09/25/2026
We absolutely love having the support of Rick Young & Sons Auctioneers! Brian and Colton are our amazing announcers and Calcutta auctioneers during the National Finals Skijoring Races. Congratulations on a well deserved honor, you are so deserving!
The Montana Pro Rodeo Hall & Wall of Fame is proud to recognize Rick Young & Sons Auctioneers as the 2026 Great Montana Auctioneer honoree. He will be honored during our annual scholarship fundraiser banquet at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Rick Young was born the second of four children to his parents, Glenn and Leona Young, in 1953 on a farm and ranch in northeastern Montana, near the town of McCabe. He attended grade school at McCabe with about 10 students in grades 1 through 8.
In 1966, his parents bought a ranch six miles west of Absarokee, where they raised cattle and registered Quarter Horses. In the 1980s, they began an 11-year run of holding Quarter Horse Production Sales on the ranch. One highlight during that time for Rick was when he and his dad attended an equine artificial insemination class in Fort Collins, Colorado. Over the ensuing years, they conducted an AI program, breeding hundreds of Quarter Horse mares.
After graduating from Absarokee High School, Rick managed a feed store in Absarokee for nine years that his dad had bought. Then, in 1975, he married his wife, Peggy, an Absarokee native. Over the next eight years, they had four sons.
In 1977, Rick attended the Western College of Auctioneering in Billings, Montana. This two-week class began a life-changing chapter in his life. That single decision shaped not only his life but also provided opportunities for generations to come.
The Youngs continued to ranch on the West Rosebud and raised four wild boys while building the auction business over the next few years.
In 2005, they sold the ranch and moved to their current location near Absarokee, where they have an indoor horse arena and an auction barn. The three great loves of Rick’s life: his family, horses, and auctions.
As the auction business grew over the years, Rick and Peggy encouraged the boys to become involved. Three of the four are now accomplished auctioneers, and as their children grew up, opportunities were made available for them in the auction business.
The home-site auctions have become more than auctions, they are social events, and people travel from all over, sometimes to buy something they need. More often, they get something they don’t need, but, of course, it is a social gathering of friends and neighbors.
The two big spring and fall consignment auctions easily draw 1,000 people. Folks are parked a half mile up the road in both directions. It isn’t all about the business for the Youngs. They have spent countless hours volunteering as auctioneers at all sorts of benefits, such as the Chase Hawks Calcutta and the Red Lodge Rodeo Banquet, to name a few.
In 2024, Brian Young, as vice president of the Montana Auctioneers Association, was able to present his dad, Rick, with induction into the Auctioneer Hall of Fame. Rick said, “It was quite an honor to be selected by your peers. They don’t just let any old auctioneer in.”
Auctions happen all the time, and farm or estate auctions are as much a part of the tapestry of Montana as the people. What makes Young’s auctions different is that they are still live. Rain, snow, or blistering heat, people smell the burgers and coffee early in the morning and visit with neighbors while getting their old paper number before it all gets going. People mill around, checking equipment and kicking tires, searching out the treasure they hope goes for a good price.
So many auctions happen online, and while that may open them up to a bigger market, it takes the people out of it. When people arrive at a Rick Young & Sons auction, the Young family is out and about setting up last-minute details. They recognize people and greet them by name, and that makes a difference. It’s a bit of the old ways still alive today.
Always on time, they crack the mic and get the crowd ready to go. Rick said there is nothing quite like having the crowd and seeing people compete with one another. It is a pleasure for him to command the crowd with bid calling.
Bid calling might be the most recognized trait of an auctioneer, hell, they even wrote a song about it, but the role is much more than that. You have to do it and do it well. It’s not so much about speed as it is clarity, but that is sometimes easier said than done. Brian Young said he and his brothers used to practice bid calling in the shower. The only way to become successful is to practice and gain experience. Brian said, “You have to keep a good pace and keep a good rhythm. You’ve got to keep that energy and excitement up.”
Each of the Youngs, Brian, Clayton, Jeremy, and Rick, has a unique style of calling bids, and when they trade off the microphone, a bidder has to adjust to the new caller. But it just adds to the day, as they are all watching the crowd and keeping it flowing like a well-oiled machine. It takes years to know how to handle the crowd and stay in control, and Rick learned many tricks from the old-timers and built a great family legacy.
At current auctions, visitors may find Rick and his wife Peggy, three sons, one or two daughters-in-law, two granddaughters, and three or four grandsons working various jobs. Brian’s son Colton is becoming an accomplished auctioneer in his own right. He’s been a state FFA officer and is very good with the public. Logan is also a third-generation auctioneer on the way up, and Clayton has a son who sells a little, too. At any one time, there are seven to ten helpers at an auction, and Rick is very proud they all have the last name Young.
Rick said, “I estimate we have sold over 1500 auctions over the past 48 years. And even at my ripe old age, I still look forward to auction day.”
🌟We are proud to continue investing in the next generation through our scholarship program, which helps Montana high school rodeo athletes pursue higher education while continuing to compete in the sport of rodeo. Support the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall & Wall of Fame Scholarship Fund. Visit montanaprorodeo.org or contact us today.
