Dean Edge wins World Livestock Auctioneer Championship
The week of June 2 was an emotional one for Dean Edge.
He had celebrated the life of Blair Vold, the mentor who gave him one of his first opportunities to sell. By Saturday night, June 7, Edge was named the World Livestock Auctioneer champion at Dunlap, Iowa. (The arena is shown above.)
Hailing from Rimbey, Alberta, Edge became only the third Canadian to win the contest, which debuted in 1963.
In his acceptance speech and comments after, he was quick to credit the support of his family — wife, Jeanine, and children Erin, Lexie and Lane.
He also shared the spotlight with his fellow competitors.
“This world championship might be connected to my name for the next year, but it’s not mine,” Edge said. “It’s ours. I’m going to be working for us for the next year to the very best of my ability to get out there and promote what we do.”
As the reigning World Livestock Auctioneer champion, he will spend the next year driving the custom-wrapped World Livestock Auctioneer Championship pickup truck all over the country to showcase his talents and promote the livestock industry. Edge can’t wait.
“I’ve always loved the travel, and especially the chance to see so many livestock auction markets and learn how they do things,” he said. “While they have a lot of differences, they’re all working hard for producers, providing true price discovery and a reliable, transparent marketing method.”
In addition to the truck, Edge, a 1999 graduate of Western College of Auctioneering, went home with several prizes, including $6,000 in cash and custom items like a belt buckle, champion’s rifle, bronze sculpture, world champion ring, golden gavel and money clip.
Brennin Jack, Virden, Manitoba, was named reserve champion, and Preston Smith, Imperial, Nebraska, was runner up. Steve Goedert, Templeton, California, was recognized for the highest score in the interview portion of the contest.
Other top 10 finalists were: Neil Bouray, Webber, Kansas; Justin Mebane, Bakersfield, California; Jace Thompson, Billings, Montana; Ryan Konynenbelt, Fort Macleod, Alberta; Andrew Sylvester, Westmoreland, Kansas; and Barrett Simon, Rosalia, Kansas.
Tyler Bell, Anderson, Texas, was the Audrey K. Banks Rookie of the Year. A one-hour highlight show from the 2025 competition will air on RFD-TV July 2. The 2026 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship will be held June 17 to 20 in St. Onge, South Dakota.
