A Livestock Merchandising Class With a $328,000 Bottom Line

By Marya Barlow

The auctioneer’s chant filled the Alphin-Stuart Livestock Arena as more than 100 buyers packed the stands, eyes fixed on video screens showing cattle up for bid.

Students scanned the crowd, signaling offers and recording sales. Behind the scenes, classmates tracked online bids and coordinated logistics from serving food to loading cattle onto trailers.

For students in the Livestock Merchandising class, the Hokie Harvest Sale is more than an auction. It’s the culmination of months of planning and one of the School of Animal Sciences’ most enduring hands-on learning traditions.

Now in its 31st year, the course has given more than 2,060 students a front-row seat to the business of animal agriculture and raised almost $4.5 million through the sale of 1,554 head of cattle, 433 horses, and 46 swine. Proceeds go back into the School of Animal Sciences, funding teaching, research, and herd improvements that strengthen Virginia Tech’s livestock programs.