Casey chants in a cadence so fast it is almost song like as he describes the livestock on hand at the Calhoun Stockyard. To an untrained ear, Casey’s words sound like a stream of nonsense, but to the farmers and livestock traders on hand for the event, they are sweet words of a sale that will equal a big paycheck to local farmers.
Casey was one of 29 contestants who descended on Calhoun last Thursday for the WLAC quarter-finals. As winner, along with eight other qualifying contestants, he moved on to the national compe-tition, which will be held in June 2010 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Event organizer and WLAC board member, Curt Sporleder said Calhoun was chosen for the quar-terfinals because it has a thriving livestock market.
“Calhoun has been a great market and a strong supporter of livestock auctioneering for years,” Sporleder said.
Local cattle farmer Larry Vest agreed.
“Cattle and poultry are both a big business in Calhoun,” Vest said.
Dennis Little, Calhoun Stockyard foreman believes that the choice of Calhoun as the host for the WLAC quarterfinals is a testament to the communities commitment to agriculture, along with the prime market location.
“Anything anyone could possibly need in agriculture is available in Calhoun,” Little said.
Little attributes Gordon County’s proximity to Interstate 75 to the success of the cattle trade.
“Having an interstate and a four lane highway at exit 312 is a blessing in the cattle trade,” he said.
The Calhoun Stockyard has 850 to 1,150 head of cattle pass through each week, and the stockyard has a 100 percent sales success rate.
Sporleder said an event of this magnitude will bring a lot of attention to Calhoun’s livestock mar-ket.
“The best in the world are competing here,” he said.
The WLAC is also an economic boost to the community. Contestants from as far away as Ohio and California traveled to Calhoun to participate in the event. Many of them staying in local hotels for several days.
Local farmers who frequent the livestock sales each week spent extra time at the Calhoun Stock-yard on Thursday.
“I come here every week, but I am interested to see the competition,” said Vest.
Each contestant was given 10 heads of cattle to auction off, and a successful sale was a major point factor
“One of the judging criteria is whether or not a stock yard would hire them as an auctioneer,” Sporleder explained.
Other criteria included personal experience, the ability to obtain bids and clarity of chant.
“You have to move the cattle through quickly, so a good chant is important,” said Sporleder.
The panel of four judges are experts in the livestock business. The judges ranged from farmers to livestock marketers.
“They know what they are looking for,” Sporleder said.
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