I recently had the opportunity to be on the road in Missouri and attend a Saturday country livestock market auction. Since I went to events like this in my youth, it brought back the memories and excitement of community auctions. There are still a number of them across the farming communities of America where you can buy anything from quail eggs to registered cattle. You can take your old wash tubs, lawn mowers, wagons, trucks, or baled hay and turn them into money on the spot.
These community auctions are not only a blessing to the community as a source of income, but they also are a community gathering place where families, neighborhoods, and others meet to discuss the local news of the day.
I was surprised at the number of children involved in selling their projects, be it rabbits, eggs, fruit, chickens, ducks, or whatever they were growing. Community auctions provide an education and income, but most of all they teach the children how America works. To me, that is the most important aspect of a community auction. They get to see the free enterprise that is the system of supply and demand firsthand. They witness the exchange of goods and services, and they learn the real value of their products.
We have families that come every week, and they might sell a turkey or chicken
or three dozen eggs in order to generate the income necessary for their needs that week. These are people who don’t care about the government handouts; they know how to work and they know how to survive on their own. They may have an acre of land or 100 acres of land, but they are willing to wake up in the morning and make things happen.
The country auctions across America are a real blessing for real people who make America work as it was designed to work. Self-reliance is a character trait that we cannot afford to let fall by the wayside, so support your community, buy its products, and defend your local supply chain.
God bless America!
This column is sponsored by Higgenbotham Auctioneers International, Ltd., and the opinions expressed herein may not reflect those of CFAN or of its advertisers.
BIO: Marty Higgenbotham, founder and president of Higgenbotham Auctioneers International, Lts., has conducted approximately 12,000 auctions, selling everything from cemetery lots to shopping centers. He graduated from Reisch Auction College in 1959. Since then, he has sold in 49 states and five foreign countries. Clients include Wal-Mart, AutoZone, HUD, and the states of Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Florida.