Buyers’ budgets not dried out at Hookstown Fair

HOOKSTOWN, Pa. – One livestock auction volunteer said her camper turned into an island, and that the track used for demolition derbies and tractor pulls was swamped under several inches of water after torrential thunderstorms battered the Hookstown Fair early last week.
By Friday night, when buyers converged on the fair’s sale arena, one thing was for sure: The grounds had finally started to dry out, but buyers’ budgets hadn’t.
By the time the sale wrapped up, buyers had doled out $105,422.75, up more than $5,000 over last year’s sale.
Buyer-friendly format. The Aug. 24 sale featured a Sale of Champions format that highlighted the grand and reserve champion hogs, lambs and steers raised by members of the Beaver County 4-H Stockmen’s Club.
Three of those six top winners were shown by perennial winners Caitlyn and Theresa Domitrovich.
Younger sister Theresa showed both the grand and reserve champion market lambs, and older sister Caitlyn showed the grand champion market steer.
Lambs. Theresa’s 127-pound champion lamb, also named champion mediumweight, earned $8 per pound from Chester Veterinary Clinic. Her 136-pound reserve champion, the champion heavyweight, brought $4 per pound from Unis Dental Associates.
Overall, the 26 lambs brought $9,220.40, averaging $2.86 per pound with champions and $2.59 per pound without.
The rate-of-gain award was shared by Emily Coyne and Theresa Domitrovich. Both girls had lambs that gained 65 pounds in the 101 days they raised them.
Lamb showmanship winners were Justin Seibel, senior; Theresa Domitrovich, intermediate; and Cassandra Lyons, junior.
Steers. Caitlyn Domitrovich’s 1,293-pound steer was first named champion heavyweight during weight class competition, then tapped overall champion of the 35 competing in the show. The steer brought $2.85 per pound from John Krynak and Bill Rahr.
Hillary Morgan’s reserve champion stood second to Domitrovich’s all day, coming in as reserve champion heavyweight and reserve champion overall. Her 1,361-pounder brought $2.60 per pound from South Side Garage.
The 35 steers brought a total $72,366.80, averaging $1.70 per pound with champions and $1.64 per pound without.
Market steer showmanship awards went to Caitlyn Domitrovich, senior; Emily Coyne, intermediate; and Landon Allison, junior.
Michael Steiner’s steer earned him the rate-of-gain award, gaining 841 pounds in 286 days.
Hogs. Kelli Bambery hadn’t appeared in the sale of champions since 2004, when she brought the reserve champion market hog, but she was back and did one better this year by bringing the top project.
Bambery’s 252-pound grand champion and champion mediumweight fetched $5.50 per pound from Herron’s Cash and Carry.
The Herrons donated the hog back for resale to benefit the club’s scholarship fund, and on its second trip through the sale ring, the hog added $441 to the kitty.
Michael Coyne IV showed the reserve champion hog and sold the 275-pounder for $4 per pound to Jay Snyder LLC. Coyne’s hog was also named champion heavyweight.
Fifty-three market hogs sold for a total $23,835.55, averaging $1.81 per pound with champions and $1.74 per pound without.
The rate-of-gain award for the hog project went to Elizabeth Minich, whose hog gained 215 pounds in 101 days on test.
Hog showmanship winners included Kelli Bambery, senior; Andrew Brown, intermediate; and Tyler Berger, junior.
Scholars. The Stockman’s Club awards college scholarships annually. Recipients this year were Grant McCabe, Chelsea Meehan, Chelsey Eaton, Kelli Bambery and Elizabeth Minich.
(Reporter Andrea Zippay welcomes feedback by phone at 800-837-3419 or by e-mail at azippay@farmanddairy.com.)