Burdick farmer/stockman has lifelong career as auctioneer
By ROWENA PLETT
Reporter / photographer
Many people may know Lee Remy as the man who announces the annual Burdick Labor Day parade. The role comes naturally to him because he is a lifelong auctioneer.
When Remy was a little boy, his father, Hoyt Remy, was a depot agent at Burdick for the Santa Fe Railroad. He was active in community affairs and conducted auctions at various social events.
Although Remy's father died when he was only eight years old, his father's auctioneering made an indelible impression on his mind. He began practicing the art on his own.
Remy lived with an aunt and uncle for a time after his father's death. While working on their farm, he used every opportunity to hone his skills.
As he rode on a hay rake pulled by a team of horses, he "sold" the horses at auction again and again. He did the same with the family's dairy cow while doing the twice-daily milking.
In 1950, at the age of 20, Remy became auctioneer at the Marion livestock market, which was located along the railroad tracks at the west edge of town. The facility was owned and operated by Orville Miesse.
After a two-year stint in the army, Remy auctioneered at sale barns at Emporia, Council Grove, and Salina.
In 1970, at the age of 40, he purchased his own sale barn. He bought the Herington sale barn and purchased land for a new site along U.S.-77 at the north edge of Herington.
Three others joined in building and operating the new facility, which was completed in 1971.
Remy's partners were Irvin Christiansen, Durham, Ed Tolle, Roxbury, and Joe Clements, Abilene.
With the construction of the facility, a trend toward consolidation began among area sale barns. Remy and his partners purchased the Marion sale barn and soon closed it.
They purchased the Council Grove sale barn in 1973 and operated it for a while before closing it down.
In 1975, Remy and Christiansen bought out the other partners. They continued to operate Herington Livestock Market until 1985, when it was sold to Pete Peterson of Burdick. Current owners are Bill and Marcia Mathias of Herington.
Remy said operating a sale barn was stressful, noting that sometimes difficult situations arose which were not the fault of the buyer or seller but needed to be settled amicably and reasonably.
Remy has conducted farm and home auctions all of his adult life. He held his first farm auction in 1950. Total sales were $12,000, and included a full line of machinery.
"Now, just one tractor can bring more than that," he noted.
When he first began, he said, it was not unusual for him to conduct 12-14 auctions per month. Now, he said, it may be just one per month.
Through the years, he has conducted auctions on some of the same farms two or three times.
He has seen the demand for rural homes rise as more and more people move to the country to live.
The trend is toward mini-farms, he said.
"The number of farms is increasing, but they have smaller acreages."
As an auctioneer, Remy volunteers his time to help young people who are interested in agriculture. He was auctioneer at the Morris County 4-H stock sale for 50 years. He also conducts the Centre FFA slave auction every year.
Remy is a real estate broker and also does appraisals of land, equipment, and houses for bankers and farmers.
"It's hard to peg the value of things," he admitted. "There's such a variation in prices." He seeks to establish an average figure rather than the highest dollar amount.
"When it comes to the value of real estate, it often depends on who your neighbor is," he noted.
Cattleman
Remy purchased his first beef animal at the age of 14, using money earned from doing odd jobs. The two-year-old heifer cost $45, which the boy paid for as he earned the money.
"I've never been without cattle since that day," he said.
He had a cow herd for a while, then switched to stock calves. He purchases and feeds approximately 200 head of cattle every winter, places them on grass for the summer, and sells them in the fall.
Remy also is a bonded cattle buyer.
When he was a sophomore at Diamond Valley High School at Burdick, his mother purchased a farm northwest of Burdick, and he has lived there ever since. He married Eleanor Diepenbrock of Herington in 1958.
"She knew she wasn't marrying anybody rich," Remy laughed.
The Remys have three children. Tim and wife Heather live in Hudsonville, Mich., and have four children. Tom and wife Lynley, rural Lost Springs, have three children. Tom formerly was employed by Cooperative Grain and Supply in Marion. He now manages the Herington branch of Agri-Producers, Inc. Daughter Jan and husband Chuck Creger live near Branson, Mo., where they operate a costume design and wardrobe business for entertainers.
Remy will be 73 years old on Jan. 17. He was born during a snowstorm in 1930. Dr. J.W. DeMand had to travel to Burdick from Lincolnville on a section train car to assist in the delivery.
Remy has sage advice for those contemplating getting into the cattle business.
"I have witnessed three really bad cattle price breaks in my life," he said. "The only real protection is to stay in it and not get in and out."
His favorite line is: "If a cattleman wants to die rich, he has to die at the right time."
