Guaranteeing the future
The National Western's Junior Livestock Auction in Denver builds a new generation of agriculturists. Article by Kati Christensen. Photos courtesy of National Western..

*It's an event where the invitation list reads like a who's who of Denver. With organizations like the Colorado State Senate and House of Representatives and individuals like auto dealer Mike Shaw, the National Western's Auction of Junior Livestock Champions is a notable date on the social calendars of many of Denver's influential leaders.

Marked by social mixers, celebrity entertainers and ring men adorned in tuxedos, the Junior Livestock Auction is one of the most talked-about events of the National Western Stock Show. The atmosphere, along with a striking combination of businessmen and agricultural youths, generates an energy that brings Denver together in an effort to insure the futures of American youths and the agricultural industry.

On a mission
While a grand champion steer sale has been part of the National Western since its beginning in 1906, there hasn't always been a show and sale solely dedicated to junior livestock exhibitors. In the early years, professional showmen contested amateurs and juniors alike in a sort of winner-take-all fat livestock show.

It wasn't until the early 1970s, as involvement in production agriculture waned, that the National Western's board of directors created a separate auction for youth exhibitors with the idea of encouraging their participation in the National Western and the agricultural industry.

The focus of the new sale followed the mission of the National Western Stock Show, Rodeo and Horse Show, which is to preserve the western lifestyle by providing a showcase for the agricultural industry through its emphasis on education. The focus of involving youths in agriculture can still be seen in today's Junior Livestock Auction.

"The Junior Livestock Auction is a focal point that is the mission of the National Western, which is developing and educating youth," said Junior Livestock Auction committee chairman Buck Hutchison. "It keeps new generations coming back and promotes interest in agriculture."

The Junior Livestock Auction also provides big bucks to more than just the 90 juniors who qualify to participate each year. It's a major benefactor of the National Western Scholarship Trust, which provided 60 grants to students attending colleges and universities in Colorado and Wyoming for the 2003-04 school year.

"The Junior Livestock Auction emphasizes our scholarship program, which furthers agribusiness education for young people," said National Western scholarship coordinator Sue Christiansen. "These kids are the backbone of America."

The National Western Scholarship Trust is a separate charitable organization that provides grants to students studying agriculture or medicine with the intention of practicing in rural areas.

Contributions from the junior auction work two ways. First, 10 percent of each winning bid is automatically donated to the Scholarship Trust. Second, buyers have the option to donate the buy back price of the animal to the Trust.

The buy back works like this. When an animal is purchased through the auction, the packer must pay a buy-back price for the carcass. So, if the winning bidder wants to donate the buy back to the Scholarship Trust, he can choose to pay the entire winning bid price, rather than pay the difference between the winning bid price and the buy back price.

"The Junior Livestock Auction creates a consistent source of funds for the National Western Scholarship Trust," Hutchison said. "That's what keeps the volunteer committee members so focused on their jobs."

National Western's Junior Livestock Auction committee is made up of 30 volunteers who oversee everything from soliciting buyers and managing the sale to participating in the shows and decorating the show rings.

"We've got a really good group of people, and (the Junior Livestock Auction) all happens because of the committee," Hutchison said. "We've got a pretty good production now. It takes a lot of effort to put together a $500,000 evening."


Raising the roof
The Auction of Junior Livestock Champions didn't always create the fanfare it does today. In the beginning, the sale had a much more practical purpose.

Many of the junior livestock exhibits at the National Western were left over from the county fair season, which ended in early fall. Families who considered their 4-H and FFA projects above average would feed the animals a few extra months for the privilege of exhibiting at a major livestock show in Denver. But, that left them without a place to sell their animals, and that's where the Junior Livestock Auction stepped in.

"Originally, the (Junior Livestock Auction) was supported by local packers because they could get fat cattle for about market price," said former auction committee chairman Bill Serrell, who served the National Western in that capacity for more than 10 years. "The packers could give the kids a little boost, and (the kids) just got the calves sold."

As packing houses, feedlots and the cattle business in general moved out of Denver, the committee was forced to find new buyers within the Denver community. With increased participation and support from downtown businesses, the committee built a momentum that changed the junior sale into a major fundraising arena for educational purposes.

The idea of getting more people involved also initiated a new trend of community buying. Combines were designed to allow large groups of people to contribute money towards the purchase of an animal. The Silver Spur Club gave Western Stock Show Association members an opportunity to bid on animals, thereby supporting an average price for the consignments. And, the Patron Fund was created to supplement the purchase price of the animals that brought less than the average price.

"When I became chairman, I think the gross dollars for the entire sale were under $80,000," Serrell said, adding that the sale earned more than $500,000 this last year.

During the 2003 sale, combines purchased eight of the 88 animals consigned, and the Patron Fund contributed another $26,000 to 43 juniors who sold below the average price.

Spreading the word
When business and political leaders gather to spend loads of cash and support a spectacular cause, it's a pretty safe bet the media isn't far behind. Just like that, the Auction of Junior Livestock Champions became one of the National Western's most publicized events.

Let's get one thing straight. The Auction of Junior Livestock Champions isn't your typical livestock sale. It's a premium sale, which means it's only open to the top 30 animals in each of the three species, and thousands of junior livestock entries consistently compete at the National Western each year.

Plus, the auctioneer and ring stewards don tuxedos topped off by their dressiest Stetson hats ® and Justin boots ®, ladies model the latest in western-designed sequins and leathers and the air is filled with the festive atmosphere of an exclusive cocktail party.

So, it's natural that society columnists have been writing about this event for more than a decade. But, that's not all. In an attempt to garner even more publicity, the auction was televised live for the first time in 1997. Complete with local news' most popular personalities serving as emcees, the Junior Livestock Auction is now an anxiously awaited evening for exhibitors, buyers and local fans alike.

"Television coverage has increased the overall anticipation and notoriety of the event. It's attracted people who would not otherwise be exposed to the National Western," Hutchison said.

*Throughout the years, the Junior Livestock Auction's success has hinged on involvement and participation from local businesses. Whether it was local packers and feedlots or downtown hotels and restaurants, National Western officials are quick to admit their dependency on the buyers.

"Without the buyers, there is no sale," Christiansen said. "There would be no Junior Auction."

But, being part of the Junior Livestock Auction isn't a one-sided affair; it's a winning situation for all sides. The exhibitors earn money and scholarships to put toward their educations, the committee fulfills the Stock Show's mission and builds funds for the Scholarship Trust, and the buyers receive advertising promotion and the positive feeling of knowing they helped agricultural youth.

"My main philosophy is to support these kids; they're the right kind of kids," said auto dealer Mike Shaw, who set a Junior Livestock Auction record in 2003 when he was the first-ever entity to buy all three grand-champion animals. "And, (the money) supports their educational efforts and the scholarship fund, as well."

With the local community uniting to benefit youths in an industry that helped build not only the National Western, but also the city of Denver, it's easy to see why the auction's loyal supporters hold this event close to their hearts and continue to mark the date on their calendars months before the Stock Show starts.

As auction chairman Buck Hutchison puts it, "The Auction of Junior Livestock Champions is one of the bright spots of the (National Western Stock Show). I may be a little biased, but I think it's the premier event of the show."

Cutlines:
1. Auto dealer Mike Shaw of Denver hit a grand slam when he purchased three grand champion animals at the 2003 Junior Livestock Auction. He also set a record for the highest recorded bid price at the auction when he bid $110,500 for the grand champion steer.

2. An anxiously awaited evening, local Stock Show fans can catch the action of the Junior Livestock Auction live on 9News.

3. The Junior Livestock Auction is known for its glamorous atmosphere. All the auctioneers and ring stewards sport tuxedos.

4. All Junior Livestock buyers are recognized during the annual Hide Party in September. Grand and reserve grand champion buyers receive the hides of the animals they purchase.