Layers of Legacy | August 2025

By Cheryl Kepes

Photos courtesy Lowderman family

The Lowderman family’s cattle and auction companies forge family bonds and foster relationships.

Monte Lowderman often recalls a quote that’s motivated him since his teenage years. While attending the Illinois Agricultural Youth Institute (IAYI) decades ago, Monte heard a speaker reference the John C. Maxwell quote, “Find something you like to do so much that you would gladly do it for nothing; then learn to do it so well that people are happy to pay you for it”.

Monte embraced that adage as a youth and has carried it with him through adulthood. “I kept that quote with me and used it in many different cases, including my speech for getting elected to the National Auction Association Board of Directors,” Monte Lowderman explained. “I think for me, I found that. And with my brothers, Brent and Cody, they are doing exactly what they’re good at as well. We all try to do the best we can and pray that it all works out.”

Fortunately, it’s more than “worked out” for Monte and members of the Lowderman family.

The fact is, they’ve discovered not just one passion turned profession but two. The Lowdermans own and operate a pair of nationally acclaimed businesses: Lowderman Cattle Co., a purebred Hereford operation, and Lowderman Auction and Real Estate. The Lowderman brothers work alongside their parents, Jack and Sherry Lowderman, who founded both enterprises near Macomb, Illinois.

The Lowderman family members make a dynamic team. The combination of their expertise and skillsets has transformed shared family interests into respected institutions. Lowderman Cattle Co. has produced multiple national champions and the operation’s genetics are known throughout the Hereford breed. The Lowdermans’ auction endeavors have place them in the national spotlight as well with headline making auctions and innovation in the online auction arena.

Rooted in Family

The current generations of Lowdermans attribute much of their success to the agricultural and entrepreneurial foundations laid by their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. The respect and zeal for the cattle and auction industries run deep in the family’s history.

In 1940, Sherry’s grandparents, Chet and Lucy Jennings, launched Jennings Sales Co. in Macomb, Illinois. Their sale barn and auction business grew to be revered as one of the largest weekly livestock markets in the Midwest.

Sherry grew up around her grandparents’ sale barn, but it was her 4-H beef project that spurred her parents, Wayne “Smiley” and Betty Moore, to create a purebred Hereford operation. Her 4-H project evolved into Whispering Meadows Farm which served as the catalyst for Sherry’s lifelong love for Hereford cattle.

Jack’s parents, Wayne and Eloise Lowderman, operated a livestock trading and bull leasing business starting in 1942. Through their years in the cattle industry, Wayne and Eloise leased more than 7,500 bulls.

In the later years, when Jack was old enough to be an integral part of the business, Wayne and Jack traded more than 6,000 cows in one year alone. In 1963, Jack graduated auctioneering school and purchased Fairview Livestock Market.

Considering their shared devotion for the cattle and auction industries, it probably comes as little to no surprise Sherry and Jack fell in love. The couple wed in 1966. Their wedding gift from Sherry’s parents - two purebred Hereford heifers. Thus, the next era of the Hereford business was born.

A year after exchanging wedding vows, Jack and Sherry formed a business partnership with Tommy and Trudy Williams, creating L&W Auction Service. The families worked together for more than two decades building an auction company with local, regional, and national clients. The evolution of the business included renting a former car dealership for offices and weekly auctions.

In 1982, the Williams family decided to relocate their part of the operation to Tulsa, Oklahoma. This marked the beginning of the Lowdermans’ own auction company. Jack and Sherry grew their auction company into a prominent business that now thrives with the leadership of their sons.

Family Bonds

The Lowderman brothers honed their auction skills at an early age. “The three oldest boys, we played sale barn at home. We had a little Fisher Price building, and we used old 2 by 4’s to make big pens, we pretended golf balls were cattle and marbles were pigs, then we auctioned them off,” Monte reminisced.

The Lowderman boys, Monte, Brent, Cory, and Cody immersed themselves throughout childhood in the rhythms of auction day, activities of 4-H, and busyness of the show barn. Appreciation and respect for people and agriculture radiated as a routine part of their lives.

The tight knit family is brought together by shared passions but also by tragedy. When Cory was 20 years old, he was in a devastating car accident. The injuries he suffered were so severe he passed away after being in a comatose state for nine years.

The first nine months after the accident, Cory was in a hospital far from home. Monte had just graduated college a year prior, yet despite his youth he stepped up in an impactful way.

“Jack and I mainly were going back and forth concerned with being with Cory at the hospital at the time. And at that point, Monte took over the auction business and kept the office open and booked the sales and got the office work done as well. So, we’re very appreciative that he dedicated himself to that during that time period,” Sherry Lowderman shared.

Cattle Connection

One of the many ways the family chose to honor Cory was through reinvigorating the family’s Hereford operation. “At Cory’s passing, we had a family meeting, and said, ‘How could we honor him and in what direction should this go?’ We were dedicated at that point to the Hereford business, and so we decided to invest in some major genetics at Michigan State’s dispersal sale. And that was the beginning of reestablishing the Hereford business in the family,” Sherry explained.

Since that family meeting more than two decades ago, Lowderman Cattle Co. has developed into a premier purebred Hereford operation. The Lowdermans manage a set of elite donors, offer a nationally recognized bull battery, and operate a robust embryo transplant program. The family hosts three online sales each year, showcasing show heifer prospects, herd bull and steer show prospects, and open and bred females.

At any given point in the day, one might stumble across three generations of Lowdermans working side by side in the show barn. No matter how chaotic their lives become, it’s the cattle that brings them together.

“We’ve enjoyed great success, but the best part is sharing all that as a family. When you have three generations in the show barn. It’s pretty special,” Sherry said.

Auction Life

The Lowderman brothers have come far from the days of pretending to auction golf balls (cattle) and marbles (pigs). Monte, Brent, and Cody each graduated auction school and with their combined efforts the auction company soared to new heights.

“We have sold everything starting with estate auctions and livestock markets evolving to include purebred production and bull sales, multimillion dollar equipment and real estate, as well as farm and ranch complete dispersals. We have been very blessed to have had done that on not only the local and regional level but the national level as well,” Monte stated.

Monte fondly recalls working with his family and assisting the Williams family at auctions across the country for clients such as Skelly Oil Corporate Resort, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics Research Facility, Rosharon Farms, Nine Bar Ranch, and Worrell Farms. One particularly memorable auction was a million dollar one-bedroom condo located one block from Trump Tower in NYC.

Many times, auctions are extremely long days with wake ups before sunrise and work until the wee hours of morning. The Lowdermans don’t mind, they are willing to do what it takes to help their clients.

“We understand that buying and selling real estate is one of the most important decisions people will make in their lifetimes,” Monte said. “In a lot of cases, our clients have spent a lifetime building their business and it’s darn important to them and they are hiring us to get as much money out of that as we can because it affects their quality of life. So, we work hard to do what is best for them and honor them,” he continued.

Sherry added, “In that same realm, our business has been built on reputation and referrals. We emphasize honesty, integrity, and sincerity, and we combine that with an energetic presentation on sale day. And all of that, I believe, has contributed to our continued success.”

The family operates the auction business from a multipurpose facility and auction building west of Macomb, Illinois. The family added another building to the auction headquarters to accommodate increased sale volume and to create a venue for Lowderman Cattle Co.’s annual production sale.

While all three Lowderman brothers are deeply engaged in the auction and cattle business, each brings a unique expertise to the table. Monte primarily handles Lowderman Auction and Real Estate, Cody concentrates on livestock production and bull sales, and Brent leads the way in the livestock market as the owner and operator of Carthage Livestock Inc. in Carthage, Illinois. In addition, Monte and Cody sell real estate nationally.

Industry Innovation

Similar to the generations before them, the Lowderman brothers are groundbreakers. Monte and Cody recognized the importance of offering an online auction platform for customers before most companies decided to get onboard with the concept. The two brothers formed Lowderman Auction Options in 2009. A few years ago, Monte and Cody merged their online auction business with AgSaleDay, an online auction bidding platform.

From the earliest days, the Lowdermans’ deep roots in agriculture and unwavering dedication to their craft shaped the character of both enterprises. As the years unfold, each generation adds its own layer to the legacy – and for the Lowdermans, the greatest reward of all is sharing each moment with family.

Annual Fall Production Sale:

Sunday, October 12, 2025

1:00 pm, at the sale facility in Macomb, Ill.

learn more at www.lowderman.com