The Shipshewana Trading Place Auction and Flea Market in Shipshewana has been selected to receive the 2016 Agri-Business Award from the Elkhart County Ag Society.
In 1922, George Curtis began the livestock auction business when he sold six pigs, seven cows and several young head of cattle at his home. After receiving positive feedback from the community, Curtis decided to build an auction barn on his property to meet the growing demand for livestock sales.
In 1947, Fred Lambright purchased the auction business from Curtis. He moved the auction to its current location on State Road 5, just south of town. The auction company now sells fat hogs and cattle by the pound in addition to other animals.
For approximately 20 years, the livestock auction left the hands of the Lambright family and was owned and operated by Walter Schrock. In 1979, it was destroyed by a fire and was rebuilt in just three short months with the help of volunteers from the community.
In 1981, the auction company was purchased by Fred's son, Robert, and two sons, Keith and Kevin. In 2015, Keith became the sole owner of Shipshewana Trading Place by purchasing his brother's half of the business.
Keith has a long history with the auction business. As a child, he was always at the auction every chance he was given and made his first on-the-farm purchase when he was in sixth grade, buying 14 butcher cows at 19 cents per pound.
Today, the fifth generation of Lambrights can be seen at the auction barn. Keith's son, Brian, and daughter, Jenny, work full-time for the Shipshewana Trading Place, and his daughter, Stacey, helps when needed.
Keith attributes the success of the livestock auction to the lessons he learned from his grand-father and father. The Lambrights and the auction support several different organizations and shares its facilities with the community.
The livestock auction takes place every week of the year un-less Christmas falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday. If the numbers continue like Keith suspects they will, three auctioneers will sell over 60,000 animals from a customer base of nearly 5,000 sellers from as far as 200 miles away. Animals will be sold to six butcher houses and hundreds of small buyers.
The Agri-Business Award was presented Tuesday during the Ag Society's annual banquet at the fairgrounds in Goshen.