The hammer price of FFA’s impact

A tap of the gavel can signify the beginning of FFA opening ceremonies or the end of bidding on an auction item. Jaxon Pickens, an Oklahoma FFA member and third generation auctioneer, is exercising dual use of his gavel as he expands his FFA experience and develops his auctioneer skills. 

Jaxon, also a fifth-generation farmer and rancher, is a 13-year-old eighth grader at Morrison Public Schools in Morrison, Oklahoma. His father, Gregg, is the owner and auctioneer at Pickens Auctions in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The business was started in 1960 by Gregg’s father, Ernie. Jaxon’s mother, Rachel, is a real estate agent and broker, and she previously served as a state FFA president.  

For the Pickens family, auctions are a family affair. Jaxon and his sister, Riva, have been attending real estate, farm and ranch land, personal property and agricultural equipment auctions since they were born. 

“In today’s climate, you’re dealing with millions and millions of dollars that people have worked four or five generations to build, and when the time comes to sell it, a lot of trust is put in real estate auctioneers,” Gregg said. “We’re very blessed to be able to do this for several generations.” 

The auctioneer chant is definitely in Jaxon’s blood, and even at a young age he is already prepping for a future with Pickens Auctions.  

“My favorite part about the real estate and auction business is being able to tell the story behind the property you’re selling,” Jaxon said. “I understand how special a piece of land or even a tractor can be when it’s been in a family for a long time. I’m really into history, so I love hearing my parents talk about the stories of the assets they show to buyers. Those stories are super important and shouldn’t be forgotten. I’m really excited to join this business because I want to be the one who keeps those stories alive.” 

In 2023, Jaxon attended the Western College of Auctioneering, located in Bertha, Montana. He learned all about auctioneering, the responsibilities of the clerk and ringman and how to embody the qualities bidders expect from an auctioneer. 

“That’s where I decided that this is going to be a great career if I get into it,” Jaxon said. 

He also attended the Champion Ringman College, which was held in Stillwater in January. This three-day teaching event is designed to advance the skills of ringmen and make them more hirable in the auction industry. 

Skills gained in FFA  

One of Jaxon’s FFA advisers is Jeanette Furlong. She began teaching at Morrison last year and met Jaxon as he was starting his FFA membership. Even in that short time, Furlong has seen him develop into a leader. 

“FFA amplifies Jaxon’s talents and has given him an outlet where he can showcase them on a different level,” she said. “FFA just seems to be something that he genuinely enjoys and is really good at.” 

Some of Jaxon’s FFA activities include speech contests, exhibiting cattle, competing in the FFA Ag Sales Career Development Event and overseeing a first calf heifer herd for his FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience.  

“Whether it’s opening and closing ceremonies, ag sales or livestock, you’re working with a team and getting up in front of everyone and ultimately facing your fears,” Jaxon said. “Those are strengths every good leader and entrepreneur should have.” 

Jaxon said his FFA involvement continues to benefit him as he develops his auctioneering skills as well. 

“The ag sales CDE teaches me to know more about the product that I’m selling,” he said. “I’m supposed to market the product with my team in the competition, but that also plays a big part in auctioneering. You need to know how much something’s worth and everything about it to sell it.”  

Jaxon also hopes to compete in the farm business management CDE next year, which could boost his real estate knowledge and appraisal abilities. Additionally, last year Oklahoma introduced a new FFA Auctioneering CDE contest.  

Unlike other FFA CDEs, this competition is a joint effort between the Oklahoma FFA Association, the Oklahoma State Auctioneers Association and the National Auction Association. These organizations came together in an effort to spotlight the auctioneer profession and open it up to a new group of students who could potentially pursue it as a career.  

“The whole premise of getting that contest started was to get students excited and involved in the auctioneering industry, because it’s one that has seen a decline in the number of people going to auctioneer school every year,” Furlong said.  

An Oklahoma FFA Auctioneering CDE Camp and Contest was also held in December, with Jaxon and another Morrison FFA member in attendance. Both FFA members also competed in the qualifying round for the 2025 FFA Auctioneering CDE, which took place at the OSAA Winter Conference on Feb. 6. Furlong said each student competing in the CDE must prepare two items to sell during their presentation.  

“It’s like a speech contest where they have to prepare an intro about those items, trying to sell them to the audience,” Furlong said. “Then they actually auction off the item to bidders in the audience. The judges are observing their rhythm, chant, stage presence, fluidity, how they sound, hand gestures and stage presence.”  

The competition was judged by world champion auctioneers, and the top 10 contestants qualified to move on to the state competition during the Oklahoma State FFA Convention in May.  

Career preparation and success 

Since graduating auction school, Jaxon has put his training to work, not only helping his dad with auctions but also serving as the lead auctioneer for fundraisers such as “Kickin’ Childhood Hunger” and other worthy organizations. Jaxon said he has learned a great deal from his father when it comes to communication and working with a team. 

“I really love the connections with the people that we make and also looking at my dad and grandpa’s relationships and just seeing how long they have lasted,” he said. “It’s just really impressive.” 

Jaxon also auctions personal property—from wrenches to farm equipment to furniture—through Pickens Auctions. Eventually, he wants to obtain his real estate license so he can start selling land and properties like his parents. He said he hopes to sell 20 real estate auctions a year once he becomes a full-time auctioneer.  

However, his goals do not end there. One of his FFA aspirations is to become an Oklahoma state FFA officer. He is also becoming a triple threat talent between his FFA activities, auctioneering skills and his budding acting career. Jaxon started acting a few years ago and has been in several commercials, a movie called “Moonrise” with country singer Granger Smith and even had a minor role in the pilot episode of the Taylor Sheridan miniseries “1883.”  

Jaxon’s parents believe his involvement in FFA has furthered his acting abilities, helping him memorize lines for auditions and become more confident in front of casting directors. When he is not in front of the camera, showing cattle or standing on the auction block, Jaxon enjoys hard work on the family farm. 

“Some of my best workouts have been hauling hay with my dad in the blazing summer heat,” Jaxon said. “What we do on the ranch is not just about getting ready to take over the family farming and ranching business. It also helps my sister and me understand the business better. That way, we can help our clients in real estate and auction business one day.” 

Even though FFA membership ends after high school graduation, and the corduroy jacket is removed, most of the skills stick around to benefit FFA members later in life. 

“There are a lot of people that attribute their success to FFA and root it back to what they learned in their ag class with their instructors,” Furlong said. “We’re preparing them for a future career, whatever they decide to pursue. They’re learning essential leadership skills and how to communicate with people. They’re also learning a lot about themselves at the end of the day.” 

In fact, FFA develops entrepreneurs before they even graduate high school. According to the National FFA Association, FFA members earn more than $4 billion annually through hands-on work experience. FFA also provides $2.7 million in FFA collegiate scholarships to members each year and opens students up to networking opportunities, a sense of belonging and achievements only available within the FFA organization.  

There is no way to fully appraise the influence FFA has had or will have on its members, but it is clear agriculture is sold on FFA’s ability to create leaders and entrepreneurs that can keep the industry headed toward prosperity for years to come. To learn more about FFA, visit www.ffa.org. 

Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or lvilhauer@hpj.com.