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Show VTriVJ Vi Laktiidt Rtvitw North, Wdrwday, Juno 22, 1983 1 D &$ & i! ' ' 1 1 ' ex ; i ' i ws iiiififipillilipli s 3 iiir mssmr1 s .s m 0 ss The businessmen gather in the NORTH SALT LAKE small auditorium. In front of them merchandise is paraded by them: In the next few hours, thousands of dollars will ." change hands. An auctioneer sits in a booth at the front of the auditorium. He starts the bidding and trys to up the price on the merchandise with his peculiar fast mumbling and the - v: traditional slurs of his trade. In the seats, the businessmen use a flick of the finger, a nod of the head or a raised hand to keep the price rising. The businessmen dont wear pinstripe suits or fancy shoes. But thats okay since the auditorium itself doesnt exactly resemble the New York Board of Trade, and it smells even further from what one would expect the V" . r kid-leath- er s'" . -- business world to smell like. Instead, boots, cowboy hats and truck caps are the uniform of these businessmen and their merchandise which they competitively bid for arent bonds of a growing comp corporation. The pany or stocks of an established merchandise walks into the autitorium on four leg's and' makes up the future hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks and ice f, cream of the grocery stores. ? Lake stock Its the weekly cattle auction at the North Salt small-time e ranchers and yards. Its the time when farmer? get together to sell and buy cattle, sheep and pigs. Its the central blood line in the scheme of livestock raisers and just another step of an animals way to the consumers blue-chi- big-tim- - 'plate.:-- - "'"v here at the ; .'V 1 auction where the pulse of, the Its also ranching industry is taken by the media and other interested corporations. Much like the gold and silver markets, the price of livestock will float in a complicated wave of supply and demand. A rancher can lose his shirt at such a time while the meat packing plants rake in some budget meat. Or the rancher may hit a good time and gain a small profit. Price supports, federal loans, interest payments and other variables make ranching anify proposition. It may be Utahs largest fo?m of legalized gambling, where the far- mers always take the loss. And its at the auction when the arm of the slot machine is pulled; and it may come up cherries or lemons. - VI- Story by Dan Carlsruh M 9 w x I f 1 Photos by Dan Miller vt . v - I ' I |