Lawrence County Fair sale tops $200,000 mark

NEW CASTLE, Pa. – The overall sale total at the Lawrence County Fair market livestock sale keeps going up. And up.
This year, the livestock sale Aug. 18 totaled $210,325, crossing the $200,000 mark for the first time and jumping more than $30,000 from the 2006 sale.
And when the cheese sale total of $9,275 is added, the county’s youth earned a quick $219,627 from the sale buyers.
Generosity. Buyers also kick in donations to other causes besides the youth. During the livestock sale, 36 lots were donated back to benefit various funds, with resales totaling $14,212.09.
Beneficiaries included the Lawrence County 4-H program; the junior livestock program; the Joe T. Shick Memorial Award; the Dave T. Rynd Spirit Award; FFA chapters at Laurel, Mohawk and Wilmington high schools; the beef barn improvement fund, and the new pen fund (hog/sheep/goat barns).
Steer records fall. Along the way, buyers set several new record prices for the livestock sale.
Pizza Joe’s in Portersville set an unofficial record bid of $4 per pound for Shelby Dean’s 1,308-pound grand champion market steer. The recent high was $3.50 a pound in 1999.
Another pizzeria, Pizzas by Marchelloni, followed suit with the reserve champion steer, setting a new record of $3.05 a pound for Monica Drobezko’s 1,314-pound steer.
And the records kept on falling.
Edward Jones Investment Co., Waynesburg, paid a record $3 a pound for Matt Drobezko’s 846-pound grand champion steer carcass, and Zona Heating, Cooling and Plumbing paid a new record $3.40 a pound for Aubrey Gisbon’s 827-pound reserve champion steer carcass.
The steer prices stayed strong, as the 40 live steers averaged $1.54 a pound with the champions; $1.45 a pound, excluding champion steers.
Lambs. The champion lamb carcass entries also earned record bids.
Thomas Beatty’s grand champion lamb carcass, weighing 67 pounds, received a record bid of $12 a pound from Slippery Rock Salvage. Mike Thompson’s 75-pound reserve champion lamb carcass sold for a record $16.75 a pound to Goodge Accounting and Tax Service.
The 141-pound grand champion live lamb, raised by Justin Martin, sold for $9 a pound to New Wilmington Livestock Auction. Daniel Byers’ 152-pound reserve champion lamb sold for $6.25 a pound to Pizzas by Marchelloni.
The 54 live lambs averaged $3.98 a pound including champions; $3.83 a pound, without champions.
Hogs. Another record fell in the market hog carcass sale, as Joshua Deems’ 180-pound grand champion hog carcass brought a record $5 a pound from Omega Inc.
Ethan McAnlis’ 186-pound reserve champion hog carcass sold for $2.50 a pound to DJ’s Smokehouse.
The 244-pound grand champion market hog, raised by Jake Booher, sold for $6.50 a pound to the Michael Wish family.
Megan Reeher sold her 257-pound reserve champion market hog to WFR Enterprises for $3.50 a pound.
The 109 live hogs averaged $2.58 a pound including champions; $2.54 a pound, without champions.
Goats.Paxtyn Lyons sold her 83-pound grand champion market goat for $5 a pound to GWS Trucking and the Hufnagel family.
C. Reiber and Son paid $3 a pound for Philip Richards’ 105-pound reserve champion market goat.
Jenny Ratvasky’s 39-pound grand champion goat carcass sold for $9 a pound to the Apple Grove Veterinary Clinic. The goat carcass program is only in its second year, so this year’s bid also set a new record.
The 20 market goats averaged $3.53 a pound with the champions; $3.50 a pound, without.
Rabbits. Nine rabbit pens battled for the top spot, earned by Anthony Vanasco. His pen, with a combined weight of 13.75 pounds, sold for $23.50 a pound to Tractor Supply Co., which is opening a store in New Castle in October.
Daniel Vanasco’s reserve champion pen of rabbits, weighing 12.75 pounds, sold to Tomeo Farms for $15 a pound.
The rabbit pens averaged $16.90 a pound with the champions; $16.37 a pound, without.
Cheese sale. Cara Trotter earned champion cheese yield honors with her dairy cow. Snyder Dairy Farm bought her cheese for $400.
Lindsey Beatty’s reserve champion cheese yield sold for $375 to Cowlick’s.
The cheese sale totaled $9,275 (not including resales or special sales).
Auctioneers donating their time to the two sales included: Don Braham, Lloyd Braham, Mark Cunningham, Beth Hillmar, Matt Lawrence, Wayne Patterson and Duke Whiting.
(Farm and Dairy Editor Susan Crowell can be reached at 800-837-3419 or at editor@farmanddairy.com.)