MERCER, Pa. – For the 23rd consecutive year, northwest Pennsylvania businesses packed the Mercer County 4-H park to support Mercer area youth.
Along with the support, the Barbour legacy in the steer competition continued.
Since 1994, a member of the Barbour family has taken home the grand champion steer title eight times.
This year, Janice Barbour sold the third grand champion steer of her 4-H career to Springfield Grille for $3.35 per pound. Barbour’s steer weighed 1,310 pounds.
Jeremy Barbour’s 1,265-pound reserve champion steer sold to Hoss’ Steak & Sea House for $2.10 a pound.
The 22 steers averaged $1.05 with champions.
Sheep. Continuing his winning ways, Jeremy, who won reserve champion market lamb last year, sold his 115-pound grand champion lamb to Marsh’s Bussing and Marsh’s Twin Pine Farm for $7 a pound.
Outearning the champ, Cody McKean’s reserve champion market lamb was sold to Guy McKean Packing Company and Rains Bussing for $7.50 a pound.
The 46 market lambs averaged $2.48 a pound with champions.
Carcass lamb. Pizza Joe’s didn’t have to drive far to buy the grand champion carcass lamb for the third straight year. The pizza shop, located in Mercer, bought Ricky Henry’s 64-pound lamb carcass for $5 a pound.
Josh McConnell, who has won either grand or reserve champion carcass lamb for six straight years, sold his 65-pound lamb to Marsh’s Bussing and Marsh’s Twin Pine Farm for $5.50 a pound.
The nine carcass lambs averaged $2.82 a pound with champions.
Steer carcass. In the steer carcass sale, Rodgers Grove City Agway forked over $1.50 a pound for Jessie Dixon’s 758-pound carcass steer.
Butterfield’s Pub matched the bid and bought the 891-pound reserve champion carcass steer from Nola Irwin.
The eight carcass steers averaged $1.35 with champions.
Hogs. Along with her grand champion steer, two-time grand champion Janice Barbour sold her 260-pound grand champion market hog to McQuiston’s Insurance and Mercer County State Bank for $4.75 a pound.
Also a two-time winner, Krystal Lazzar sold her 270-pound reserve champion market hog for $2.20 to Howard & Son and D.J.’s Smokehouse.
The 91 market hogs averaged $1.89 a pound with champions.
Carcass hog. Alisha Henry kept the grand champion carcass market hog title in the family. Following her brother’s grand champion status, Henry sold her 212-pound carcass to Hadley Road Giant Eagle for $2.45 a pound.
Three-time reserve grand champion Jeffrey Dangrow got back to his winning ways. After being ousted from his champion status last year, Dangrow sold his 190-pound carcass to Reynolds Sparkle Market for $3.50.
The seven carcass hogs averaged $2.09 a pound with champions.
Goats. Kacy Lyn Scott sold her 104-pound grand champion market goat to Pizza Joe’s for $3.35 a pound.
Elyssa Prince’s 51-pound reserve champion goat left the auction block after getting $6.25 a pound from Tractor Supply.
The six market goats averaged $2.39 a pound with champions.
Rabbits. Both the selling prices for the grand and reserve champion pen of rabbits were new records.
Ashley Saunders slipped from last year’s top spot, but still outsold the grand champion by selling her 10-pound reserve champion pen of rabbits to Brownie’s Oil for $37.50 a pound.
Adam Watson’s 11-pound grand champion pen of rabbits sold to Pizza Joe’s for $35 a pound.
The two rabbits averaged $36.19 a pound with champions.
Auctioneers C. Sherman Allen, Don and Lloyd Braham, Simon Miller and Duke Whiting conducted the sale, which earned a total of $99,487.
