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PHOTOS: LMAC’s 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Diana Martin
By 
Diana Martin
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Published: June 7, 2024

A group of men in suits and cowboy hats gather in the auction ring, with young rookie competitors looking anxious.

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Surrounded by veteran auctioneers, rookie Gary Ablbrecht, Milverton, Ont., far right, chews his lip during the opening ceremonies of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada's 25th Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship held at the Ontario Livestock Exchange in Waterloo, May 24, 2024.

Photo: All images by Diana Martin

Buyers, sellers and spectators packed the Ontario Livestock Exchange cattle sale.

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Bidders and observers packed the Ontario Livestock Exchange in Waterloo, Ont., May 24, 2024, for the Livestock Markets Association of Canada's 25th Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship, where 24 veteran and 11 rookie auctioneers vied for the title of Grand Champion.

Photo: Diana Martin

An auctioneer wearing a cowboy hat points to a bid while chanting into a microphone during a cattle auction

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Albertan Joe Perlich of Perlich Bros. Auction Mart Ltd lays out a rhythmic chant during the Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship on May 24, 2024, at the Ontario Livestock Exchange but, unfortunately, didn't secure a spot in the finals.

Photo: Diana Martin

A gentleman leans over a table while a judge, in a bright red shirt with silver hair and beard, shares the components of how competitors are judged.

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Ross McCall, left, peers over at Judge Dave Williams's score sheet, which denotes points for the competitor's clarity, voice control, chant, professionalism, enthusiasm and general impression, all marked in addition to the personal interview.

Photo: Diana Martin

A sheet of paper is filled with notations beside each competitors name

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Neil Martin, Mardale Livestock, tracks each competitor's performance, jotting down comments and potential top 10 finalists during the 25th Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship. Martin was part of the 2019 judges’ panel.

Photo: Diana Martin

Two men sitting beside each other use subtle hand gestures to indicate their bids

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Auctioneers must keep a sharp eye out for the subtle tell-tale signs of a bid, including the thumbs up, left, and the slight lift of a pinky finger, right, from the buyers while attempting to get the best price for the sellers.

Photo: Diana Martin

A cow looks into the booth where an auctioneer wearing a suit and cowboy hat chants and calls out bids

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Albertan Rob Bergevin, Foothills Auctioneers Inc., chants, gestures and scans the crowd for bids under the watchful eye of a cow during the Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship on May 24, 2024, at the Ontario Livestock Exchange.

Photo: Diana Martin

A man sitting at a table grins widely after winning a hard and fast bidding war.

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Buyer Dave Clark, Clark Bros Canadian Livestock, celebrates a win after a fast-paced bidding war on a draft of cattle at Ontario Livestock Exchange during the Canadian Auctioneer Championships on May 24.

Photo: Diana Martin

A row of three men in blue shirts, black vests and straw fedoras log what price each draft of cattle sells for.

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Buyers and sellers track the sale prices of each draft of cattle during the competition, which is no different from a regular auction day.

Photo: Diana Martin

A woman films an auctioneer chanting on her phone

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Sunnette Kamffer, right, films boyfriend and rookie competitor Ty Cutler, Whitehead Livestock in Saskatchewan, during the first round at the Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship. Cutler, who turns 21 on June 12, placed third overall out of 35 competitors.

Photo: Diana Martin

A man in a light suit jacket and cowboy hat raises his arm to select a piece of paper from a ball cap held up by a man in a dark suit jacket and a cowboy hat.

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Lars Deleeuw, left, pulls a number from a hat, deciding which order the final 10 auctioneers will compete in.

Photo: Diana Martin

A man in a cream coloured cowboy hat and strong red shirt sits a head above those around him, watching the auctioneers

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Judge Todd Hudson, from JGL Livestock in Saskatchewan, gives nothing away as competitor after competitor chants their way through the Canadian Livestock Auctioneering Championship on May 24, 2024. 

Photo: Diana Martin

A man stands behind a metal barrier surrounded by cattle in the ring.

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Cattle handlers move the cattle during the auction, allowing buyers and auctioneers a clear view of what’s being sold and the temperament of the animals. This sometimes includes taking refuge behind the ringside metal barrier when the group is large or overly interactive.

Photo:

a man in a blue shirt, black vest and straw fedora covers his mouth as he yawns

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

The air hung heavy with humidity in the Ontario Livestock Exchange as competitors sold draft after draft of cattle. The long day began taking its toll on buyers and judges alike, who started to wilt under the heat during the Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship on May 24, 2024.

Photo: Diana Martin

A line of men in cowboy hats over overlook the competion

20240524_DM_LMACAuctioneerChamp51WEB

Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship competitors watch over the proceedings, sharing a laugh or studying the judges during the finals.

Photo: Diana Martin

A man in a light suit jacket and charcoal coloured cowboy hat chants into the microphone while pointing out bids

LMAC's 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship

Self-taught auctioneer Lars Deleeuw, 19, made Livestock Markets Association of Canada's 25th Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship history by being the first and youngest person to win Rookie of the Year and Grand Champion in the same year.

Photo: Diana Martin

  • A group of men in suits and cowboy hats gather in the auction ring, with young rookie competitors looking anxious.
  • Buyers, sellers and spectators packed the Ontario Livestock Exchange cattle sale.
  • An auctioneer wearing a cowboy hat points to a bid while chanting into a microphone during a cattle auction
  • A gentleman leans over a table while a judge, in a bright red shirt with silver hair and beard, shares the components of how competitors are judged.
  • A sheet of paper is filled with notations beside each competitors name
  • Two men sitting beside each other use subtle hand gestures to indicate their bids
  • A cow looks into the booth where an auctioneer wearing a suit and cowboy hat chants and calls out bids
  • A man sitting at a table grins widely after winning a hard and fast bidding war.
  • A row of three men in blue shirts, black vests and straw fedoras log what price each draft of cattle sells for.
  • A woman films an auctioneer chanting on her phone
  • A man in a light suit jacket and cowboy hat raises his arm to select a piece of paper from a ball cap held up by a man in a dark suit jacket and a cowboy hat.
  • A man in a cream coloured cowboy hat and strong red shirt sits a head above those around him, watching the auctioneers
  • A man stands behind a metal barrier surrounded by cattle in the ring.
  • a man in a blue shirt, black vest and straw fedora covers his mouth as he yawns
  • A line of men in cowboy hats over overlook the competion
  • A man in a light suit jacket and charcoal coloured cowboy hat chants into the microphone while pointing out bids

A 19-year-old self-taught auctioneer from Burford, Ont., swept the 25th annual Canadian Livestock Auctioneering Championship, winning Rookie of the Year and Grand Champion at the Livestock Marketing Association of Canada (LMAC) gala on May 24, 2024 in Waterloo, Ontario. Of the 35 competitors, an unprecedented 30 per cent were rookies, indicating the skill won’t disappear from the live market landscape anytime soon.

About the author

Diana Martin

Diana Martin

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Diana Martin has spent several decades in the media sector, first as a photojournalist and then evolving into a multi-media journalist. In 2015, she left mainstream media and brought her skills to the agriculture sector. She owns a small farm in Amaranth, Ont. 

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