Virden auctioneer takes shot at world title

The thing about being a professional auctioneer is it really is a … calling.

Bid calling in the cattle market takes natural talent, knowledge of the market, a knack for managing the crowd, having a great chant and more. And there is one other critical component: acting as an ambassador for an industry that represents thousands of producers.

Virden’s Brennin Jack, 36, is the branch manager at Heartland Livestock Services Virden, and as the Runner-Up Champion at a recent competition in North Dakota, he’s slated to compete at the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) this June, making it his 11th shot in a row aiming for the title of World Livestock Auctioneer Champion. The WLAC takes place in St. Onge, South Dakota, on June 17.

He was within spitting distance of the championship in 2025, when he was Reserve World Champion — the No. 2 spot in the world. Auctioneering is a challenge he enjoys.

“The best thing about it is, we get to conduct sales all across North America, and most of the time are part of people’s really good days when they’re selling their cattle, especially in this high market. You’re achieving something for these people that only happens to them once a year, and sometimes, you know, if a producer really hits a home run, it can be a life-changing deal,” says Brennin Jack.

Jack says a good auctioneer needs to know the value of the product they’re selling, whether it’s cattle or cars, to bring full value to the seller.

“Obviously, you have to have somebody that can take a hold of the sale and control what’s happening. We’re dealing with some serious money here every single day, so you have to have someone that’s going to take the job seriously. And if you sound really good while doing it, that’s just an added bonus,” he says.

It’s the people part of the industry that makes the trait of thoughtful representation critically important for a champion auctioneer. The winner of the WLAC is an ambassador for the Livestock Marketing Association (which represents over 800 member markets in Canada and the U.S., and the entire industry in general).

“You have to have somebody with some integrity, obviously, and a people person. Somebody that’s going to be asked questions that they never thought they were going to be asked. You could be in an inner city school, or in the middle of nowhere, and have someone face you with a question that you need to be able to answer in a politically correct way,” he says.

In preparation for the questions portion, WLAC competitors are isolated and smart devices are collected to ensure a level playing field. Competition questions are worth 25 per cent of the overall score, an indicator of just how important it is to maintain equanimity, both in competition and in real life (75 per cent of the score goes to the actual auction portion). Jack says questions could include: “What made you enter the contest?” “What would you do if you were crowned world champion?” What would you say to a group of inner-city school students about meat production?” “What’s the biggest concern in the livestock industry today?”

“It’s a lot of open-ended questions, and how you answer, and how you articulate and if you can keep yourself on the tracks is really what they’re looking for — somebody that can hold their ground and be professional throughout the entire interview while the lights are shining on them and the judges are trying to pick holes in everything that you say,” he says.

“It’s a unique part of that contest, especially when the judges are from radio, from journalism all across North America, breed associations, auctioneers. It’s a wide demographic of judges all looking for something different.”

A champion not only faces outward to the public, but inward to people in the industry as well, including being a mentor to new auctioneers.

“I’ve always tried to help everybody and that kind of goes back to the 2011 Canadian contest. I won the contest and was voted most congenial at the same time. You know, I won the contest that year, but the other competitors wrote my name down as the most congenial,” he says.

“Well, that buckle has always stayed with me because that just shows that you can win the contest and you can be a nice guy. And that’s what I try to promote at every contest. It doesn’t matter if you’re my arch-rival and we’re going head-to-head for the pickup truck, or some brand new guy that barely got in there. I’m trying to help them all, and in the end it helps me as I focus on helping somebody else. It kind of makes my mindset be a little clearer on the tasks that I have at hand, too. So it’s a win-win for everybody.”

Jack says the WLAC is unique — both fun to do, and a highly competitive challenge having run 65 years with only three Canadian champions.

“I’m ready now to kind of move along and, you know, we have a real shot at winning this deal in 2026. If we get the right set of judges and we have the right great day, it’s very possible. I’ve definitely got a big target on my back, that’s for sure,” Jack said.

“But I’m sure hoping that I can get my name on the wall and drive away with that pickup truck one of these years.”

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