Overland Park, Kansas — After a day of competitive bid-calling in Paris, Kentucky, 10 more auctioneers have advanced to the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship. The qualifiers, led by Daniel Mitchell, Cumberland, Ohio, will next compete in the semifinals, to be held at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in June.

The bid-caller from the Buckeye state said it was both exciting and humbling to win, especially with such tough competition. But even if he hadn’t come out on top, it’s still a great time.

“The competition is always exciting,” Mitchell said, adding that he understands why it’s such a popular event for spectators both in-person and online. “They say the people that have the best chant are cattle auctioneers because of the rhythmic ability and moving fast and repetition. I think it’s so popular with people because it’s a very pleasing sound to hear. The people like to hear the speed, the rhythm and try to keep up with that.”

Michael Dominique, one of the event’s judges, said it was especially fun to see the next generation of livestock auctioneers.

“I think it’s good to see the young blood that’s coming up and to see what’s going to take over in the future,” he said. “These guys are all on the cutting edge of where the industry is going and what they’re doing. And for me, that’s an exciting thing to watch.”But the contest isn’t all fun and games. It’s a unique opportunity to spotlight an integral part of the livestock industry. Reserve Champion Preston Smith, Imperial, Nebraska, said the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship events are an educational and promotional tool for businesses like his.

“We get to showcase what we can do,” Smith said. “A lot of people 20 years ago didn’t know what all livestock sale barns went through — especially the auctioneer. And it just brought us out to the front, and said, this is what we do for our customers. This is what we’re doing for our people, our buyers, our sellers.”

Neil Bouray, Webber, Kansas, was named runner-up. Completing the Top 10 and semi-finalist qualifiers for June are: Andy Baumeister, Goldthwaite, Texas; Justin Dodson, Welch, Oklahoma; Jeremy Miller, Fairland, Oklahoma; Ben Morgan, Union, West Virginia; Ross Parks, New Concord, Ohio; Ethan Schuette, Washington, Kansas; and Jeff Showalter, Broadway, Virginia. Kyle Nisly, Montezuma, Georgia, was named high score rookie.