Columbiana sale totals $261,000

LISBON, Ohio – If you wanted to raise $250,000 in a three-night youth benefit, could you?

Columbiana County Fair’s junior fair livestock committees did. Last week’s market livestock sales of 373 large and small animal lots totaled $261,033.65.

That’s nearly $40,000 higher than last year’s fair sales, which had 20 more lots.

The money goes to 4-H and FFA youth from across the county.

Strong attendance. Overall, the fair benefited from decent weather for a change, although two afternoon downpours created muddy parking lots and barn stalls.

The week’s paid attendance was nearly 29,500, which does not include junior fair and open class exhibitors, concessionaires and commercial exhibitors.

A sold-out grandstand crowd watched the demolition derby Sunday, the day with the highest attendance.

Regal ending. 4-H’ers Allison Brown and Joshua Zehentbauer wrapped up their 4-H careers as this year’s queen and king.

Brown is the daughter of Allan and Carol Brown of Lisbon and Zehentbauer is the son of Neil and Lou Ann Zehentbauer of Hanoverton.

Brown’s hard work and good fortune carried over into the market lamb show, where her 112-pound entry captured the grand champion banner. Brown, who was also the senior skillathon winner, sold the lamb to Mark Seigal, owner of Salem Giant Eagle, for $7 a pound.

Longtime sale supporter Eric Hull of Hull’s Super Duper bought Jocelin Baker’s reserve champion lamb, weighing 126 pounds, for $5 a pound.

Baker’s carcass lamb entry was also a winner, taking the grand champion trophy. The 108-pound liveweight lamb sold for $4 a pound to Lazy H Farm and Fence.

The Zehentbauer family of Hanover Farms bought the reserve champion carcass lamb from Emily Stewart for $1.75 a pound.

The grand champion lamb project honors, which includes showmanship, live animal placing and skillathon, went to Lauren Czerwinski. Paul Feezle paid $1.50 a pound for her 118-pound lamb.

Reserve project lamb honors went to Zachary Birkhimer, who sold his 121-pound lamb to Carroll Electric Co-op for $1.40 a pound.

In addition to Czerwinski and Birkhimer, sheep showmanship honors went to Emily Stewart and Amber Cappitte.

Cappitte also won her skillathon division, as did Nathan Birkhimer.

The lamb sale totaled $6,763.95 on 26 lots, averaging $2.24 a pound with champions and $1.93, without.

Hogs average $1.79/lb. Caitlin Wiley grabbed her third grand champion hog banner this year, matching the ones she won in 2000 and 2001. Her 269-pound hog sold for $6 a pound to Nemenz Foodstore. Wiley’s showmanship and skillathon placings also earned her the best overall project trophy.

Lora Merrick’s 263-pound reserve champion hog sold for $5.50 a pound to R&R Paving.

The grand champion carcass hog, raised by Mark Bandy, sold for $2.50 a pound to Stark Aeration & Supply. The reserve champion carcass hog, raised by Nathan Sharp, brought a bid of $1.50 from Wayne and Betty Herron.

Swine showmanship winners included: Levi Bardo, Codey Baker, Kelsey Baker and Jeremy Howe. Skillathon winners were: Brent Woolf, Lauren Czerwinski, Nicole Weaver and Amber Cappitte.

The 117 hogs averaged $1.79 a pound, including champions, and $1.72 a pound, without champions. The hog portion of the sale totaled $52,795.40.

Steers stay strong. From Anthony McCallister’s grand champion down through the bottom of the steer sale, buyers showed their support of the county’s youth.

The steer sale totaled $128,705.75 on 77 head, averaging $1.36 a pound including the champions and $1.27 a pound, without champions.

Thompson Bros. Mining bought McCallister’s 1,320-pound grand champion for $5 a pound.

First-year 4-H’er Alexandria Cope not only won the reserve champion banner, but snatched the overall steer showman of showmen honor from her older competitors.

Cope Farm Equipment paid $4 a pound for her 1,345-pound champion.

Samantha Steiner won the grand champion steer project trophy and sold her 1,260-pound entry to Nemenz Foodstores for $1.60 a pound.

Hull’s Super Duper paid $1.85 a pound for Tori Lindesmith’s 1,260-pound reserve champion steer project.

Kevin Kitzmiller won rate-of-gain honors; and Tricia Tenzek joined Alex Cope and Samantha Steiner as showmanship winners. Skillathon winners were Kelsi Garwood, Nicole Richey and Melinda Richey.

Dairy feeder sets record. The 2004 dairy beef feeder sale was the strongest ever since the sale of feeder calves started in 1994.

Last year, for example, 75 head averaged 98 cents, including champions. This year, dairy beef feeders averaged $1.41 a pound, including champions, and $1.36 a pound, without champions. The 64 head totaled $49,551.

Heather Kitzmiller’s 550-pound grand champion dairy beef feeder sold for an unofficial record of $3.50 a pound. Barnett Insurance bought the grand champion.

Lance Smith’s 540-pound reserve champion dairy beef feeder calf sold for $2.20 a pound, also an unofficial record, to Springdale Farm, owned by Smith’s grandparents, Dale and Judy Steiger.

Cheese sale. Thirty-four 4-H and FFA members participated in the cheese yield competition, now in its 20 year at the Columbiana County Fair.

Melanie Kiko’s grand champion cheese yield, 12.84 pounds, sold for $825 to Farm Credit Services.

Kevin Crist’s reserve champion cheese yield, 10.88 pounds, sold for $650 to Ramsey Hoof Trimming, Stryffeler Farm Custom Baling, Willow View Farms and Renaissance Nutrition.

The 34 cheese lots totaled $15,225 and averaged $447.79 including the champions; $429.69, without champions.

Market goats. Julia Converse raised the grand champion market goat. Her 80-pound champion sold for $3 a pound to Rogers Community Auction.

The reserve champion goat, raised by Nathan Birkhimer, sold for $2.50 a pound to Jenkins Feed & Supply.

The 12 goats totaled $1,362.55 and averaged $113.55 with the champions; $92.76, without.

Small animals. Evan Cianni raised the grand champion pen of market chickens, which sold for $270 to Gause Equipment.

Kyle Wetherald’s reserve champion pen sold for $255 to West Point Paving.

In the rabbit sale, Carl Barrick’s grand champion pen of three meat rabbits sold for $240 to Vince Hoover for County Treasurer committee. Jared Corey’s reserve champion pen sold for $150 to West Point Paving. Corey’s pen included the reserve champion fryer.

Kristen Corey’s grand champion fryer pen sold for $105.

Thomas Higbee won the grand champion rabbit project honor, and Chelsea Stoffel finished in reserve.

Chris Simmons won the grand champion chicken project trophy and Corey McDonald won reserve champion honors.

Poultry showmanship winners were: Rebecca Swope, Kyle Herron and Allison Brown, who won showman of showmen honors.

Auctioneers Ken and Bill Baer conducted the hog, lamb, steer, goat and small animal sales; Rusty and Randall Kiko cried the dairy beef feeder and cheese sales.