LISBON, Ohio – 4-H and FFA market livestock exhibitors from around Columbiana County benefited from the support of hundreds of supporters, as the junior fair market livestock sale total reached an unofficial record of $248,475.35, up substantially from last year’s total of $229,953.44.
The Columbiana County Fair ran July 31-Aug. 5.
This was the second year for the fair’s earlier fair dates, having changed from its late August fair week in 2000. Overall attendance stood at 40,115, according to fair office manager Terri Hunter. Sunday’s crowd, which came to take in the demolition derby, was a record-breaker, at 8,368. Country and western artist Joe Diffie delighted fairgoers Saturday night.
The sale of market hogs, lambs, goats, steers, dairy beef feeders, beef feeders, cheese, chickens and rabbits covered three nights of the fair.
Steers. Continuing its four-year string of steer wins, the Sharp family of Beloit brought home another grand champion steer trophy.
This year, it was Nathan Sharp’s turn to bring home the banner, having stood second to his older brother, Seth, in 1998 and watching from the wings as Seth grabbed the top steer honor in 1999 and 2000, too.
Nathan’s 1,325-pound grand champion steer sold for $6 a pound to longtime sale supporter, Village Sparkle Markets. The bid was a dollar over last year’s final bid.
Codey Baker of East Rochester raised the 1,355-pound reserve champion steer, which sold for $3.50 a pound to Salem Giant Eagle, up 50 cents from last year’s price.
Bridget Garwood won the grand champion steer project trophy, an honor that incorporates Garwood’s score in the steer skillathon, showmanship and live animal placing. her 1,515-pound steer also went to Village Sparkle Markets for $2.80 a pound, up $1.30 from last year’s bid.
Seth Sharp won reserve champion steer project honors. His 1,180 pound steer sold for $1.20 to Youngstown Oxygen and Welding Supply.
Rate of gain winner was Kelsi Garwood; showmanship honors went to Hillary Hoppel, junior; Tori Lindesmith, intermediate; and Seth Sharp, senior and showman of showmen. In addition to Bridget Garwood, skillathon winners were Kathlyn Marshal, junior, and Samantha Steiner, intermediate.
Ashley Bergman of East Rochester raised the grand champion beef feeder; Brent Bergman raised the reserve champion.
The 75 steers averaged $1.32 a pound including champions; $1.22 a pound, without. Both averages are well above last year’s marks of $1.18 and $1.09. Total sales for Thursday night’s steer sale were $127,182.45.
Chickens. They may be small, but the price for the grand champion chickens sure was mighty. Spread Eagle Tavern in Hanoverton set a new record of $960 for the pen of three chickens raised by Caleb Zehentbauer of Hanoverton.
Lindsay Simmons of East Palestine raised the reserve champion pen of chickens, which sold for $330 to West Point Paving. Simmons also won showman of showmen honors.
Allison Brown was the intermediate showmanship winner and Luke Kelm of Leetonia, junior showmanship winner.
The market poultry sale totaled $3,288.50.
Hogs. Caitlin Wiley of Columbiana repeated with a big win in the 2001 market hog show. Her 247-pound hog was named grand champion and her skills in both the skillathon and showmanship competitions also earned Wiley best project honors.
Sparkle Markets paid $6 a pound for the grand champion hog, matching the bid they paid for Wiley’s grand champion last year.
Seth Sharp showed the 254-pound reserve champion hog, which sold for $3.60 a pound to Youngstown Oxygen and Welding Supply.
Lauren Truxall of Minerva raised the grand champion pork carcass. Her 224-pound live hog dressed out at 66 percent, yielding a 148 pound carcass. The VFW Post 4210 of Minerva and Kishman’s IGA joined to buy Truxall’s champion carcass for $5.50 a pound.
Heath Halter, also of Minerva, raised the reserve champion hog carcass. Kishman’s IGA also bought Halter’s hog, paying $4.25 a pound, well above last year’s bid of $2.25 a pound.
Swine showmanship trophies went to Codey Baker, junior; Matt Meier, intermediate; and Heath Halter, senior and showman of showmen.
The 135 hogs averaged a very strong $1.79 a pound, including champions; $1.74 a pound, without champions. The overall swine sale totaled $58,092.05.
Lambs. Katie Glasser of Salem raised the grand champion market lamb, a 126-pound entry. Village Sparkle Markets continued its sweep of the grand champion animals, with a nod for Glasser’s lamb at $5 a pound.
Glasser also earned junior showmanship and showman of showmen honors.
Esther Bardo of Salem raised the reserve champion lamb. her 110 pound lamb sold for $4 a pound to Salem Giant Eagle.
Jocelin Baker of East Rochester won grand champion lamb carcass honors. her 120-pound lamb dressed out at 58 percent for a 69 pound carcass. Kiko Auctioneers paid $4.75 a pound for Baker’s grand champion entry.
Samantha Cope of Alliance raised the reserve champion lamb carcass, which sold for $4 a pound to Kiko Meats. Her 102-pound lamb dressed out a 55-pound carcass.
Cope also had the top market lamb project, combining the live animal, showmanship and skillathon. Farm and Dairy newspaper bought her best project lamb.
In addition to Glasser, showmanship winners included Chad Kitzmiller, intermediate showmanship, and Molly Cunningham, senior showmanship.
The 41 lambs averaged $1.91 a pound with champions; $1.67 a pound, without. The lamb sale totaled $8,520.90.
Goats. Wednesday night’s hog and lamb sale also featured the market goats. Kerrie Welsh’s 117-pound grand champion goat sold for $2.50 a pound to the Wesley Hull family.
Stacy Kettering sold her 69-pound reserve champion goat to Rudibaugh Feed for $1.60 a pound.
The eight goats totaled $1,074.70 and averaged $1.525 a pound with champions; $1.30 a pound, without.
Dairy beef feeders. Ashley Smith of Beloit claimed the grand champion banner from the 58 dairy beef feeders competing at this year’s fair. Sugarcreek Livestock Auction paid $1.50 a pound for her 620-pound feeder calf.
Tori Lindesmith raised the reserve champion. her 645-pound calf sold for $1.45 a pound to Judge Bret Apple.
Showmanship honors went to Jeff Karlen, junior; Tyler Ellyson, intermediate; and Alexis Thomas, senior and showman of showmen.
The dairy beef feeders averaged $1.04 a pound with the champions; $1.02 a pound, without. The feeder sale totaled $31,801.25.
Cheese. The “little brown cows” swept the top five spots in the dairy club’s annual cheese yield competition, with awards based on a cow’s single-day cheese yield. Minerva Dairy computes the production yields and donates the cheese for the sale.
Todd Unkefer’s Jersey took grand champion honors with a one day cheese yield of 10.51 pounds. Rob Kesseg of Fred Pack Silage Bagging and Joe Stryffeler of Stryffeler Farm Custom Baling teamed up to buy the top cheese basket for $1,500.
Becky Herron earned the reserve champion cheese yield basket, with a single day’s production of 9.77 pounds of cheese and 1.71 pounds of butter. Tom Rill Farm Drainage paid $650 for the reserve champion cheese.
The 35 cheese entries averaged $446.43, with a total sale of $15,625.
Rabbits. Eric Baltputnis raised the grand champion pen of rabbits, which sold for $285 to West Point Paving. Kerrie Welsh’s reserve champion pen sold for $180 to Fisher Realty.
The rabbit sale totaled $5,055.
Auctioneers. Ken and Bill Baer volunteered their services for the bulk of the junior fair sales, joined by auctioneer Rusty Kiko.
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