ELGIN – Dustin Glover’s life revolves around the cattle business all day every day.
Whether he’s an auctioneer at barn sales, on horseback rounding up his own cows or working in conjunction with a genetics company to produce high-quality cattle, Glover stays busy. He also volunteers his talents as an auctioneer for a few benefits a year including the recent Take Stock in Kids fundraiser held in Lawton.
“I may not be really intelligent, but they won’t put on my tombstone that I was lazy,” he said. “My word is always good and I’m not lazy. That’s for sure.”
Glover is a second-generation auctioneer and now operates Glover Auction Services. He started 22 years ago as he learned from his dad Bruce, a great uncle and cousins.
Good listening skills and the art of talking fast play critical roles in learning the auction business. It didn’t hurt that Glover was around some of the best auctioneers in southwest Oklahoma.
“I rode with my dad and went to barn sales and I would listen to him,” Glover recalled. “It’s something bred into you. I get that adrenaline going and although I’m nervous at first, the nerves are good for me. I’m always excited to sell livestock through the competitive bid process. It helps determine the real market value.”
Glover’s auctioneering skills helped drive up bids at the Take Stock in Kids live auction which raised more than $77,000 for students involved in Comanche County 4-H and FFA programs earlier this month.
“I would start at $200 and quickly it’d go up,” he said. “But all of that was for the kids.”
The Comanche County Saddle & Sirloin Club hosted the fundraiser, which provided every youngster at last spring’s Premium Sale and Livestock Show $1,250. Even those who missed the show received $250.
“This is for kids who don’t have any help. There’s not a better feeling in your belly than to help a kid and see him get some money at that spring show,” Glover said. “We’re doing this for kids who don’t have any help.”
Glover spends one day a week working as an auctioneer at the Hobart Livestock Auction and usually works his auctioneer magic on the weekend selling purebred animals at various sale barns. The 44-year-old cattleman says auctioneering is a hobby, one which he thoroughly enjoys.
“It’s therapeutic for me. I love the cattle business,” he said. “I’m lucky to do what I want to do and it’s very enjoyable.”
During the rest of the week, Glover is riding tall in the saddle as he works his own herd. Glover raises 450-500 head of cattle that are ultimately sold to youngsters as show cattle. The cows are sold to students in several states, including Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma.
His cattle operation forces him to hit the ground running at 4 a.m. as he saddles his horse and begins a long day rounding up lost cattle, which is a part of the job that Glover calls “fun.”
In addition, Glover works with Trans Ova Genetics, which is internationally recognized as a source of superior animal husbandry and reproductive expertise. Trans Ova ships the cattle to Glover’s cattle facility where workers flush the cows and then insert embryos into the animals. Once the cows are 60 days pregnant, they are sold to the owners of the embryos.
Seeing a cow give birth is a rewarding experience for Glover.
“My wife says I know within the first two minutes if a baby calf is going to be quality or not,” he said. “It’s like going to the casino. It can really pay off.”