DOVER, Ohio – Buyers settled in for a long night at the Tuscarawas County Fair’s junior livestock sale Sept. 22. Some brought blankets to sit on, some brought bottled water to sip, but all of them brought plenty of money in their pockets.
The large animal sale alone raised a record $295,000, even though livestock numbers were down slightly.
Thanks to strong champion prices and higher average bids, that total jumped by $27,000 from last year.
The overall sale, including small animals and dairy, hit nearly $360,000, also up from 2004.
Steer show. It was finally Kaci Himes’ year to steal the spotlight in the steer show. The 15-year-old has had the reserve champion animal three times but this was the year she managed to grab the top spot.
Her 1,245-pound champion steer sold for $6.85 a pound to Greer Steel. That bid was almost $2 a pound more than Greer paid for last year’s champ.
Even though runner-up bidder The New Company didn’t get the champion animal, it jumped back in for Neil Wise’s 1,221-pound reserve champion steer. The company, owned by Jim and Randa Espenschied, paid $5 a pound, up 75 cents a pound from last year.
Fifty-seven steers sold for $138,659.70, averaging $1.90 a pound with champions.
Plenty of hogs. This year’s hog sale, as usual, didn’t disappoint.
Last year’s record 253 hogs brought in $130,000. But even with 13 fewer pigs this year, the species total rose by $15,500.
The average bid was $2.49 a pound, up from $2.08 last year.
For the second year in a row, Matt Spillman brought a grand champion hog to the fair. And also for the second year in a row, The New Company paid $12 a pound for his 272-pound winner.
Next came Woody Burrier and his 262-pound reserve champion, which Sugar Valley Meats bought for $8 a pound.
Lamb winners. In just her first year showing lambs, 9-year-old Morgan Himes picked up a big win. Her 130-pound champion lamb sold for $8.50 a pound to Kendle Farms and McDonnell Farms.
Jordan Zeigler, last year’s champion exhibitor, sold her 130-pound reserve champion lamb to Billman Steel Supply and Ohio Valley Towing for $8.50 a pound, up $5 a pound from last year’s winning bid.
Twenty-three lambs sold for $9,813.50, averaging $3.31 a pound. That average leapt from $2.56 a pound last year.
Auctioneers at the large animal sale included Don Wallick and Dave Kaufman.
Dairy record. Friday’s dairy sale and Saturday’s small animal sale fared just as well as the large animals, with record totals in both of those as well.
Gordon Milk Transport took home the first dairy basket for $5,000. The other five baskets were purchased by:
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