PONOKA, Alta. — People spend more money when they’re having fun, says a first-rate auctioneer.
Dan Skeels, a cattle breeder from Rimbey, Alta., believes there are three kinds of auctioneers: those who sound good, those who know their cattle, and those who are skilled in both areas.
He considers himself to be in the third category — and he has the buckles to prove it.
Now head auctioneer at Vold, Jones & Vold Auction Co. Ltd. in Ponoka, Skeels returned in mid-June from the World Auctioneer Championships in El Reno, Oklahoma.
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It was his fourth top 10 finish in five tries. He was reserve champion in 1999 and is still working on winning the title.
Skeels said his performance in El Reno this year was his best yet.
“There was nothing I could have changed and nothing I would have wanted to change.”
The calibre of competitors was so high that the final decision rested more on the taste of the judges than any other factor, he said.
“It’s a deal with the judges. If they like you, that’s the day you’re going to win.”
Auctioneers from different areas have different rhythms and sounds, so a judge may lean toward those who sound most familiar.
Competitors are judged on a number of criteria, including clarity, knowledge of the industry and their ability to make the most of a media interview — the same skills they need in their home markets.
Born into the cattle industry, Skeels said he got into auctioning livestock because he needed an off-farm job to help build and support his purebred Simmental herd.
Auctioneering was a natural fit for a farm boy whose family earned its livelihood raising and selling feeder cattle.
Skeels said he used to come home from cattle auctions with his pockets full of change from the “stories” he would tell the order buyers about the cattle coming through the ring.
He won’t talk about the stories or mention any of their names, because some of them are still in the business.
When the time came to strike out on his own, the young cowboy headed off to the Western College of Auctioneers in Oklahoma.
There are other auction schools, but Skeels figured good training was important enough that he might as well get in all the way.
He credits his employers at Vold, Jones & Vold for helping him develop the skills necessary to become an industry leader.
“I may never have learned what I did had it not been for Blair and Ralph Vold.”
Instead of putting him in the auction ring right away, the Vold brothers put Skeels to work in the back of the market, sorting cattle and jawing with buyers. He learned the ins and outs of the trade and picked up the cattle smarts he would need to do a good job in the sales ring.
There’s more to it than just calling numbers, he said.
An auctioneer must be able to judge the animals quickly and get the bidding going at the right price. Skeels prides himself on being able to auction 2,300 head of beef in a single day, without having to work any overtime.
Moving the sale quickly, with some good-natured humour thrown in, keeps the cattle healthy and the buyers interested, he said. But his first priority is to get the best price possible for the cattle he is selling.
“That’s some people’s income for the whole year.”
The Volds support Skeels’ competitive efforts because it attracts people to their market and helps keep his skills honed.
“I’ve learned something every year.”
