How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck... Page #2

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are based on professional criteria.

They are organizers and buyers.

They select the contestant

they would most like to work for them.

We'll start

by showing a scene from above

to make it clear

how proceedings work.

The stalls are behind the auctioneers,

who take it in turns to lead.

The cattle enter the arena

from the right, over the scales

and leave to the left.

The buyers are dotted about

in the crowd.

The most interested buyers

sit in the front row.

The auctioneer is handed a note

stating the weight.

Buyers bid

per 100 pounds of live weight

and for all cattle in the arena

at that particular point in time.

When a bid is accepted,

it is written on the note

and then sent via a conveyor belt

to the main office.

The competition is underway.

Needless to say, we were unable

to film all 53 competitors,

but we were lucky enough

to catch the overall winner.

Look out for slight hand movements.

This is how you spot buyers.

They too are competing

against each other,

just not as openly as the others.

This is the first time

that a woman has ever competed.

The cattle have ground to a halt

on the scales.

The auctioneer says

that all this waiting

has made him nervous.

This is Ralph Wade

from Miami in Oklahoma.

He came in second.

The next auctioneer

adds a little variety.

He's been working for 50 years.

He starts by miscounting

the number of cattle.

He announces Canadian Steve Liptay,

who later goes on

to win this world championship.

This type of language

is somehow frightening,

but fascinating at the same time.

What frightens me personally

is the idea that our system

has managed to produce a language

that almost surpasses

the boundaries of extremity.

Sometimes I ask myself,

"Where did church liturgy come from?

Where did the language of propaganda

come from?

And how did our economic system

spawn this language?"

But at the same time,

it exerts a deep, musical fascination.

Sometimes I think

that this here could be

the last remaining lyrical form.

This auctioneer

was the final contestant

after only three hours.

From this we can work out

that each slot

lasted no more than three minutes.

The afternoon ended with buyers

paying and loading up their cattle

while bystanders bid for cakes.

The awards ceremony took place

in the evening

in the town of Herschey,

an hour's drive away.

Leon Wallace from West Monroe,

Louisiana, came third.

Ralph Wade from Miami, Oklahoma,

came second.

And here is the new world champion,

Steve Liptay.

It took him a long time

to grasp that he had really done it.

Steve thanks everyone

and says

he knows of no other profession

where the best come together

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