Champion hog dies morning after sale at Carroll Co. Fair

CARROLLTON, Ohio – Ryan Borland’s first year of 4-H started out to be perfect, but things took a turn Saturday morning when he heard his grand champion hog was dead in its pen.
The previous night, at the Carroll County Fair’s junior livestock sale, a mixture of Borland’s eager smile and 258-pound champion animal drew a bid of $5.80 a pound from Kishman’s IGA. However, the time since the sale has been “traumatic,” according to Ryan’s mother, Cara Borland.
Veterinarian Christina Costarella did tests on the hog but, as of press time, the cause of death was unknown.
The family was heading out the door of their Augusta home the morning of July 19, en route to the fair, when a fair board member called the Borland household and told them their champion hog was dead.
Nine-year-old Borland’s dedication to his hog project was proven when he took first in his novice showmanship class. Nevertheless, since it was his first year in 4-H, he also received guidance from his family, making the hog’s unexpected death hard on everyone, Cara Borland said.
Although the hog died, Kishman’s IGA agreed to still give Borland a portion of the money, Borland’s mother said.
Sale continues. The large animal sale July 18 also featured experienced champion Bethany Frew’s 252-pound reserve champ hog, which pulled in $3.10 a pound from Thorne’s IGA.
Candidate for sheriff Dale Williams paid $4.10 a pound for 11-year-old Amber Warner’s grand champion carcass hog.
Leann Johnson had the reserve champion carcass, however due to a rule limiting the number of times a 4-H’er can go in the ring, the animal was not auctioned.
Hog averages were $1.65 a pound with champions and $1.56, without. The 94 hogs totaled $36,546.50.
Buying traditions. People like Pat Wynn make junior livestock sales special days for 4-H’ers.
Wynn sat in the sale barn for 43 out of the last 44 years – buying a market animal each year. This year’s sale was no different.
Although his highest bid of $6 a pound for a steer was many years ago, he outbid other buyers at $2.25 a pound for this year’s reserve champion steer.
In just her first year showing a steer, Alivia Trbovich took those reserve champion honors with her 1,131-pound steer.
Preceding Trbovich in the ring was her cousin Victoria Trbovich with her 1,272-pound grand champion.
After a bid battle, candidate for sheriff Bud Day had the last paddle raised – at $2.30 a pound.
Shamrock Vale Farms sent perpetual winner Lori VanMeter off in her final year of 4-H with $2.80 a pound for her grand champion carcass steer.
Kim Herrington’s reserve champion carcass steer pushed last year’s bid bar up 60 cents to $2.50 a pound from Carrollton Farmer’s Exchange.
The total for 27 steers hit $37,405.85, averaging $1.24 a pound with champions and $1.03, without.
Beef feeders. Shaun Bailey led his 452-pound grand champion dairy beef feeder into the sale ring and walked out with $1.20 a pound from Dan Dickerhoof. The bid was down 55 cents a pound from last year’s sale price.
Leppo Rents in Canton, Ohio, bought Adam Bormuth’s 535-pound reserve champion dairy beef feeder for $1.60 a pound.
Twenty-six dairy beef feeders sold for $10,785.25, averaging 73 cents a pound with champions and 68 cents, without.
Superior lambs. Leann Johnson swept the champion lamb category, exhibiting both the grand and reserve winners.
Thorne’s IGA continued its 4-H support by bidding $9 a pound for the 125-pound champion. Ace Rolloff followed in suit with a $5.50-a-pound bid for Johnson’s reserve champion lamb, $1.25 a pound more than she got for her reserve champion last year.
Amber Warner gave a repeat performance as she walked into the ring with another grand champion lamb carcass banner. The gavel fell at $7.75 a pound with Don’s Custom Meats as the buyer.
Carrollton Farmer’s Exchange bought another champion, this time Megan Blakeman’s reserve champion lamb carcass for $5.50 a pound.
The 14 lambs averaged $3.65 a pound with champions and $2.33 without, totaling $5,289.80.
Cheese gets boost. Cheese prices hit new heights this year with Christina Friley’s champion yield selling for $800 to Roger Kiko and Kiko Meats. The basket had 11.09 pounds of cheese and 3.78 pounds of butter.
Beaber Feed and Supply matched the champion bid of $800 for Alivia Trbovich’s reserve basket of 8.7 pounds of cheese.
Twelve lots of cheese contributed $7,250.08 to the sale total. Averages jumped by $171 with champions to $604.17 and $125 without champions to $548.34.
Goat prices fall. Champion goat prices took a dive this year, with the grand champion selling for $2.50 a pound, $1.50 less than last year’s champ.
Exhibitor Thomas Jurkiewicz’s 95-pound goat sold to Faye Flanagan of Reflections Hair and Image.
Attorney Gary Willen bought the 113-pound reserve champion from Randall Moore for $2.25, a bid that fell $2 short from last year’s.
Twenty-one market goats averaged $2.18 a pound with champions and $2.16 without, totaling $3,409.60.
Rising rabbits. Although goat prices were down, market rabbit prices jumped.
Steve Black’s grand champion market rabbit pen sold for $345 to State Rep. John Boccieri, $45 more than he paid for last year’s champion.
Dave McKarns Construction raised last year’s reserve champion bid by $135 to $345 for Kayla Eick’s rabbit pen.
Averages for rabbits were $222 for a pen of three with champions and $203.08 without. Fifteen pens of three rabbits sold for $3,330.
Birds of a feather. Eleven turkeys sold for $2,225, averaging $202.27 with champions and $161.11, without.
Quinn Miller’s grand champion sold for $400 to Don’s Custom Meats, and Zac Devitt’s reserve sold for $375 to Mark Weber Construction.
Market chickens brought in $6,025. The 21 pens of three chickens averaged $286.90 with champions and $277.63 without.
Carrollton Farmer’s Exchange bought Emily Cairns grand champion pen of three market chickens for $450, and Boccieri bought Joshua Cain’s reserve pen for $300.
Auction. Auctioneers for the sale were Jayme Gandee, Bill Newell, Darell Gartrell, Mike Schmuck and Jim Kiko.
Sale receipts were $113,078.74, up $4,104.79 from last year.
(Reporter Kristy Hebert welcomes reader feedback by phone at 1-800-837-3419, ext. 23, or by e-mail at khebert@farmanddairy.com.)