Russell Springs, Ky.; Dustin Smith, Jay, Okla.; and Vernon Yoder, Wilmot, Ohio.
About the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship
In June 1963, the Livestock Marketing Association held the first annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver, Colorado. The purpose: 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 held at hotels until 1967, when it traveled to its first LMA member market. Since then the WLAC has been held in conjunction with the LMA Marketing Industry Convention at member markets around the U.S. and Canada. Recent locations include California, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee, Kansas, South Dakota 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.
LMA is proud to sponsor an event that brings together North America’s top livestock auctioneers in a competition that showcases professionalism and promotes the auction method of selling livestock.
About the Livestock Marketing Association
The Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., is North America’s leading, national trade association dedicated to serving its members in the open and competitive auction method of marketing livestock. Founded in 1947, LMA has more than 800 member businesses across the U.S. and Canada and remains invested in both the livestock and livestock marketing industries through member support, education programs, policy representation and communication efforts.
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