Iron County Youth Livestock Auction goes viral

IRON COUNTY — For the first time ever an area livestock auction is going virtual on August 7.

For years, radio station WIKB 99.1 FM has done a remote broadcast of the Iron County Youth Livestock Market Auction. Due to the ongoing pandemic, WIKB will also stream the auction online, ensuring bidders can participate in real time.

“Not wanting to do it in person or put anyone at risk, Shawn came to us and asked, ‘Is there a way we can do this on the air?'” explained WIKB Program Director Mitch Ness. “And I said, ‘Yeah, we can do you one better. We can do this on Facebook Live.’ We are making slides for the kids with pictures of their animals and all their information. We’re looking forward to doing it!”

Livestock Council President Shawn Fischer says despite the pandemic, the auction must go on. The youth have been preparing for this event for months, and this gives them valuable experience.

“It’s wonderful for the kids,” said Fischer. “It’s very hands-on and it’s a lot of stuff that a lot of kids don’t have the opportunity to do anymore. So given the current situation, we thought that this was the best and safest way that we could still have an auction and do it for them and also the community.”

For bidder registration, visit the Iron County Youth Livestock Council Facebook page or call Sally Hedtke at (906) 367-1931. More information on WIKB is available here.