CADIZ, Ohio – The Harrison County Fair livestock sale crowd was constantly entertained by ringman John Birney, who kept buyers awake by egging them on to keep their hands bidding.
Neither hollering nor the hot weather kept buyers away from the July 9 sale, with sales totaling $127,524.53, up nearly $7,500 over last year.
Lambs. Birney also made some exhibitors really work for their bids.
Grand champion lamb exhibitor Janelle Valdinger was a good sport and left the ring to talk to buyers, trying to get the best sale for her 117-pound lamb. Birney stayed inside the ring to hold the girl’s lamb.
Her effort rewarded her with an $8.50 a pound bid from Coffy’s Bilo of Cadiz, Ohio. Last year’s grand champion brought $15 a pound.
Kallie Telfer’s 136-pound reserve champion lamb went for $5 a pound to Excel Mining Systems, who were big buyers at this year’s fair.
Fifty lambs brought $14,255.35, averaging $2.52 per pound with champions and $2.33 without.
Steers. Excel bought this year’s extra heavyweight champion steer. Carly Birney’s 1,323-pound grand champion sold for $3.20 a pound.
CAM Ohio Coal paid $2.10 a pound for Janelle Valdinger’s 1,254-pound reserve champion steer.
Valdinger also won several awards including champion intermediate weight steer, intermediate steer showmanship, outstanding market steer project award for the intermediate division and the outstanding project knowledge award.
Aimee Knoop won the steer showman of showmen award.
The average price for 27 steers with champions was $1.36. The average without champions stayed the same as last year at $1. Steers brought $44,758.12 to the sale total.
Hogs. Repeat champion Brooke Smith’s 274-pound grand champion market hog sold to Coffy’s Bilo for $6.60 a pound, down $2 from last year.
Smith’s hog also won the champion medium heavyweight class.
Corey Case’s 256-pound reserve market hog and champion high intermediate-weight hog sold for $3.70 a pound to Excel Mining Systems. That price is down $2.70 from last year.
Average price for the 97 hogs sold was $1.61 with champions and $1.53 without. Hog sale receipts totaled $39,058.80.
Feeder calves. Carrollton Livestock Auction bought Ethan Bardall’s 485-pound grand champion dairy feeder calf for $1.30 a pound. Bardall also won the junior feeder calf showmanship award.
Shawn Pate sold his 365-pound reserve champion dairy beef feeder calf for $1.35 to Scott Bros. Grocery.
Ashley Stine took away four awards this year, winning senior feeder calf showmanship, showman of showmen, outstanding feeder calf project award for the senior division and the outstanding project knowledge award.
Stine was also the exhibitor of the 339-pound reserve champion feeder calf steer that sold for $2.70 to Armstrong Farms.
The grand champion beef feeder did not sell.
Eight dairy feeders totaled $3,607.26, averaging $1.11 per pound with champions.
Thirteen beef feeder steers brought $8,898.35, averaging $1.82 per pound with champions and $1.76 without.
Two feeder heifers also sold for $1,911.65.
Goats. Witmer’s Equipment bought Brooke Smith’s grand champion market goat for $500, which is $240 more than last year’s high bid.
Smith also took champion intermediate market goat showmanship, the market goat showman of showmen, and an outstanding project knowledge award.
Austin Fogle’s reserve champion market goat sold to St. Clair Animal Clinic for $400.
Twenty goats brought $3,160, averaging $158 per head with champions and $125.56 without.
Turkeys. For the fourth year in a row, Dillon Brogan exhibited the grand champion market turkey.
His four-time buyer, Williams Furniture, paid $450 this year, down $100 from their high bid for Brogan’s bird in 2003.
Brogan also won outstanding market turkey project award for the senior division.
Justin DeWees’ reserve champion market turkey sold to Excel Mining Systems for $175.
Nine turkeys sold for $1,700.
Chickens. Excel Mining Systems bought Zachary Gardener’s grand champion market chickens for $400.
Gardener also won the intermediate market chicken showmanship award.
Judge Matt Puskarich bought Charles Fulton’s reserve champion market chickens for $225.
Eleven pens of broilers sold for $2,185.
Jennifer Fair took three awards this year, winning the senior market chicken showmanship, the market chicken showman of showmen and an outstanding market poultry project award in the senior division.
Courtney Gardener won the junior market chicken showmanship, the outstanding market poultry project for the junior division and the outstanding poultry project knowledge award.
Rabbits. Excel Mining Systems bought yet another champion when it outbid the rest for Annie Long’s grand champion market rabbits. The final bid was $200.
Long also won the intermediate market rabbit showmanship award, the outstanding market rabbit project award for the intermediate division and an outstanding project knowledge award.
Kristen Wright sold her reserve champion market rabbits to Wise Greenhouse and Floral for $110. Wright was also outstanding project knowledge award winner.
Royalty. This year’s fair royalty was Brian Heavilin, king; Vanessa Cramblett, queen; Zoee Kaurich, princess; and Bryant Valdinger, prince.
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Harrison County girls took top spots in the county fair’s junior dairy judging. Erin Bardall won grand champion dairy all breeds and also won an outstanding project knowledge award. Alisha Thompson won reserve champion honors in the same project. Milk cans filled with various items sold at the fair livestock sale July 9 for an average of $299.57. Bardall’s can brought $325, and Thompson’s brought $350.
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