Sounds of the Stock Show: Bull auction ring man Terry Cotton

(Photo: CPR/Nathaniel Minor)
<p>Terry Cotton, a regional manager with the American Angus Association, helped facilitate bids at a National Western Stock Show steer auction on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015. </p>

Terry Cotton, a regional manager with the American Angus Association, helped facilitate bids at a National Western Stock Show's Angus bull sale at the Beef Palace Auction Arena on Wednesday. He has participated in auctions for 30 years, working the sales ring to relay bids to the auctioneer. His feet, hands and eyes rarely stop moving as he barks whenever a buyer makes a bid.

"It's eye-to-eye contact with the guy making the bid on the animal. And we go back and forth, you know, from one side of the ring to another as people bid on them. Big energy. You listen to [the auctioneer]. You count with him to be able to relay the message to the bidders that they are at $8,000 or $8,500 or whatever the denominations are. You have to learn it. It's just like somebody else that dances, or a baseball player. Just relax. Just relax. One thing you don't do -- you don't smoke, you don't drink, or you don't chew tobacco."

The National Western Stock Show runs through next weekend. Check here for more Sounds of the Stock Show installments.

CPR's Nathaniel Minor contributed to this report.