Held in the Wagga Wagga livestock selling complex, 27 trainee auctioneers were guided through their paces during the ALPA auctioneering school on Tuesday and Wednesday.
ALPA CEO Peter Baldwin said it had been a terrific school for the trainees to learn the fine art of auctioneering.
"We had an outstanding group of 27 really keen young agents drawn from far and away from Manilla, to Woodstock to Hay, Griffith, and a really strong Wagga contingent," he said.
"What we aim to do is introduce them to auctioneering, hone their skills, mentor them, mould them, develop them, and assist their style of selling.
"They're boiling with enthusiasm which is just fantastic."
Mr Baldwin said the auctioneering schools were important for young people to be confident before they stand up at the yards selling.
"We don't want to see young people thrown in the deep end," he said.
"We understand our fiduciary obligation to the vendor, that we're managing their asset, so we want these guys job ready before they stand up and sell."
Mr Baldwin said the best advice for trainees was to understand values.
"You have to know the value of the stock before you stand over them," he said.
"Once you've established that value and you're agile enough and pivotal enough to understand how that sale is running on that particular day you've got adapt that and with a great deal of professionalism and skill you've then got to take those great professional buyers on."
Mr Baldwin said the school was also the best opportunity for agents to build a network.
"Some of these agents have never met each other before and they're going away shaking hands - they've got a brand new network and agencies are all about contacts and we've been able to nurture that and harness that."
The agents were trained in clearing sales and spiels, ring selling with the microphone, cattle and sheep yard selling and studstock, and were filmed to review their selling style.
Speech pathologist Eliza Stacey, Warragul, Vic, gave workshops on voice and vocal hygiene, including voice preservation and tips.
Along with Mr Baldwin and Ms Stacey, other presenters included James Croker, Nutrien Wagga Wagga, Steve Grantham, Elders, Dan O'Brien, RH Blake and Co, Wagga Wagga, James Tierney, RLA, Wagga Wagga, and Michael Unthank, Brian Unthank Rural, Albury.
Alexandra Bernard
Journalist based in Wagga Wagga covering all things agriculture in southern NSW.
Journalist based in Wagga Wagga covering all things agriculture in southern NSW.
