Throughout the event, FFA members received guidance and support from industry leaders. Photo by Myers Jackson.
On June 12, 2025, nearly 30 Texas FFA members gathered at the Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Hotel and Golf Club at Champion Circle for the first Texas FFA Auctioneering Camp. Held alongside the Texas Auctioneers Association convention, the event introduced participants to auctioneering through instruction from world champion auctioneers and offered the chance to participate in a live auction.
“The day is really about getting the kids comfortable with being on stage,” says National Auction Association President Morgan Hopson. “We want them to come and learn and get excited about the auction profession.”
The camp stemmed from a National Auction Association initiative that was originally envisioned as an Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) to help students build leadership, entrepreneurship and communication skills.
“We realized at some point that most people using that SAE were students involved in auction families or engrossed in the auction business,” Hopson says. “We wanted to expand to students that may not have exposure to the auction industry.”
Hopson and Oklahoma Auction School owner Justin Kennedy began developing a Career Development Event (CDE) focused on auctioneering. They launched the first CDE in Oklahoma two years ago, and it’s now available in 14 states.
“The broader vision is to establish the auctioneering CDE as an official state CDE,” Hopson says.
Skill Building and Industry Insight
Open to students aged 12-18, the one-day camp required no prior experience. Participants were split into beginner and advanced groups, rotating through drills led by seven professional instructors.
“Auctioneering is a great vocation for agriculture students to pursue,” says Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. “Having been a vocational agriculture teacher myself, I understand the importance of vocational training.”
To round out the experience, participants took the stage in a live auction and applied what they had learned in front of parents, agriculture teachers and the public.
Members of all backgrounds and experience levels put their auctioneering skills to the test. Photo by Myers Jackson.
Eli Pullin, a seventh grader from Iredell FFA, was named Beginner Camp Champion. He says the camp helped him speak more confidently and quickly.
“If you want to pursue something you want to do, you can do it,” he says. “Just be calm and be yourself. That’s what I did.”
Instructors included world and international champion auctioneers and professionals from America’s Auction Academy. A smaller group joined an optional “Next Gen” program on June 13, 2025, for one-on-one instruction.
“We received a warm embrace from the parents, the students and the agriculture departments,” Miller says. “It was a huge success.”
Beyond the Auction Block
“This program is so much more than a camp or contest,” Hopson says. “It allows students from all backgrounds to discover a new pathway in agriculture. We’re setting them up for success in ways that go beyond the auction block.”
The event’s momentum is building. After he was selected as the Advanced Camp Champion, Mission FFA member Benny Garza received a scholarship and represented Texas at the International Junior Auctioneer Championship held on July 16, 2025, in Schaumburg, Ill.
“This is just the launching pad, but the moon’s the goal,” Miller says.
Time to Compete
Friendly competition is a great way for you to hone your skills. Check out these five creative FFA competitions offered across the country.
