Latest / CattleUSA Daily / 137: 97 Years, One Legacy: Ellington Peek’s Hall of Fame Journey

Transcript

137: 97 Years, One Legacy: Ellington Peek’s Hall of Fame Journey · CattleUSA Daily

• 0:00
  Welcome to another episode of the Cattle USA Daily podcast.
• 0:03
  Today we are welcoming on Ellington Peak.
• 0:06
  Ellington was an individual that we had the honour of inducting
• 0:09
  into the Cattle Marketing Hall of Fame in Dodge City a few
• 0:13
  weeks ago. And we are bringing Ellington on
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  to share his story, a little bit about his life, his journey, all
• 0:21
  of the things. This is going to take the same
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  formatting that our last one took, having a Hall of Fame
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  individual on. We are going to first and
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  foremost start with their induction speech.
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  They had an individual from their life introduce them, share
• 0:34
  a little bit about their story and introduce them as an
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  inductee. And then Ellington gives a short
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  speech at the ceremony. And then Ellington and I have
• 0:43
  the honor of sitting down and doing an interview and talking a
• 0:46
  little bit more about his life for a few minutes as well.
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  So let's go ahead and hop into that podcast episode.
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  But before we do, if you guys could take a second to like
• 0:55
  subscribe, rate, review, do all of those things, we would really
• 0:57
  appreciate it here at the team. Let's go ahead and get into
• 1:01
  Ellington's induction and the rest of his story.
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  Welcome to the Cattle USA Daily podcast, your go to source for
• 1:11
  the latest livestock markets, industry insights and the
• 1:14
  updates shaping agriculture today.
• 1:16
  I'm your host Lauren Moylan, a passionate advocate for
• 1:19
  agriculture, here to keep you informed and connected.
• 1:22
  Now let's dive into today's episode.
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  I would like to welcome Dwayne Martin Junior of Martin
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  Livestock from California to introduce Ellington Peak Well.
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  I'm not quite as polished a speaker as Johnny or Celeste,
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  but this is quite an honor to introduce somebody in our
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  industry that is truly, truly a legend and as Johnny said, an
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  icon. Nearly 50 years ago, I started
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  going with my father to Shasta Livestock Auction.
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  Ellington was always on the block or behind the Billboard,
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  talking about the cattle in the ring, pointing out the
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  consignors in the stands or taking beds with the Shasta ball
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  cap half twisted to the side, half cocked.
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  He was so wound up into what was going on he didn't even realize
• 2:18
  it was twisted and I suspect really didn't care.
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  Ellington Peak was born in Stockton, CA in 1928 into a
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  family involved for generations of the livestock industry.
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  His grandfather was a cattle rancher and his father,
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  Ellington Senior, was a highly respected cattle buyer.
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  As a boy, Ellington spent a lot of time with his dad procuring
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  cattle to drive her haul to the slaughterhouses in Stockton.
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  He worked the ring in many auction barns across the state
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  and bought cattle for a meat Packer at a dance.
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  In 1950 he met Betty Gomes, ranch girl from San Andreas, and
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  they were married that year. He was always proud to say that
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  he bought cattle at A at an auction yard in Siskiyou County
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  while on their honeymoon and made enough to pay for their
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  trip. After a stint in Korea serving
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  his country, Ellington came back home resuming buying cattle and
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  trading cattle in California and Oregon.
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  Ellington and Betty had four children, Andy, Callie, Laurie
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  and Brad. Betty took care of the
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  day-to-day family responsibilities while Ellington
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  was on the road and according to the kids, he was on the road a
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  lot. In 1955, Ellington was asked to
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  run the Susanville Auction yard. While there he learned the Shast
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  Auction yard and Anderson was up for rent.
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  So with a $3000 bank loan in hand, Ellington and Betty signed
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  a three-year lease and started working for themselves.
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  After the lease was up, he couldn't convince the owners to
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  sell, so Ellington heard of the build of took an offer to build
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  and manage a new auction barn in Red Bluff, CA for Producers
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  Livestock. After a year working there,
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  Ellington decided he needed to work for himself and run the
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  business the way he best see fit for himself and the ranchers
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  that trusted in him to market his livestock.
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  After that, Ellington Betty bought the old Shasta yard and
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  started Shasta Livestock Auction.
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  They quickly outgrew the facility in Anderson and in 1966
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  Shasta Livestock Auction moved to their new facility in
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  Cottonwood. It became the highest volume
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  auction yard West of the Rockies and one of the largest in the
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  country. The business evolved into a true
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  family run business. Andy and Kelly started working
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  at Shasta in the 70s, taking on the roles of yard manager and
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  office manager. After Andy's passing, Brad took
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  the general manager role. In 1989, John Ellington joined
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  Johnny Rogers of the Stockman's Market to establish the Shasta
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  Stockman's Livestock Video auction.
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  At the urging of Andy and a lot of the local ranchers.
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  It would eventually become known as Western Video Market.
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  Today the company is one of the industry leading producer
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  leaders, industry leaders producing cattle auctions
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  throughout the western United States that are broadcast on the
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  Internet and Dish Network to national audience.
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  Shasta Livestock Auction closed in 2021 to allow the family time
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  to manage put their focus on the company's country sales and
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  western video market. Ellington was recognized has
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  been recognized for many contributions to the livestock
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  industry including being named the 1993 California Livestock
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  Man of the Year, receiving the 2007 Chester A Reynolds Award
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  for the Western Heritage and National Cowboy Museum, and the
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  2009 National Cattlemen's Foundation Beef Industry Vision
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  Award, along with Johnny Rogers for livestock marketing.
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  In 2021, Ellington was recognized as the Livestock
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  Marketing Association Icon Award for his remarkable impact on the
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  livestock industry. Beyond his accomplishments and
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  success, what truly makes Ellington so great is his
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  humbleness, his loyalty and his honesty.
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  This man has the innate ability to make everyone feel as if they
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  are just as important as the next guy.
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  It doesn't matter if you brought 5 head to the sale, or 500 if
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  you were there to buy a baby calf or 10 loads.
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  If you were working out back at the sale yard bringing cattle or
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  the cowboy on the ranch bringing them to the scale or the truck
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  driver hauling him in and out. You were as important is as
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  important as anyone else to Ellington Peak.
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  He was always there with a smile on his face, ready and willing
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  to shake your hand. And his impact on the livestock
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  industry is not done yet at 9. At 97, he is still repping
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  cattle on Western Video Market and he is in the Shasta
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  Livestock Auction or auction offices practically every day.
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  He is still eager to offer his time and knowledge to everyone
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  in the industry. They say if you love what you
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  do, you will never work a day in your life.
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  Well, I truly believe that Ellington Peak has never worked
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  a day in his life. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my
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  great honor to introduce Ellington Peak.
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  It was really, really nice. See every.
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  People here today. I'm a little bit slow and a
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  little bit old and I'm not a very good talker, but anyhow, I
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  appreciate what they said and I do appreciate all the people
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  here tonight. It's something.
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  Anyhow, I have been in the business a long time and Johnny
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  Rogers and I got Western Livestock auction business and
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  we're done really good there. And before that I order bought
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  for most of the biggest feed lots in the country.
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  He did a lot of business with Monfred and Simplot and way
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  before that as a kid. Bill Moffett, who you guys
• 8:57
  probably wouldn't know but Nevada and California, he wrote
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  had more 3 year old. Steers he'd.
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  Run on grass and then he'd kill them.
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  And that was in the 50s and early 60s.
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  But anyhow, I wouldn't had in my oh sixes.
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  I had one for my family and my employees and everybody else had
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  three, three of the best auctioneers and then the country
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  and Johnny Rogers and Maxi Oliveira and and Rick Montett.
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  Anyhow, I'm not a very good soccer but I appreciate all you
• 9:58
  guys have done and let let's have good markets from now on.
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  Everett Well, thank you for being with us today.
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  Welcome to the podcast. We inducted you last night into
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  the Hall of Fame. It was a great ceremony, great
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  to learn more about you and all your friends and everything.
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  It was a wonderful evening and we're excited to have you in the
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  Hall of Fame. Well, thank you very much and I
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  really appreciate it. I was surprised and I went over
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  good. Yes, it was extremely well
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  deserving for you and the career and impact that you've had in
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  agriculture. And they, they tried to put a
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  little bit of it into a page that was about 10 font, 10 font
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  size. And you probably could have made
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  a whole book out of your story and everything like that.
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  So actually you'd write a book and about write, write another
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  one. That is absolutely phenomenal.
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  That's really great, yeah. I got 1.
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  Yes, I love it. I love it.
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  I'm going to have to add that to my reading list so that I can I
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  can get after that. I'll I'll send you one.
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  Oh amazing. Perfect.
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  This is my bookkeeper. And my.
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  Daughter and. Everything else in the.
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  Yeah, she yes, keep me straight. I got 2 two daughters.
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  I had two boys, one passed on and Brad is here, but she's been
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  a bookkeeper for a company and everything.
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  Yeah. Wow, amazing.
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  Tell me about the start of your business and what that looked
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  like and everything there that you've left.
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  Yeah, I started around 1920. My dad was a cattle bar.
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  And I would. Work at the stockyards at
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  Stockton and I got to meet all these people, you know.
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  And. I I worked there and then 2-3
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  sail barns every week at that age and I ended up going to
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  service for a couple of years. I got married, come back, went
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  back to work for Westland County Commission Company for a little
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  while. And I'd I'd.
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  Go work all shears too and. Then then I.
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  One trailer that really helped me, his name was Bill Moffat and
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  in California and he, he was the one big operator around, around
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  thousands and thousands at big Steer had a packing house and he
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  bought a lot of cattle and he gave me his trap book and I felt
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  so happy to have it. And I started buying cattle for
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  him and I'm thinking that's another same plot and Montrogger
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  other people other pick up where he has logic, they don't figure
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  it out and. I did that.
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  A little. Bit and.
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  Then a chance to rent a seal barn came up.
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  I ran Anderson, CA. People were retiring and we're
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  there here too and there wasn't enough room.
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  We over overthrown in the the pens all the time and so so we
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  ended up few years later. Bigger than.
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  Bigger than one. So well, I sold through the
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  sales of 7000 there. That was too many really.
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  But we used to have some veg sales and then I, I did a, a
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  very big outside, yeah. And I've had some wonderful guys
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  work for me and still do outside.
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  And my family still went with us and we're really fortunate.
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  And I have three real good options.
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  Rick Machado, Max Oliver and Giant.
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  That's it. And so I just definitely find
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  cattle and treating cattle. I got to know lots of people
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  and. You're 97 years young, what's
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  what's a memory that you'll never forget from your time in
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  the industry? I always remember when I got
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  married. This is.
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  That's a perfect answer. I had a wonderful wife and she
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  ran the Westin shop with a Westin shop and she had really
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  run there and she passed away in this last September and we're
• 15:02
  married 73 years and I was a boss of Take That Back.
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  I know she's looking down on you right now, just shaking her head
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  at you. And her daughter, she can't
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  trade me out till I had pretty good life and you got to know a
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  lot of people and went out a lot of places and wouldn't miss it
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  for. And this is a great event here
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  and it's an honor to be here and I put on a very good show.
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  Yes, watching you in the audience, your face is just a
• 15:44
  light. This this seems to be.
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  I got to think about bidding if you're gonna have to put them
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  back somewhere. They didn't let you come in and
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  buy a number. I think that would be a little
• 15:58
  above the weight limit that your bag is left.
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  Yeah, just it's just a few pounds above 50.
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  I don't know if TSA would quite approve that.
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  Too good. Too good.
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  How is how does it feel to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
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  What is? What is that kind of like for
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  you? It feels real good.
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  I got a lot of honors in my life and life, and the biggest one I
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  ever got was Hall of Fame and Oklahoma City.
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  This right tribe close to we love people, people here.
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  Last night, Howard, old Fountain City, we packed at that time.
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  Anyhow, it's a great honor. Not sure I deserve it, but I
• 16:43
  guess I'll take it. Well, who's kind of throughout
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  your life, what has been the impact that you have wanted to
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  leave on the industry and continue to do as you as you
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  walk through your life? Yeah, I just like to make it
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  better. Yeah.
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  And that's what I always wanted to do.
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  And I don't know what I've done, but I just, and they're winners
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  here that do a wonderful job during.
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  Thank you. Yeah, very hard to beat their
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  operation. Yeah, they absolutely do.
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  And we're we're honored to induct you into the Hall of Fame
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  and good have you out with. Us now I'm going to have some
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  history from you, yes, wherever you raised.
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  Northeast Kansas. So I grew up on, my dad has a
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  cow calf operation north of Lawrence, about 45 minutes.
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  So grew up out there. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
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  My husband and I live in Manhattan now, though, so we're
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  on the we're on the east side of Manhattan out there.
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  That was so you always raised some cattle.
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  Yes, Yep, we've had cattle my entire life.
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  I kind of have a life. I I can't think of a day that we
• 18:00
  didn't have cattle around and I can't think of a day that we
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  ever won't have cattle around, even if it's just a few you.
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  Know just like her, her daughter, she's in the cattle
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  business. They've got the ranch that she
• 18:12
  had and they got 3 little boys and what are they, 810 or 12,
• 18:22
  something like that and more. They're Cowboys already.
• 18:26
  So it's going to stay in our family.
• 18:30
  Yes. How does it feel to look down on
• 18:32
  your grandkids and see the legacy that you're leaving
• 18:35
  there? I'm probably proud of them,
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  Yeah. And we're going to close the
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  family. Yeah, we have many problems, so.
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  But I've been treated good and that business is wonderful and
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  you're doing a wonderful. Job Well, thank you.
• 18:54
  I really appreciate that. I I would love to hear any
• 18:58
  thoughts or advice that you have for the next generation of
• 19:01
  agriculture, the next generation of auctioneers, the next
• 19:04
  generation of people that's going to continue to bring this
• 19:06
  businesses forward. Boy, I don't, I don't know how
• 19:12
  about you're all getting better and something getting better and
• 19:24
  just make sure you're you're a good person and doing the best
• 19:28
  you can for the industry. That's that's the perfect way to
• 19:34
  round everything out. Thank you thank you very much
• 19:37
  and thank you for your time today and being here and
• 19:41
  supporting not only what we're doing here in Dodge, but gosh,
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  the legacy that you've left on the industry has been has been
• 19:48
  phenomenal. So thank you you're.
• 19:51
  Welcome. Yes, that's an honor.
• 19:53
  Thank you so much.