JACKSON, Miss. -- The 2025 Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions marked a significant milestone as total sales over the event’s 56-year history passed $10 million, but it also marks the end of an era for its most prominent voice.

Sale auctioneer Jackie Courson presided over his last sale Feb. 6 at the Mississippi Trade Mart after a 30-year run.

He began what he refers to as his “side job” after completing auctioneering school in 1980 and calling antique and estate sales, selling “everything from airplanes to gravesites,” but his entry into the livestock sale arena in the mid-80s was by chance.

He was in the middle of a 35-year career with the Mississippi State University Extension Service at the time and was attending a replacement heifer sale hosted by the MSU Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences.

Just before the sale was to begin, he found himself being recruited as a last-minute replacement for the auctioneer who was supposed to call the sale but suddenly fell ill.

“Evidently, I did a good job,” Courson said. “They put me in the rotation with the other two auctioneers until they quit having that sale.”

Ten years later, he was calling his first Dixie National Sale. The annual event is the finale of the Dixie National Junior Round-Up livestock shows. This showcase for the 4-H and FFA livestock programs is the site of the largest junior market livestock shows in Mississippi. Young people bring show entries from their junior livestock projects to compete to become champions in their individual categories.

Nearly 2,000 animals across the state were featured in the round-up competition with only 49 advancing to the sale. The sale included 18 hogs, 10 goats, nine steers, seven lambs and five hair sheep. The shows featured 1,269 4-H and FFA members.

Courson has observed significant growth within the sale over the course of his tenure as its auctioneer, one change being the addition of scholarship recipients. This year, the Sale of Junior Champions Promotion Committee awarded 25 $2,000 scholarships to exhibitors who are high school seniors, 10 $2,000 scholarships to owners of supreme champion livestock and six $2,500 scholarships to premier exhibitors.

Since the scholarship program began in 1993, more than $1.2 million in scholarship money has been awarded to more than 900 4-H and FFA participants.

The event has also evolved from a leadership perspective over the last 30 years, Courson said.

“I’d say that this is the best workforce development program in the state as far as what these kids have to do and how it prepares them to be adults,” he said.

Courson said he has enjoyed seeing multiple generations of 4-H’ers come through its livestock program and the sale, and that is one reason he remained involved for as long as he has.

“It’s in my heart,” he said. “4-H has been in my heart since I was in it as a kid. I’m going to miss all the people here, but I think there just comes a time when you need to step aside and let somebody else come in. I hope the next person can stay for 30 years.”

Dean Jousan, MSU Extension Service 4-H livestock specialist, praised Courson’s dedication to the event and 4-H in general.

“Dr. Courson has played an important role in this event and has done a great job over the years,” Jousan said. “The sale won’t be the same without him because he is a true professional, but it has been a joy to work alongside him during the auction since I’ve been involved with it.”

One of this year’s exhibitors was Smith County 4-H’er and Raleigh FFA member Aimry Blackwell, who placed three animals in the sale this year and has had a dozen animals in the sale throughout her 10 years competing in the round-up.

More satisfying to Blackwell than her own accomplishments is the success of another 4-H’er in her county, Cooper Bell. She is something of a mentor to Bell and has taught him the ropes of preparing for livestock shows. He placed a hog in this year’s sale, which sold for $33,000. The previous record for a hog at the sale was $15,512.

“I’ve been fortunate to place animals in the sale, but no feeling can beat when I watched him place one there,” Blackwell said. “It was definitely the best feeling in the world.”

She has also embraced the process of getting an animal competition-ready as she has grown up.

“It teaches you a lot about responsibility and managing your time,” she said. “My dad has always told me that doing the best with what you have is more important than making the sale, so that has always been our end goal and our motto.”

This year’s sale total was $591,287, breaking the previous record set in 2024 with ease.