Polson MT- Inside the ballroom of the Red Lion hotel at the conclusion of the preliminary round of the 2019 Montana State Bid-Call Championship, just six points separated the top five finalist of the twenty total competitors. Of those five finalist that returned to the stage and auctioned off three more items on a fresh score card, was Dillon, Montana’s Steven Goedert, who was not only named the new champion, but was also competing in this contest for his very first time. “What an honor it is to be here, friends”, Godert said after the announcement was made declaring he won. “This is my first year and the only thing I regret about it is it took me so long to get here.”
Goedert joins the list of 25 other champions on the Del Strommen Memorial trophy, which travels with each champion for their year. Though Goedert was a first time competitor in this contest, he is no stranger to the microphone. You can find him selling weekly livestock auctions at sale barns in both Dillon and Ramsey Montana. Goedert has also been competing at the national level for some time now and has qualified himself to this year’s World Livestock Marketing Auctioneer Championship, taking place in Tulare, California in early June.
Above: Steve Goedert (left) accepting the championship buckle from MAA president Kevin Hill.
One of the largest list of contestants ever showed up at this year’s convention, held for the first time in Polson, Mont. Contestants sold items in front of the general public in a live auction bidding scenario. Items included clothing, horse tack, home décor, tools and much more. These items were put together from local businesses: CHS-Mountain West Coop, Westland Seed and CARQUEST of Ronan. Also recognized with a plaque was the first runner-up, Robert Mcdowell III of Butte, second runner up Jayson Shobe of Lewistown and rookie of the year Daniel Yoder of Stevensville. Five hand selected judges sat at a table placed just five feet in front of the stage. From the time each contestant stepped up, judges critiqued them in four different categories. Those categories ranged from introduction and appearance, to clarity, rhythm and hiring probability of each judge’s preference. Buddy Westphal was one of five judges who sat through the contest Saturday night. Westphal, who owns Valley View Charolais holds a bull sale each spring at his western Montana ranch. “I have to say I’ve been bringing an auctioneer from California for a number of years.” Westphal stated as he was recognized on the stage following the contest. “But there’s some good candidates right here.”
Above: (left to right) Steve Goedert, Robert McDowell, Jayson Shobe, and Daniel Yoder.
The two-day annual convention was busy from breakfast to past dinner each day. Members of the association were soaked up with information presented by speakers from the National Auctioneers Association’s speaking panel. Tim Mast, Mike Brandly and John Hamilton were this year’s featured speakers that spoke about keys to successful auctions, auction laws, negotiating and everything in-between. This event is also one the largest networking opportunities for auctioneers throughout the year. Some of the state’s auctioneers rely solely on the annual event as their annual opportunity to visit with fellow members.
Rivers West Auction had the pleasure of hosting the convention. Each year, the Montana Auctioneers Association state convention moves to a different location around the state and is hosted by various auction companies whom occupy those areas. The reason behind this idea is to bring attention to the auction method of marketing throughout numerous areas that may not be as auction savvy as others. In the Saturday afternoon business meeting, it was decided by the members at large to host the 2020 event in Billings Montana. That will take place the last weekend of January next year. Followers of the association can always keep updated on news, upcoming auctions and member information at montanaauctioneers.org.
Northern Ag Network was proud to be one of the co-sponsors of this year’s Montana State Bid-Call Championship! We have worked with a lot of great auctioneers through the years, and we are proud to be part of their success!
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Reed T. Tobol- Rivers West Auction Company
Northern Ag Network
