By BRIANA ARRINGTON
bca008@latech.edu
The fourth annual Commitment to Education Cattle Sale was
held last Saturday at the Hays Brothers Angus Ranch in
Gary Kennedy, head of the department of agricultural
sciences, said for the past three years the event has raised over 50 percent of
Tech’s funds for Agricultural Science.
“I think that the sale has been getting more support
every year,” Josh Wilhite, president of the Equestrian
Club and a senior animal science major, said.
The auction began at 1 p.m. with a special presentation
for Kennedy from the agricultural science students. Kennedy received a plaque
with a picture from last year’s sale and the number one ear tag from a cow sold
last year.
“We wanted to give Dr. Kennedy this and thank everyone
involved for their support,” Morgan Fruscha,
president of the Pre-vet Club and a junior agricultural science major, said.
After the presentation and a word of prayer, the “Pledge
of Allegiance” was said, and fast-talking auctioneer Dusty Taylor began the
bidding.
Taylor, who volunteered to auctioneer at the sales,
received the Alumnus of the Year Award from the agricultural science department
last year.
“Dusty helps our department in numerous ways,” Kennedy
said. “The most visible is the auctioneering, but he does a lot of work behind
the scenes, too.”
There were over 200 commercial and registered heifers,
cows and bulls to be sold. The cattle were sold in singles, pairs, and sets of
three, four and five.
“We have had more head [number of cattle], going though
each year,” Wilhite said. “We had 230 heads this
year.”
Karen Dowling, manager of the Equine Center at Tech and a
Tech graduate, said this year they were trying something new.
“We are going to auction horses this year,” Dowling said.
“We only have two that are broken and ready to be sold, but if it goes well,
we’ll bring more next year.”
The horses were not the only thing new about the sale. In
the past, Tucker said the sale has been at the Ike Hamilton Center in Monroe,
but complications caused the agricultural science department to find a new
venue.
“The Hays brothers support Tech a lot,” Erin Tucker,
director of Tech’s meat lab and an assistant professor of agricultural science,
said. “They volunteered to let us come out here.”
Tommy Laster, a resident of
Farmerville, came to the auction with her husband, L.J., to buy a new bull.
“We’ve been to other cattle auctions before, but I’ve
really enjoyed this one,” Laster said. “Besides, I
think it’s great that the money goes to the kids at Tech.”