Young Auctioneers - where are they now?

Catch up on the winners from 2006-08 here, from 2009-2012 here and 2013-17 here.

An unlikely start in the industry led to success for one South East stock agent, who took home the state title in 2019.

Growing up in Mandurah, WA, Elders Naracoorte agent Josh Reeves said he didn't even know what a stock agent was before he started his career, but six years on he cannot imagine a better career.

"I'm not from a rural background, and before I started I was actually welding," he said.

"I was working on a mate's farm welding fence posts after a bushfire and they asked if I wanted to stay on working at the farm, which I did.

"Not long after I was approached by Elders who asked if I wanted to do a traineeship which I thought was pretty cool and I moved straightaway to Jamestown to start."

Following a stint at Jamestown, Josh worked in Wagga Wagga, NSW, and Kingston SE, before he secured a role at Naracoorte.

It was in 2018 where he first attended the ALPA young auctioneer school, where he was selected as the SA representative - although there was no state competition this year due to insufficient numbers - for the national competition in Sydney in 2019.

Although he didn't take home the chocolates at the Sydney competition, Josh was not deterred, and put his hand up to tackle the state competition in 2019, where he was awarded the title after competing against four other agents.

"Tom (Dennis, Elders Naracoorte branch manager) was pretty keen on me selling, and when the competition came up and I won, I started going to Mount Compass weekly, Strathalbyn monthly, and Naracoorte weekly to sell as much as I could," he said.

"Mount Compass is a ring set up, which is the most similar to Sydney, so that kind of gave me an idea of what it'd be like, although it was still intimidating when I arrived at the nationals.

"But once things started, it felt no different to normal - I just zoned in to what I was doing and the crowd didn't really scare me as much as I thought.

"Overall, Sydney was a great experience - it's challenging because it's different to what a lot of young agents have every experienced but it gives you an opportunity to showcase your personality and abilities, and build connections throughout the country."

Now the livestock manager at the Elders Naracoorte branch, Josh still sells along the catwalk regularly.

He said the most rewarding part of his job was working with clients.

"Achieving the maximum result for clients is the best side of being a stock agent," he said.

"The industry as a whole is highly rewarding and I encourage anyone interested to give it a go."

The winner of both the 2020 and 2021 state competition was Ben Gregory, Mount Gambier, who works as the livestock manager at Elders Mount Gambier.

"The whole process just was a really great opportunity to learn from other auctioneers," he said.

"It helped me improve my auctioneering through exposure to other people in the industry.

"Exactly what I got out of it is the reason I entered, which was to better myself as an auctioneer and to take a really good opportunity to learn off people that were at the same stage as I was in their careers."

He said the young auctioneers school ran by the Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association, was now part of participating in the competition.

"Preparation is key," he said.

"Make the most of the auctioneering school because that is where you will pick up a lot of information and then it is all about practice.

"I would urge anyone who was considering it to do it because you get to meet so many people that are in the exact same position as you are, from all over the country."

Jack Guy has always had a passion for livestock, so when he was named young auctioneer of the year in 2022, he was thrilled.

Having worked as a stock agent for Nutrien Ag Solutions at Bordertown since 2017, after finishing his traineeship, Jack is keen to forge a long career in the ag industry.

"I'll aim to continue to work my way up within the company and just see how far I can go," he said.

"I certainty do want to grow within the business and get myself to a point where I'm one of the main people in whatever area I continue in, like livestock."

Forging a strong relationship with his clients is a key focus, Jack said.

"I love watching my clients succeed and building that relationship with my clients, " he said.

"That's probably my favourite thing, watching them succeed and get the little wins, as well as the big wins."

Jack said he would encourage anyone interested in becoming an auctioneer or livestock agent, to pursue a career in the roles.

"It's a good lifestyle and it's a great talent to have and is so rewarding," he said.

Later today (Thursday) Jack will compete in the Young Auctioneers Competition in Sydney, with it being an opportunity he is very excited about, he said.

"It'll be a very good experience, I'm very excited and nervous and all those normal emotions you get I suppose," he said.

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Outside of working for Nutrien, Jack said he enjoyed a range of different activities.

"In the summer time I love spending time on the river and going to the beach," he said.

"I catch-up with mates the majority of the time, after hours or on weekends.

"I love playing footy in the winter time and catching-up with family."