Harrison County Fair sale totals $142,500

CADIZ, Ohio – It may be small, but the Harrison County Fair spotlights the county’s rural and agricultural heritage.
And that heritage is something to be proud of, as illustrated with buyers’ widespread support of the annual junior fair market livestock sale.
Sale total, entries up. The sale, held Friday night, July 8, totaled $142,548.49, a boost of more than $15,000 from last year’s sale.
Youth exhibitors brought more animals to this year’s fair. Nearly every species drew more entries than 2004. Goats jumped 12 head to 32 sold in 2005 and there were six more lambs (56 total).
Hog champions. But the increase was most apparent in the market hog show. This year’s show had 122 entries, as compared with 97 head in 2004.
Brooke Smith was a repeat champion, winning the grand champion hog banner for the second consecutive year. Excel Mining paid $6.90 a pound for the 264-pound pig.
Cylene Smith followed her sister into the champion’s sale ring, selling her 250-pound reserve champion hog to Coffy’s Bi-Lo for $4.50 a pound.
The 122 hogs averaged $1.43 a pound with the champions; $1.35 a pound, without.
Corey Chrisman won the junior swine showmanship award; Victoria Dawson was senior swine showman and Victoria Hoop was intermediate showman and swine showman of showmen winner.
Steers. Different year, different fair, different steers, but the banners in the market steer content went to the same two girls who have commanded the top spots for the last three years.
This year, Janelle Valdinger earned the grand champion title, repeating her 2003 performance. Last year, she showed the reserve champion steer.
CAM Ohio paid $3.25 a pound for Valdinger’s 1,328-pound steer.
Capping her fair week accomplishments, Valdinger won the senior steer showmanship competition and was also the steer showman of showmen.
Giving her a run for the money was Carly Birney, whose 1,330-pound steer earned reserve champion honors. Birney showed the grand champion steer last year and the reserve champion in 2003.
Excel Mining paid $1.75 a pound for Birney’s champion.
The remaining 26 steers averaged $1.32 a pound; with the two champions, the steers averaged $1.41 a pound.
Tiffany Horn won the junior steer showmanship contest and Tyler Horn, intermediate showmanship.
Lambs. Janelle Valdinger grabbed yet another champion banner in the lamb show, adding a third grand champion trophy to match the ones she earned in 2002 and 2004.
Valdinger, who was also the senior lamb showmanship winner and lamb showman of showmen, sold her 118-pound lamb to Coffy’s Bi-Lo for $7.50 a pound.
Dillon Brogan’s 125-pound reserve champion lamb sold for $7 to Williams Furniture.
Cole Howes was the junior lamb showmanship winner and Austin Fogle won the intermediate showmanship trophy.
The 56 lambs averaged $2.31 a pound with the champions; $2.03 a pound, without.
Poultry. Brooke Smith raised the grand champion turkey, which sold for $500 to Excel Mining. Dylan Warner’s reserve champion turkey brought a $325 bid from Orme’s East Hardware in Cadiz.
The 15 turkeys averaged $179.17, excluding the champions.
Kristen Henline was the senior showman and turkey showman of showmen. Cassy Cunningham won junior showmanship and Robert Biddlestone, intermediate showmanship.
Courtney Gardner’s grand champion pen of broiler chickens sold for $350 to Excel Mining and Katherine Knight’s reserve champion pen sold for $250 to Orme’s East Hardware.
The 14 pens averaged $148.21 including champions; $122.92, without champions.
Zachary Gardner won senior showmanship in the market chicken show. Rebekah May won intermediate showmanship and showman of showmen.
Rabbits. Rebecca Yourko, intermediate rabbit showman, topped the market rabbit show and sold her grand champion pen to Orme’s East Hardware for $240. County Probate and Juvenile Judge Matt Puskarich paid $200 for Charles Fulton’s reserve champion pen of rabbits.
The six pens averaged $178.33 with the champions; $157.50, without.
Dylan Warner won junior showmanship honors and Nichole Yourko was senior showmanship winner and showman of showmen.
Goats. Austin Fogle’s grand champion market goat topped a field of 32 to win this year’s banner. Excel Mining paid $500 for Fogle’s goat. Brooke Smith’s reserve champion goat sold for $300 to Unkefer Equipment.
The goats averaged $162.66 per head, including the champions; $146.83, excluding champions.
Showmanship winners were: Bret Mizer, junior; Nicole Cobb, senior; and Bethany Yourko, intermediate showman and showman of showmen.
Feeders, dairy. In the dairy beef feeder show, Kristina Cunningham took first place with her 552-pound calf. Excel Mining paid $1.10 a pound for the champion.
Shawn Pate’s 478-pound reserve champion sold for $1.03 a pound to Coleman Farm Equipment and Muskingum Livestock Auction.
The 15 calves averaged $396.49 per head with the champions; $372.91, without.
The feeder steer sale totaled $9,981.24 on 18 head and the feeder heifer calf totaled $3,009.14 on five head.
Ashley Stine won senior showmanship in the feeder calf show; Carly Birney was intermediate showman.
The junior dairy exhibitors sold individual baskets of dairy products as part of the market sale. Top price went to the first basket through the ring, as Stephanie Valdinger sold her basket to Hamilton Insurance for $700.
The 28 baskets totaled $8,125 and averaged $290.18 per basket.
Auctioneers donating their time to the sale included: Billy Birney, Steve Birney, George Cobb, Darrell Gartrell, Bill Host and Dave Jones.
(Editor Susan Crowell can be reached at 1-800-837-3419 or at editorial@farmanddairy.com.)