Friendly family feuds dominated Stark Co. show ring

CANTON, Ohio – Sibling rivalry elevated to new heights at this year’s Stark County Fair junior market livestock competitions.

Sisters Carrie and Kellie Winters swept the top two spots in the market hog competition; several pairs of siblings battled in the championship class of the steer contest; Greg and Mindy Oberlin won the broiler chicken championships and Kellie and Danny Schmucker grabbed the grand and reserve champion honors in the cheese production contest.

The overall sale totaled $343,702.49, up more than $12,000 from last year’s total.

Steer sale. Alex Vaughan of Hartville showed the grand champion market steer, a 1,250-pound Maine-Anjou. Vaughan, who just started classes at Bowling Green State University, also raised the reserve champion steer in 1997, then watched brother Scott show the reserve champion last year. Both brothers were in the hunt for the top title again this year, as Scott showed the grand champion Hereford.

But it was Alex’s year, as his steer topped a field of 101 animals.

At Saturday night’s sale, Doug Prather, Prather Tree Farm, bought the steer with a final bid of $4.75 a pound, then upped his own bid to $5.

Louise Kline of North Canton, who also faced friendly competition from home (sister Laura, who showed the grand champion steer at the Ohio State Fair, showed the reserve champion Shorthorn steer at the county fair), won reserve champion honors with her champion Simmental.

Paris & Washington Insurance/K. Palmer & Associates paid $1.85 a pound for Kline’s steer, down considerably from the $3.10 bid paid for the reserve champion steer in 2000.

Other breed champions were: Scott Vaughan, champion Hereford; Tyler Weisel, champion Shorthorn; Andy Pennell, champion Angus; Robert Weisgarber, champion Holstein.

The steers averaged $1.37 a pound, with champions.

Michelle Linder raised the grand champion steer carcass, which dressed out with a ribeye of 14.70 inches. Barley Heating and Air Conditioning paid $5 a pound for her champion.

Farmers Service Repair Company paid $1.75 a pound for Joshua Weisel’s reserve champion steer carcass.

New steer donation. Prior to the start of the steer sale, fair board member Jim Tressel announced the Cliff and Julie Linder family was starting a new beef project drawing, donating a calf that will be given to a first-year beef project exhibitor for the 2002 fair.

Junior fair exhibitors ages 9-12 who will be in their first year of any beef project next year are eligible to win the calf. The drawing will be held Sept. 23 during the junior fair steer committee’s annual meeting at the fairgrounds. Information is available from any member of the steer committee.

Hogs. An unfortunate bidding error marred an otherwise happy day for Carrie Winters, who showed the 248-pound grand champion hog. After accepting a final bid of $5 for the top hog, the auction crew had to reopen bidding when it turned out the hand-waver hadn’t intended to bid. With the second round, bidding stopped at $3.50 a pound. Buyers Judge Dave Stucki and state Rep. John Hagan boosted their own bid to $4 a pound.

Kiko Meats paid $2 a pound for Kellie Winters’ 258-pound reserve champion hog, down from last year’s mark of $3.85 a pound.

Ryan Bevington’s grand champion hog carcass, with a 10.4-inch loineye, sold for $2.80 a pound to Canton Topsoil. Lindsey Wheeler’s reserve champion carcass sold for $3.10 a pound to First Merit Bank.

The hogs averaged $1.39 a pound with the champions.

Lambs. Danielle Rusnak raised the grand champion market lamb. Her 133-pound champion sold for $9.25 a pound to Paul Pohovey, state Reps. Kirk Schuring and John Hagan and Judge Dave Stucki.

The reserve champion lamb, raised by Jason Kiko, sold for $7 a pound to Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson and the John Kiko family.

Jason Kiko also raised the grand champion lamb carcass, which sold for $5.50 a pound to Canton Topsoil.

Chasidy Thompson’s reserve champion lamb carcass sold for $4 a pound to Rohr’s Lawn Care.

Elizabeth Grimes and Carolyn Schaeffer swapped positions from last year’s wool championship. Grimes showed the grand champion wool entry this year; Schaeffer, the reserve champion.

Judge Sara Lioi paid $200 for the top entry; the Peter Kiko family matched the same bid, $200, for the reserve wool. The 10 wool lots averaged $92.50.

The lambs averaged $1.63 a pound with the champions. After the close of the sale, the Peter Kiko family set a $1/pound floor for the lamb bids, paying the difference for any animal that sold for less than that amount.

Goats. Caitlin Wenger showed the grand champion market goat, which sold for $700 to Goat Hill Trucking. L.V. Kline’s reserve champion goat sold for $400 to Quality Farm & Country in Alliance.

The goats averaged $160 a head, including the champions.

Not chicken feed. There is more than a little excitement around the market chicken auction at the Stark County Fair. The auction drew a packed house, every bench on the bleachers and every chair full, and the crowd overflowing into the standing room section of the auction barn.

There were 83 4-H kids in line to sell their 83 pens of chickens. Only a few got a price of less than $100.

Park Farms has always been fully involved with this sale in its home county, not only providing chicks for poultry projects, but also the feed for all chickens shown at the fair. And the company has bought back a multitude of pens of chickens, donating them back to the poultry club’s chicken barbecue.

Park Farms has traditionally also bought the grand champion pen, paying a record $2,000 in 1999 and $1,900 last year.

But this year, brother and sister Greg and Mindy Oberlin of Alliance won both grand champion and reserve champion pen of chickens, and Park Farms didn’t have a chance against a determined grandmother.

Both pens were bought by Greg and Mindy’s grandmother, Doris Gabrie.

Gabrie paid $1,500 for the 14.3-pound grand champion pen, shown by Greg, and then set a new reserve champion record by bidding $1,700 for the 13.2-pound reserve champion pen, shown by Mindy.

Gabrie said after she bought won both pens in the auction that her $3,200 purchase was a joy. As she squeezed one grandchild in each arm, she said she had bid for both pens “because they’re worth it.”

Small animal sale. There were 25 pens of three market rabbits, averaging $87.50 with champions.

Daniel Saunier had the grand champion pen of New Zealand rabbits. It was purchased for $400 by his grandfather, Vernon Saunier, and by Terry Beall of Terry’s Truck and Trailer.

The reserve champion pen of Californian rabbits was shown by Laura Hascall and purchased by Quality Farm and Country.

In the meat turkey auction, 17 turkey projects were sold, averaging $173.24 per head with champions.

Susie Kiko purchased the 46.4-pound grand champion turkey from Neal Berkebile for $500. The reserve champion turkey shown by Joshua Faverty sold for $350 to Wallace Farm Feed Drive Thru.

Cheese record. The cheese sale was also a brother and sister-grandparent kind of thing with Kellie and Danny Schmucker of Alliance having the grand and reserve champion baskets.

The cheese in the basket is based on the cheese equivalent of the average daily production of the cow entered in the competition.

Kellie Schmucker’s 9.28-pound basket with 5.5 butter weight was produced by a Guernsey cow, while Danny Schmucker’s 11.31-pound 1.7 butter weight basket was from a Holstein.

Grandparents Elwood and Donna Schmucker bought Kellie’s grand champion basket for $1,900, a new record. Last year, they paid $1,650 when Danny had the grand champion basket.

The reserve champion basket sold for $1,200 by Todd’s Enviroscapes, Carl Linder Trucking and Excavating, and Eric Page of Home Town Vet Services.

There were 16 baskets of cheese averaged $651.56, with champions. Two of the baskets were sold by the dairy committee.

Dairy feeders. Kenny Baum was a new face in the grand champion sale this year when he brought his 748-pound grand champion dairy feeder into the auction ring. The calf sold for $1.75 a pound, more than last year’s price of $1.40 a pound but still less than the $3.50 price paid for the 1999 champion. It was purchased by Quality Farm and Country.

The 826-pound reserve champion dairy feeder, was shown by Jessica Markel, who also had the reserve champion last year. She sold the calf for $1.70 a pound to Henschen Motor Co. of Alliance.

There were a total of 63 dairy feeder calves, averaging $1.11 a pound with champions.

Four veal calves sold, averaging $1.45 a pound. Jessica King had the 513-pound grand champion, which was bought by Bishop Construction for $1.60 a pound. The 485-pound reserve champion, shown by Kevin Schrock, was bought by Kiko Auctioneers.