Sale total soars at 2003 Harrison County Fair

CADIZ, Ohio – The rain stayed away and temperatures were just right for the junior fair livestock sale July 11 at the Harrison County Fair.

Sales totaled $120,039 this year, up more than $8,800 from last year.

It was a good year for Janelle Valdinger, winner of banners for grand champion steer, reserve champion market lamb, intermediate beef and sheep showmanship and beef and sheep showman of showmen.

Steers. About six hours into the sale, Valdinger’s 1,308-pound steer sold for $3 a pound to Coffy’s BiLo of Cadiz, Ohio.

Mindale Farms in Tallmadge bought Carly Birney’s 1,311-pound reserve champion steer for $1.85 a pound, down 35 cents a pound from last year.

Brandon Pettit won senior showmanship and Birney won junior showmanship.

The average price per pound with champions was $1.08. The average without champions was $1.

Goats and lambs. The market goat and lamb sale got off to an exciting start when the reserve champion goat broke loose from the grasp of exhibitor Brooke Smith and darted out of the sale ring.

The goat ran amok on the fairgrounds for about 45 seconds before it was captured and returned. The reserve champion was eventually purchased by Carroll Electric Co-op for $110.

Ace Hardware of Cadiz bought the grand champion market goat, raised by Cylene Smith, for $260.

Smith’s 125-pound grand champion market lamb sold to McDonnell Farms for $15 a pound, a $5-a-pound increase over last year’s price.

Janelle Valdinger’s 119-pound reserve champion lamb went to Coffy’s BiLo for $6.75 a pound, down $3.25 a pound from 2002.

Dillon Brogan won senior lamb showmanship.

Megan Milleson won goat showman of showmen and senior goat showmanship. Cyndi Cramblett won intermediate showmanship and Austin Dowdle won junior showmanship.

Any lamb sold for less than $2 a pound was brought up to that price by Howes and Sons Excavating.

The average price of lambs per pound with champions was $2.55. The average without champions was $2.18.

The average price for goats with champions was $133.95. The average without champions was $127.94.

Hogs. Brooke Smith also captured the grand champion market hog title and won junior swine showmanship. She reigned as fair princess as well.

Smith sold her 261-pound grand champion hog to Coffy’s BiLo for $8.50 a pound.

That price is $3.50 more per pound than last year’s final bid for the champion hog.

John Smith sold his 263-pound reserve champion hog for $5 a pound to Woods Food Center.

Alisha Hoop won swine showman of showmen and senior showmanship; Kallie Telfer, intermediate; and Brooke Smith, junior.

The average price per pound with hog champions was $1.60. The average without champions was $1.48.

Poultry. As in past years, Derek Stromski took top honors in the rabbit and poultry contests. He had the grand champion pen of rabbits, grand champion pen of chickens and reserve champion market turkey.

He continued to reign as the senior outstanding market project exhibitor for chickens.

Stromski sold his pen of three chickens to Esther and Lamont McCoy for $325. His reserve champion turkey sold to Wendy’s of Cadiz for $250.

Stromski’s pen of three rabbits sold to Excel Mining for $310, just $40 less than what the company paid for his champion project last year.

More champs. Dillon Brogan sold his grand champion market turkey to Williams Furniture for $550. Last year, Williams Furniture paid $475 for Brogran’s grand champion turkey.

Amber Thomas sold her reserve champion market chickens to McDonald’s of Cadiz for $250, down $150 from last year.

Zach Gardner won the outstanding chicken exhibitor award in the intermediate division, and Courtney Gardner won the junior exhibitor award.

Aaron Dowdle won the senior outstanding turkey exhibitor award, and Todd Stine won the intermediate award.

The average price for turkeys with champions was $94.38 and $66.59 without.

The average price for chickens with champions was $104.55. The average without champions was $63.89.

Rabbits. Loni Koch’s reserve champion rabbits also brought $310 from Homeland Realty. The price was up $210 from last year.

Sara Wright won rabbit showman of showmen and senior showmanship and Kristen Wright won junior showmanship.

The average price for rabbits with champions was $124.04. The average without champions was $90.23.

Feeder calves. D&J Sales and Service bought Kyle Bardall’s 447-pound grand champion dairy feeder calf for $1.10 a pound.

Eastern Ohio Repair bought Alan Albright’s 593-pound reserve champion dairy feeder calf for 80 cents a pound.

Robbie Wilson sold his 335-pound reserve champion beef feeder calf to Carrollton Farmers Exchange for $2.50 a pound.

The grand champion beef feeder did not sell.

Dairy. Dairy projects were also sold. Stephanie Valdinger, Danae Dawson and Chad Dawson received the outstanding dairy project award. Dairy projects averaged $265.87.

Auctioneers who helped with the sale include Steve Birney, George Cobb, David Jones, Billy Birney, Bill Host and Darrell Gartrell.

The 2003 fair queen was Laura Smith and the king was Bryan Hirschbach.

(Janelle Baltputnis welcomes reader feedback by phone at 1-800-837-3419, ext. 21, or by e-mail at janelleb@farmanddairy.com.)