Ross Annett, gentleman auctioneer, retires

Colleagues, friends and family describe Ross Annett as professional, dedicated, loyal and a man of integrity.

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He received a standing ovation when the Livestock Marketing Association of Canada acknowledged his 50-year career and retirement from Bow Slope Shipping Association in Brooks, Alta., during the annual convention in Waterloo, Ont. in May.

“He brought the level of professionalism and expertise to the auction industry to a whole new level,” said Rob Bergevin of Alberta’s Foothills Auctioneers. “Thank you for your integrity and what you’ve brought to the livestock marketing industry.”

Why it matters: LMAC recognizes member contributions annually, including inductions into the Hall of Fame and the Memorial Honour Roll.

In 1971, Annett moved from Ontario to Fort Macleod Auction and Hurlburt Auction in Lethbridge, where his father Ralph and Uncle Harold worked. He joked that he made a dollar an hour pumping gas in Ontario and got 15 hours weekly. Fort Macleod paid $1.25 for all the hours he could manage.

“I should say that through the fall run out there, we’d work as many as 36-hour shifts, go up and sleep in the stands,” said Annett. “And it was great. I never loved anything any more than that.”

As he learned the ropes, Ralph and Harold instilled the importance of a good reputation and the value of honesty.

In 1974, Annett took his talents to the Bow Slope Shipping Association in Brooks, building on those principles and eventually launching Annett Auction Center and T-Down Trailers. He assured everyone his April retirement from Bow Slope wouldn’t impact the auction centre or the trailer business.

“I’ll do some live farm sales … and of course we will go on with the ranch. That’s a way of life; it always has and always will be. Not a whole lot has changed other than my Fridays now belong to someone else.”

Annett’s talent behind the microphone is well documented, whether it’s as a top 10 finalist at the Calgary Stampede 14 times, as the 2004 Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Champion, as the 2023 Brooks-Newell region Citizen of the Year, or as a generous mentor.

During the pandemic, Annett, a 45-year supporter of 4-H, created a platform allowing kids to sell their livestock online.

“The man is a bit of a legend,” said world champion auctioneer Dan Skeels. “He’s a class act. It’s been a pleasure to know him and a pleasure to share an auction block with him.”

Albertan Jesse Lawes, 2023 Canadian Livestock Auctioneering Champion, said Annett set the bar high by elevating honesty and integrity within the livestock industry and mentoring inexperienced auctioneers.

“I’ve sure felt the effects of your guidance and push to be a part of the associations and the competitions,” said Lawes.

Hall of Fame

Manitoba livestock dealer and market operator Jack McKennitt’s contributions to the sector were celebrated by his posthumous induction into the LMAC Hall of Fame.

As president of both LMAC and the Manitoba Livestock Marketing Association during his 50-year career, McKennitt helped keep Manitoba’s auction marketing business alive through challenging times.

He was an early champion for transparent live auction price discovery as local auction markets emerged.

In 1983, he hosted an evolved LMAC’s general meeting and convention, inviting delegates from Quebec and demonstrating electronic marketing, the early version of TEAM.

While Manitoba association president, he blocked the province from expanding into the feeder cattle and cull cow business when it adopted the beef commission. Although the industry couldn’t market fed cattle for a few years, many attribute McKennitt’s fiery passion to saving Manitoba’s auction market industry.

When the Union Stockyard closed in 1988, he and a handful of dealers invested in a new auction market northwest of Winnipeg. He remained a shareholder until his death on March 18, 1992.

Doug Jackson, Winnipeg cattle buyer and two Ontarians, Fred Jacklin of Maple Hill Auction and Jim Wideman of Ontario Livestock Exchange, were the 2024 inductees to the Memorial Honour Roll.