JEFFERSON, Ohio – If the Ashtabula County Fair junior fair market animal sale had been connected to a fairy tale, those attending would have turned into pumpkins before the grand champion steer even entered the sale ring.
The sale, which started at 5 p.m. Aug. 11, was still going strong in the wee hours of Aug. 12, and it was 12:30 a.m. when Kyle Jones led in his grand champion exhibitor steer (with 38 other steers and five beef carcass projects still to follow it across the auction block).
Stalwart buyers stayed until the very end, however, and the 4-H and FFA youth earned a total of $167,729.47 for their livestock projects. A total of 262 project animals were sold.
Meant to be broken. C. Hamm and Associates busted the market turkey record of $25 a pound set in 2002, bidding $29 a pound for Jenny Beals’ 36-pound grand champion exhibitor turkey.
The grand champion exhibitor award is presented to the youth who top the project area in a score combining showmanship, skillathon and the live animal show. Best of show in each species goes to the youth who shows the top animal in the conformation show (traditional grand champion).
The reserve champion turkey exhibitor, Katie Beals, sold her 42-pound turkey for $8 a pound to Hartsgrove Lumber.
Dan Yancey’s best of show turkey, weighing 26 pounds, sold for $19 to Judge Diane Grendell. Evan Wolf’s 43-pound reserve best of show turkey sold for $11 a pound to Remax Innovations.
The 24 turkeys averaged $8.33 a pound including champions; $6.65 a pound, without champions.
Another one bites dust. Records fell in the hog carcass sale, too. Danielle Lautanen’s best of show hog carcass sold for $5 a pound to Atlantic Equipment Co., topping the previous record of $3.75 a pound set in 1998.
The reserve best of show hog carcass, raised by Ben Beckwith, sold for $3 a pound to North American EDM Supplies.
The remaining three carcass projects averaged $2.22 a pound.
Hogs. In the live hog sale, grand champion exhibitor Meredith Gavin was the first to enter the ring. Her 273-pound hog sold for $3.50 a pound to Geneva Giant Eagle.
Thorne’s BiLo Supermarket matched the $3.50 bid to buy reserve champion exhibitor Erica Reiter’s 303-pound hog.
Ryan Heating and Cooling paid $2.70 a pound for Kayla Doolan’s 257-pound best of show hog.
But the real excitement came when Ben Beckwith brought in his 246-pound reserve best of show pig. The bidding started innocently enough, until Charles Hamm of Geneva leapfrogged several bids to place a $5 a pound bid. Then five seconds later, he upped his own bid to $10 a pound, a new record.
Hamm, who said he had no connection to the Beckwith family, said he just wanted to support the county’s 4-H program.
The 95 hogs totaled $45,293.10 and averaged $1.86 a pound including champions; $1.72 a pound, without champions.
Steers. In the market steer show, grand champion exhibitor Kyle Jones sold his 1,300-pound steer to All-County Disposal for $1.80 a pound. Dayna Stevens’ reserve champion exhibitor steer, weighing 1,370 pounds, sold for $1.30 a pound to Ray Brothers. Her steer was also the best of show steer.
Aaron Flavell’s reserve best of show steer, weighing 1,315 pounds, sold for $1.50 a pound to Short Run Machine Products.
The 39 steers totaled $60,521,25, and averaged $1.28 a pound including champions; $1.26, excluding champions. Only one steer dipped below $1/pound.
Flavell also raised the best of show beef carcass, which sold for $1.60 a pound to March Farms. Joe Mezinger’s reserve best of show beef carcass sold for $2.50 a pound to Ray Brothers, Orwell.
The remaining three steer carcass projects averaged $1.67 a pound.
The dairy steers, introduced as a project last year, were led by grand champion exhibitor Courtney Fox. Her 1,080-pound steer sold for $1.25 a pound to Andover Bank. Reserve champion exhibitor, Kyle Hass, sold his 1,305-pound steer for $1.05 a pound to RNJ Trucking.
Best of show dairy steer, raised by Mich Pauley, sold for $1.05 a pound. The steer weighed 1,075 pounds. Reserve best of show dairy steer, raised by Chad Tuttle, sold for 75 cents a pound. Hartsgrove BP/Circle Creek Cabin Restaurant bought the 1,245-pound steer.
The remaining four dairy steers averaged 91 cents a pound.
Lambs. Samantha Benton continued her streak of lamb wins, earning the grand champion exhibitor and best of show honors this year. Last year, Benton also had the best of show lamb and in 2003 and 2004 she won reserve best of show honors.
Thorne’s BiLo Supermarket paid $6.40 a pound for her 123-pound lamb, a solid jump over last year’s $3.60 bid.
Matthew Bogue, who was last year’s grand champion lamb exhibitor and showed the reserve best of show, repeated with this year’s reserve best of show and as reserve champion exhibitor. Midway Pontiac, Chevrolet and Buick, paid $4 a pound for the 113-pound lamb.
Bogue’s wins stretch back further, as he was the reserve champion exhibitor and showed the best of show lamb in 2004 and was grand champion exhibitor in 2003. In 2002, his first year in the show ring, he won best of show and grand champion exhibitor honors.
The remaining eight lambs averaged $2.05 a pound.
Blake Betteridge’s best of show lamb carcass sold for $5 a pound to Green Side Up Landscape & Construction and Oliver Alpacas. Ben Betteridge’s reserve best of show lamb carcass sold for $3.50 a pound to Lizandemere Farm.
The remaining three carcass lambs averaged $2.27 a pound.
Cheese baskets. Bailee Mazzaro won grand champion honors with her dairy cow, and her cheese basket sold for $750 to Judge Diane Grendell. The reserve basket belonging to Hannah Sundberg sold for $400 to Countryside Vet Clinic.
The baskets averaged $506.25.
Feeder calves. Grand champion beef feeder exhibitor Raquel Mook’s reserve best of show calf sold for $2.25 a pound to CW Brooks Trucking and Ed’s Kids’ Pet Supplies. Keston Schwotzer, reserve champion exhibitor, raised the best of show calf, which weighed 498 pounds. BP Enterprise paid $1.75 a pound for the calf.
The remaining two beef feeder calves averaged $1.83 a pound.
Brittini Clayton’s 442-pound dairy beef feeder sold for $1.35 a pound to Weaver Trucking and Amber Pomeroy’s 660-pound reserve champion exhibitor feeder sold for $1.30 a pound to Complete Coverage Ag Service.
Kala Summers showed the best of show dairy beef feeder, which sold for $1.25 a pound to Marous Farm Enterprise. Tori Kanicki’s reserve best of show feeder brought $1.55 a pound from Weaver Trucking.
The remaining 25 feeder calves averaged $1.37 a pound.
Small animals. In the market chicken competition, James Anderson was the grand champion exhibitor and showed the reserve best of show pen of chickens. Judge Diane Grendell paid $25 a pound for his 12-pound pen of two chickens.
Dustin Wolf, the reserve champion exhibitor, sold his pen of two chickens weighing 12.25 pounds to Remax Innovations for $21 a pound. The best of show pen, raised by Lorraine Miller, sold for $24 a pound to Ray Brothers.
The remaining six pens averaged $13.67 a pound. With the champions, the chicken broiler pens averaged $16.89 a pound.
Michael Anderson Jr. won grand champion rabbit exhibitor honors and also showed the reserve best of show pen. His 11.25-pound pen of rabbits sold for $28 a pound to Tractor Supply Company. Reserve champion exhibitor Cassie Swango sold her pen to CW Brooks Trucking and Ed’s Kids’ Pet Supply for $19 a pound.
The best of show pen, raised by Nicholas Elencovf, sold for $16.05 a pound to Dietrich Fuel Alternatives.
The five rabbit pens averaged $19 a pound excluding champions; $19.30 a pound with champions.
Market goats. Kayla Stoltz raised the best of show market goat and earned grand champion exhibitor honors. Freedom Farm Boer Goats paid $3.50 a pound for her 101-pound goat.
Becky Betteridge, reserve champion exhibitor, sold her 58-pound goat to Lizandemere Farm for $4.25 a pound and Natalie Thomas sold her 83-pound reserve best of show goat to Trumbull County Recorder Diana Marchese for $3.75 a pound.
The remaining 12 goats averaged $1.96 a pound.
Auctioneers donating their services to the sale included Allen Burhenne, John Erdel, Jack Evans, Bob Fink, Gary Heavan and Tim Hunt.
(Farm and Dairy Editor Susan Crowell can be reached at 800-837-3419 or at editor@farmanddairy.com.)
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