Ronnie Dix selling at the 2016 ALPA National Young Auctioneers Competition, Sydney – photo, ALPA

Ronnie Dix from Elders Lucindale in South Australia has been named “Rookie of the Year” at the 2016 Calgary Stampede International Livestock Auctioneer Championships.

Ronnie earned his right to travel to Canada and compete at the international competition following his win at the 2016 ALPA National Young Auctioneers Competition, held at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in March.

Quadrant Australia Ag Tours provide the winner of this competition with a trip to Canada and the International Livestock Auctioneer Championship.

For his win, Ronnie will bring back only the second Calgary buckle to ever travel outside Canada. In 1999 Australian Luke Scicluna who then worked for William Inglis and Son in Camden, NSW won the same title.

Ronnie has been working for Elders for seven years and selling for three years.

Ronnie Dix (left) and Kelvin Shelley (right) – photo, Yvonne Tapscott

Over the years he has participated in ALPA auctioneers schools where he has consolidated his auctioneering technique. Ronnie won the 2015 ALPA South Australian Young Auctioneers Competition and recently competed in the ALPA National Young Auctioneers Competition, taking out the win.

Each year the national winner travels to Canada to compete in the International Livestock Auctioneer Championship where they are up against much more experienced livestock auctioneers from the USA and Canada, who sell with a very different style to livestock auctioneers here in Australia.

“It was an absolute honour to represent Australia in the International in Canada at the Stampede. I felt very proud,” said Ronnie.

“The people in Canada and everyone on the committee are all very welcoming and would do anything to help you. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time so far. I am so lucky to have been afforded this opportunity, thanks to ALPA, Quadrant Australia Ag Tours and Scan Clear in Deniliquin.”

Ronnie had the opportunity to sell at the Innisfail and Panoka Auction Markets in the week leading up to the competition. “Selling in Innisfail and Panoka was an unreal experience where I had fun showcasing how we do it in Australia, which they absolutely loved.”

Ronnie is travelling with the 2015 ALPA Fairfax Media Agency Award winner, Kelvin Shelley from Australian Wool Network, Victoria.

Winning this award has provided national recognition for Kelvin’s marketing initiative and has offered further opportunities in Australia, opening many more avenues.

Kelvin has been in Canada collecting information on different farming processes for his clients at home.

He hopes to improve their farm productivity by providing feedback on the processes he is experiencing in Canada. Both Ronnie and Kelvin will return to Australia in the coming week, bringing back with them a wealth of information regarding different farming processes, knowledge of varied auctioneering styles and some big hats and belt buckles that you might not otherwise find in South Australia and Victoria.

2016 Calgary Stampede Livestock Auctioneer Championship competitors – photo, Calgary Stampede

Source: Australian Livestock Property Agents Association