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For Immediate Release

October 9, 2008

Texhoma, Okla., market hosting 2nd quarterfinal competition Oct. 29 for LMA’s 2009 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship

TEXHOMA, OKLA. – Twenty-five contestants whose goal is winning the 2009 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC), will compete here Oct. 29 for that opportunity.

The Texhoma Livestock Auction, LLC, will host the second 2009 WLAC quarterfinal qualifying competition. Three titlists will be named at each of the four contests, and the top eight scorers at each will move on to next year’s WLAC, to be held June 13 at Fergus Falls Livestock Auction Market, Fergus Falls, Minn.

The annual WLAC, now in its 46th year, was created and is conducted by Livestock Marketing Association, the national trade association for progressive marketing businesses like Texhoma Livestock.

Clay Myers, the market’s owner/manager, said he was expecting 2,500 – 3,000 head of cattle, mostly stockers and feeders. All the calves “will be home-raised, high-quality cattle, from some of this area’s top producers. We’re expecting a large crowd to be here on the 29th.”

The sale will start at 10 a.m. with the contest beginning at 11:30.

This is the third year LMA has used the four-contest format to qualify contestants for the June Championship. The new format, said LMA President Bobby Smith, of Fairview, Okla., “allows more auctioneers to enter the contest, and it also highlights the outstanding job markets all over the country do to promote a competitive livestock economy.”

The first WLAC quarterfinal was Sept. 9 in Miles City, Mont. The other quarterfinals will be Nov. 18 at Muskingum Livestock Auction Co., Zanesville, Ohio, and Dec. 2 at Kingsville Livestock Auction, Kingsville, Mo.

Contestants must be at least 18 years old, and employed and sponsored by a livestock market. Each contest is an actual sale, with buyers on the seats.

The master of ceremonies at each quarterfinal is Matt Lowery, Burwell, Neb., the reigning world champion. He won the title June 28 in Worthing, S.D.

Contest judges are market owners/operators and professional livestock dealers. Contestants are judged on vocal clarity and quality, talent at keeping the sale moving, personal expression and bid-catching ability. The judges also ask the question, “Would I hire this auctioneer?”

The Texhoma contestants, followed by their hometowns, are:

Charlie Baker, Calera, Okla.; Tate Cobb, Guymon, Okla.; Jonathan Cooper, Yukon, Okla.; Charly Cummings, Yates Center, Kan.; Shannon Davis, Yantis, Texas; Dustin Focht, Stillwater, Okla.;

Tyler Gillum, Palco, Kan.; Larry Gilmore, Belle Plaine, Kan.; Brandon Hamel, Damar, Kan.; Lance Kinderknecht, Amena, Kan.; Lynn Langvardt, Wakefield, Kan.; Kevin Magby, Atoka, Okla.;

Mike Mawske, Shattuck, Okla.; Justin Mebane, Bakersfield, Calif.; Ashley Noland, Amarillo, Texas; Tanner Ragan, Sulphur Springs, Texas; Don Rodgers, Bakersfield, Calif.; Lane Rodman, Stillwater, Okla.;

Paul David Rodman, Stillwater, Okla.; Joshua D. (JD) Shelton, Gonzales, Texas; Preston Smith, Lexington, Neb.; Gabe Spikes, Bowie, Texas; Rusty Taylor, White City, Kan.; Garren Walrod, Randolph, Kan.; and Billy Younkin, Cecil, Ala.

The champion in each WLAC quarterfinal will receive a cash award and a custom-made belt buckle. The reserve and runner-up champion in each contest will also receive custom belt buckles.

The three titlists in the June WLAC – world champion, reserve and runner-up world champion – will receive thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.

The market is located on Highway 54 east in Texhoma. The contest will be broadcast live on the Internet, at www.lmaauctions.com.