Peter Belezzuoli, the well-known auctioneer from Overland Stockyard, died this week at the age of 61 from what appears to have been a heart attack, leaving a huge void in the local dairy and agriculture scene.
Those who knew the man with the name nobody could spell paints a portrait of someone who had an outsized influence all over the western half of the U.S., everywhere from Kansas to California and places in between.
If there were beef or dairy cattle to be sold, it seemed Belezzuoli was there, the familiar cadence of his auctioneer’s voice providing a steady rhythm people came to rely on.
“He was a huge player in the community,” said Josh Bettencourt, president of the Kings County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
Belezzuoli was best known in the world of dairy cattle and beef cattle sales, but his presence spread more widely in the community through charity auctions he volunteered his time for.
Bettencourt recalls Belezzuoli donating his time to the Kings Guild, which raises money for Valley Children’s Hospital.
“He was a community business guy,” said David Howze, who knew Belezzuoli for the better part of 40 years, much of that working alongside him at Overland. “He was just a great local businessman.”
Belezzuoli was also known as an innovator.
Early on, he added internet video auction capability to Overland Stockyard, giving it a broader reach than just the regional San Joaquin Valley market in and around Kings County.
He didn’t invent the practice, but he might have been the first to start the service in the Kings County area, according to Bettencourt.
People from other parts of the country could buy cattle even though the auctions were physically held in Hanford.
That broader notoriety opened other avenues for Belezzuoli.
Before long, he found himself traveling to other states to do auctions.
“It opened up the door for him to work down in New Mexico and Arizona and other portions of the country,” said Bettencourt. “People were really interested in his ability to think outside the box.”
“It’s just amazing how much cattle, beef and dairy that he moved, and the sales that he did all across the U.S.,” said Lemoore-area dairyman Jake DeRaadt.
Another guy who would hang around at Overland’s many sales was longtime Hanford dairyman Joaquin Contente.
Belezzuoli’s death this week caught him by surprise.
“It was just really devastating to hear that,” Contente said. “It’s going to have a big impact on the cattle industry, not only dairy but also beef.”
Source: The Sentinel
