Art of the Auction

ART OF THE Auction

With a methodical cadence, Al Conover thrives on bringing buyers and sellers together

By Ann Foster Thelen

I’m bid $4,000, will you go $5,000? Thank you, now six. I’m bid $6,000, will you go $7,000?

Al Conover is a nationally known purebred livestock auctioneer.

If you’ve heard an auctioneer’s chant – with its energetic, methodical cadence – you know there is both beauty and art in the profession. It’s in the repetitive sound, the knowledge of what’s being sold and the passion in one’s soul that makes auctioneering equal parts showmanship, style and substance.

Many successful auctioneers have said that purebred livestock auctions produce some of the best professionals in the industry. And that’s Al Conover’s world. His love of purebred livestock, including Angus cattle and Berkshire hogs, and auctioneering was born at an early age.

Today, Al and his wife Jeanne, who live in Baxter, travel from New York to Washington state to Canada, leading high-profile purebred auctions to bring buyers and sellers together. Al’s auctioneering skills have earned him a stellar reputation in a competitive role essential to agriculture and, ultimately, providing high-quality meat products to consumers.

“The purebred auction business provides many opportunities and excitement for all involved,” Al says. “When you’re bringing buyers and sellers together with products of value, I like to refer to the auction business as a form of ‘price discovery.’ Buyers determine the worth, and as auctioneers, it’s our job to provide detailed information with integrity to help them make those decisions.”

The 2004 National Western Angus Foundation Female Sale in Denver, Colorado, (managed and sold by Conover Auction Service) was the largest sale of its kind in the history of Angus cattle.

Family Roots in Berkshires and Auctioneering

The Conover family has been synonymous with raising Berkshire purebred hogs for generations. The love and passion for the breed were woven into Al’s upbringing, and it’s a valued tradition that has stood the test of time.

“Understanding how our family, especially my grandparents and dad, came to be involved with Berkshires is integral to my story,” Al explains.

In 1912, his grandparents Clifton and Cora Conover purchased a farm near Holstein. Cora was from Scotland and loved how pretty it was in western Iowa. The name “Bonnie” in Scotland means beautiful acres. So, the farm was consequently called Bonnie Acres. Purebred Berkshire hogs were introduced at Bonnie Acres in 1931.

Iowa is known for its big red barns. This one at Bonnie Acres Farm might be one of the largest ones ever built in Iowa. It was built in 1931, the same year Berkshires came to Bonnie Acres and where many Champion Berkshires were born.

Their son Tom entered the military right out of high school as World War II began. He fought in five major battles in World War II, including being part of the third outfit to arrive at Normandy Beach.

He fought in Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, Central Europe and the Battle of the Bulge.

Tom returned from the war and aggressively started breeding and judging Berkshires, which allowed him to see the breed in many countries and 26 states. Back home, he exhibited Bonnie Acres’ Berkshires at fairs in nine Midwestern states. Yearly sales of the hogs were held in early spring and fall from 1968 through 1983, and that’s where Al’s passion for auctioneering began.

“Hearing the fascinating chant and watching the process of auctioneering at the Berkshire production sales made me want to get into this business,” Al explains of being at his family’s sales. “As long as I can remember, I have always dreamed of being a purebred auctioneer. I was about 10 years old when dad let me drive a tractor alone while we cultivated corn on the farm. I would sit in the tractor all day and pretend I was an auctioneer, working on bid calling.”

By the time Al went to college and attended the Superior School of Auctioneering in Illinois, he had already honed his skills and would use the education to further perfect his craft.

Tom, who passed away in 2022 at age 98, was known as a Berkshire legend. For 23 years, he served on the American Berkshire Association board of directors, including being president for many years. Three Conover generations, including Al, have served on the American Berkshire Association board of directors.

The Tom and Phyllis Conover Family was the Iowa State Fair’s first “Blue Ribbon Family.” The award was presented in 1964 at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand by Herb Plambeck, WHO Radio. Pictured from left to right: Bruce Conover, Grant Conover, Linda Conover Weldon, Craig Conover, Al Conover, Tom Conover and Phyllis Conover.

Tom Conover at the 2010 Iowa State Fair driving his Grand Champion Berkshire Gilt.

Continuous Learning to Stay Competitive

Livestock auctioneering is a competitive business, requiring those who aspire to be the best to spend extensive time learning, studying, building relationships and having an equal appreciation for those selling the livestock and the buyers.

“I am a student of purebred livestock genetics and their pedigrees,” Al explains. “I’ve spent over five decades traveling across the world to visit purebred Angus and Berkshire herds. Being on top of the livestock’s bloodlines and data has become very important. Being extremely knowledgeable about what I’m selling helps me to produce the best results for my clients.”

Delivering exceptional value for both the buyer and the seller is a responsibility Al doesn’t take lightly.

Al auctions the annual woodcarving sale every year at the Iowa State Fair. It is one of the elite sales of its kind and significant fundraiser for the Fair, with buyers from all over the U.S. in attendance.

In recent years, Al and Jeanne have visited 20 countries, such as Scotland, Ireland and England, to learn more about the origins of the purebred livestock they represent. For example, in England, there are 300 registered Berkshires, and they drove across the country to find and see 284 of them. And, in Scotland, they visited many Angus cattle herds.

This hands-on experience is vital to being an expert in the breeds. The purebred breeds are so valuable that Al sold a bull for $580,000 in Nebraska at the Baldridge Performance Angus Bull Sale.

On their way to the Royal Highland Show in Scotland, Al and Jeanne stopped in Iceland to enjoy some breathtaking views of the glaciers and terrain.

The work that goes into sale management and auctioneering to be successful is unbelievable and the travel is extensive.

“The longest time I was away from home was 73 consecutive days, and the most auctions I’ve done in one year was more than 140. If you factor in travel time for each auction, it doesn’t leave many free days,” Al says. In the 1980s, my business had grown so much that I purchased an airplane and hired a full-time pilot. It was a very exciting and memorable era for my business and the purebred industry.”

Al and Jeanne attended the 2006 Royal Highland Show in Ingliston, Scotland (near Edinburgh). Scotland is home to Angus cattle, and the Highland Show is the largest and most prestigious livestock show in Scotland.

Allure of the Angus Breed

Angus is one of the most recognized cattle breeds. They are popular with farmers and ranchers because they are good mothers and are very good at converting their feed into high quality meat.

Angus cattle are known for the high level of marbling in their meat. A lot of marbling keeps the meat moist longer when cooking. And where there’s marbling, there’s tender, juicy and flavorful beef.

The first Angus cattle were brought to the U.S. in 1873, when George Grant imported four Black Aberdeen Angus bulls from Scotland to Victoria, Kansas.

The first great herds of Angus beef cattle in America were built up by purchasing stock directly from Scotland. In a period of explosive growth between 1878 and 1883, nearly 1,200 cattle alone were imported, mostly to the Midwest.

Source: American Angus Association

Jeanne and Al going over details for one of their many sales. Over the years, they have worked together on sale preparations for hundreds of sales.

Al, auctioneering at the 2022 Iowa Beef Expo Angus Sale in Des Moines. His son Adam, who is Iowa and Missouri’s Regional Manager for the American Angus Association, reads pedigrees.

A Prized Life

On sale day, there’s a lot of pressure for sellers, auctioneers and buyers.

“The buyers are spending significant money and it’s a tense day, so I try to make it a good experience,” Al explains. “Auctioneering and bidding is very competitive because I’m trying to get the person I’m working for the most money and bidders are trying to buy the cattle as reasonable as they can.”

Beyond the pressure, emotions often run high at auctions. Whether it’s a production sale where sellers are intentionally breeding and selling livestock or a sale where a family might be dispersing their entire herd for economic reasons, it’s emotional. Or if its youth raising livestock for a 4-H project or a family raising livestock, it’s natural for people to feel a strong attachment.

“I got into auctioneering because I believed it would give me an opportunity to be a part of something rewarding and special. And it has,” Al says.

“The purebred livestock business has allowed me to work with many great livestock industry people, auction markets and breeders, including auctioneers, fieldmen and breed leaders – past, present and future. I wouldn’t trade this life; it’s been wonderful.”

Al is always talking to clients about selling their purebred livestock or buying new genetics for their herd.

Auctions for Causes

While purebred auctions are the Conover’s bread and butter, Al and Jeanne put their talents to work with fundraisers for many worthy causes at national, state and county levels.

For years, Al led an Iowa State University auction to benefit those with spinal cord injuries, working alongside former basketball coach Johnny Orr.

He also is the auctioneer for the Iowa State Fair Corn Dog Kickoff and the Sale of Champions. The Corndog Kickoff began 25 years ago. A huge crowd of more than 2,000 people come together annually to bid on over 30 live and 200 silent auction packages. To date, the event has raised $8 million toward Fairgrounds renovations.

During the prestigious Iowa State Fair Sale of Champions, 4-H and FFA exhibitors sell their champion livestock to hometown and national supporters. The animals represent the Grand and Reserve Grand Champions in each of their respective species as selected during the Fair’s livestock show. The Iowa State Fair features one of the largest livestock shows in the world and winning a class – let alone showing a champion animal – is highly coveted.

Al, Johnny Orr (former Iowa State University men's basketball coach) and Jeanne at the Iowa State Fair Sale of Champions luncheon.

Al and Jeanne were honored as Grand Marshalls at the 2012 Jasper County Fair. The duo was instrumental in organizing and sponsoring the livestock judging contest along with selling and clerking the annual 4-H and FFA livestock auction for more than 20 years.

I got into auctioneering because I believed it would give me an opportunity to be a part of something rewarding and special. And it has.