BOWMAN, ND (MPG) – A Northern California native is among the top 10 livestock auctioneers advancing to the 2026 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship, earning the distinction as the only Californian to make the cut.
Travis Moniz of Princeton qualified during the regional competition held Jan. 6 at Bowman Livestock Marketing in Bowman, N.D. The event drew 27 auctioneers from across the United States, Canada and Mexico, all competing for a spot in the final round of the international championship.
Moniz, 24, who began auctioneering as a child, now calls at fairs and expositions throughout the North State, including the Silver Dollar Fair, Butte County Fair, Yuba‑Sutter Fair, the Glenn County Dairy Heifer Sale and the Contra Costa County Fair in Antioch.
Auctioneering has been part of Moniz’s life for as long as he can remember. He learned the craft from his father, longtime auctioneer Brian Moniz, and later refined his skills by studying champion callers online before attending the Western College of Auctioneering in Bozeman, Mont.
“My lifelong goal was to always be better than my dad,” he said.
Moniz grew up deeply involved in youth agriculture programs. He served as a 4‑H president in Princeton, where he helped secure funding to purchase a livestock scale for local beef exhibitors. In high school, he continued in FFA, competing in speaking contests and livestock
judging, including a trip to the state finals his freshman year.
After returning from auction school, Moniz began selling at the Orland Livestock Commission Yard, where he has now worked for six years.
In addition to his auction work, Moniz remains active in his family’s cattle operation in Princeton, where he and his parents run a registered cow calf program. The family raises Red Angus, South Devons and Herefords, selling show heifers and steers to youth exhibitors and supporting customers at shows across California.
He will compete in the 2026 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship in St. Onge, S.D., with associated convention events scheduled in Deadwood, S.D., June 17-20, 2026.
Moniz joins finalists from Montana, Colorado, Manitoba, North Dakota, Alberta, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Nebraska in the Top 10 lineup. He said preparing for competitions requires discipline and vocal conditioning much the same as for professional singers, including regular warmups and exercises to protect and strengthen the voice.