Jason Santomaso grew up surrounded by the agriculture industry. He's a member of the third generation of the family behind Sterling Livestock Commission, which was purchased by his grandparents, E.S. "Bud" and Arlene VanBerg in 1958. His parents, Jim and Becky Santomaso, took over the business in 2005.
That upbringing inspired Jason Santomaso to continue the family tradition. After all, he had a love of animals – cattle in particular – and the people he loved and admired most were all in the agriculture industry.
"I wanted to be like them," he said.
He started working at the family auction house fulltime after graduating from Sterling High School in 1995, and attended auctioneer school in 1998. He's gone on to qualify multiple times for the Livestock Marketing Association's World Livestock Auctioneer Championship.
While Santomaso isn't one to seek attention, he nevertheless has found himself in the position of being an advocate for agriculture, and the beef industry in particular, in response to what he sees as political forces that are harming the industry.
"We get a black eye every time we turn around," he said.
When Colorado Gov. Jared Polis last year proclaimed a "Meat Out" day to encourage Coloradans to go meatless for the day, the move enraged cattle producers and others in ag across the state. Santomaso was at the forefront, responding to the proclamation by organizing one of dozens of "Meat- In" protest events celebrating beef and other Colorado-grown meat products.
The event wasn't just a community barbecue; it also featured an auction to support the Miracle Letter Program, which offers one-time financial assistance to northeast Colorado families facing a catastrophic event. "We in agriculture can no longer just keep our noses to the grindstone and do our work. We have to be the activists to volunteer to work hard, not only for our farms and ranches but for our rural lifestyle," he said at the time.
The first year was such a success that Santomaso decided to reprise the event. On March 19, the second annual Logan County Meat-In raised over $155,000, this time to benefit local restaurant owner John McMahon and his family as well as Angels of America's Fallen, a non-profit supporting children of fallen firefighters, military and law enforcement.
The event is a way to be proactive about promoting the good things agriculture does, Santomaso said.
Those good things, in his mind, go beyond the stewardship of land and animals, or the feeding the world. More important, to him, is that "When someone needs help, ag people are the first to step up."
He said it only takes a look around the community to see examples of that. Ag producers are big supporters of the local schools, and are right there with their equipment alongside firefighters when a prairie fire threatens the area.
The Meat-In is just another example, with an estimated 1,400 attending this year's event to help support the cause.
"They don't have to know who you are (to help)," Santomaso said. "It's a family."
He also was quick to thank that family – the ag community and local livestock producers – for supporting the effort.
"I come up with these harebrained ideas and they back me all the way," he said.
Giving back to the community is, like the auctioneering business, something Santomaso learned from his family. The Sterling Livestock Commission crew has been running the junior livestock sale at the Logan County Fair – which is named after Bud VanBerg -- for decades. Jason and Jim Santomaso regularly volunteer their services on the charity auction circuit, selling off all manner of items to benefit local nonprofits, frequently with help from Becky Santomaso keeping track of the winning bidders.
The business also is quick to step up to help when a herd might be in danger. They've offered their pens as a haven when pastures are affected by disasters like flood or fire, as well as housed, and cared for, livestock confiscated in animal abuse cases.
The lesson Jason Santomaso grew up with was that if you have the means, you should get out and do something to help. Otherwise, he said his grandpa Bud would say, what good is it?
That legacy is something Santomaso hopes to pass down to the next generation. He's got a good start, as both of his sons are working at the sale barn. Hunter Santomaso recently completed auctioneer school, and Dylan Santomaso works the livestock pens. His daughter Adyson also appears to be likely to join the family business, he said.
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