Aspiring auctioneer follows Booker's footsteps

ELTOPIA — The grandson of a local auctioneer is successfully following in his grandfather's footsteps.

Oklahoma State University student Cotton Booker, of Colfax, is one of four finalists in the running for National FFA Organization’s top achievement award in agribusiness.

Booker is the grandson of longtime auctioneer Merle Booker of Eltopia.

American Star Awards represent the best of the best among thousands of American Degree recipients. The award recognizes FFA members who have developed outstanding agricultural skills and competencies by completing a supervised agricultural experience program.

Demonstrating top management skills; completing key agricultural education coursework, additional scholastic and leadership requirements; and earning an American FFA Degree, the organization’s highest level of student member accomplishment, are some of the other requirements of the award.

Booker is partial owner and creator of the online auction platform, Booker2Bid.com, which built during COVID-19 restrictions to continue offering real estate and livestock auctions. Since the site’s launch in May 2020 the platform has hosted 17 online auctions that have represented the sale of nearly 5,000 acres of farmland. The site also hosted an online livestock auction in 2020 when local fairs were cancelled due to state restrictions for 4H and FFA youth to get project animals to market.

Booker has been working with and for his family’s auction business, Booker Auction Company, as well as marketing and owning his own herd of registered Waygu cattle.

Booker will be interviewed with the three other finalists by a panel of judges this October at the 95th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. The 2022 American Star in Agribusiness award will be presented Friday, Oct. 26 by the National FFA President, Cole Baerlocher of Colfax. Baerlocher and Booker are K-12 classmates at Steptoe and Colfax schools.

Booker recently competed in the 2022 National Auctioneers Association IAC Championship, in which he was judged on his presentation, chant, voice timbre, body language and other auctioneering performance elements.

Convention sessions and awards will air live on RFD-TV/The Cowboy Channel.

All of the convention sessions and awards will be aired live on RFD-TV/The Cowboy Channel.

The other three finalists include: Terrance Crayton from the Wetumpka FFA Chapter in

Alabama, Kaitlyn Hart from the Colquitt County FFA Chapter in Georgia, and Haden Handley from the Buffalo FFA Chapter in West Virginia.