SHIPSHEWANA, IN. – The 2022 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) will be held at a destination in Indiana’s Amish Country. The family-owned Shipshewana Auction Inc., has been operating since 1922 when six pigs, seven cows and several head of young cattle were sold at the home of George Curtis during the very first livestock auction.
The historic auction business will also host the 58th annual Livestock Marketing Association’s (LMA) Annual Convention.
A total of 31 semi-finalist auctioneers will compete in the June 11 championship comprised of an auctioneering and interview portion. The auctioneering contest will take place during a live sale, where contestants will sell cattle to actual bidders in the seats. Additionally, because of the important, high-profile role, each WLAC semi-finalist must clearly establish and demonstrate their knowledge of the livestock marketing industry in an interview competition.
Contestants who qualified to compete are Zach Ballard, Presho, S.D.; Kyle Layman, North Platte, Neb.; Curtis Wetovick, Fullerton, Neb.; Steve Goedert, Dillon, Mont.;
Andy Baumeister, Goldthwaite, Texas; Joshua Garcia, Goliad, Texas; Justin Dodson, Welch, Okla.; Dustin Smith, Jay, Okla.;
Neil Bouray, Webber, Kan.; Brandon Hamel, Natoma, Kan.; Barrett Simon, Rosalia, Kan.; Andrew Sylvester, Wamego, Kan.; Lynn Langvardt, Chapman, Kan.; Will Epperly, Dunlap, Iowa; Brandon Frey, Diagonal, Iowa; Eric Drees, Caldwell, Idaho; Jack Riggs, Glenns Ferry, Idaho; Daniel Mitchell, Cumberland, Ohio; Sixto Paiz, Portales, N.M.; Ross Parks, New Concord, Ohio; Wade Leist, Boyne City, Mich.; Jeff Showalter, Broadway, Va.;
Philip Gilstrap, Pendleton, S.C.; Jacob Massey, Petersburg, Tenn.; Chris Pinard, Swainsboro, Ga.; Tim Yoder, Montezuma, Ga.; Marcus Kent, Dunnellon, Fla.; Justin Mebane, Bakersfield, Calif.; Jake Parnell, Sacramento, Calif.; Michael Imbrogno, Turlock, Calif.; Dean Edge, Rimbey, Alberta;
Reigning World Livestock Auctioneer Champion, Chuck Bradley will be in attendance, along with many other past World Livestock Auctioneer Champions. Each will sell cattle during the Parade of Champions, a portion of the WLAC sale between the semi-finalist and finalist rounds.
Members of the 2021 Leadership in Livestock Marketing Seminar class will also be present at the event.
To view the WLAC, tune into the live, online broadcasts. The interviews will be on June 10 and can be viewed live on https://www.lmaauctions.com/ or LMA Facebook Live starting at 3 p.m. (ET).
The auctioneering competition will be at Shipshewana Auction, Inc. beginning at 8:00 a.m. (ET) and will also be streamed live on www.LMAAuctions.com and the LMA Facebook page.
