Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions

The grand champion steer at this year’s Ohio State Fair sold for $65,000, and the reserve champion steer set a new sale record at $27,000. (Scroll down for slide show)

Aug. 9, 2009

Sale Total: $191,000
Total earned for Youth Reserve Program: $122,000
Total Lots: 8

STEERS

Grand champion exhibitor:
Branden DeFrank, Jefferson County
Bid: $65,000 (cap $21,000)
Buyer: Steve Rauch Excavating and Demolition
Reserve champion exhibitor:
Grant Mcintosh, Brown County
Bid: $27,000 (RECORD)
Cap: $10,000
Buyer: The Kroger Company

HOGS

Grand champion exhibitor:
Raven Crawford, Adams County
Bid: $31,000 (cap $9,000)
Buyer: Meijer Inc.
Reserve champion exhibitor:
Alex Vaughan, Clinton County
Bid: $15,500 (cap $6,000)
Buyer: Steve Rauch Excavation and Demolition

LAMBS

Grand champion exhibitor:
Taylor Banbury, Knox County
Bid: $20,000 (cap $9,000)
Buyer: The Kroger Company
Reserve champion exhibitor:
Audrey Neal, Seneca County
Bid: $13,500 (cap $6,000)
Buyer: Huffman’s Market, Kale Marketing, Direct Feeds, Burkhart Farm Center, Ohio Racing Industry

CHICKENS

Grand champion exhibitor:
Kara McCarthy, Wyandot County
Bid: $11,000 (cap $5,000)
Buyer: The Kroger Co./Park Farms
Reserve champion exhibitor:
Sarah Johnson, Clinton County
Bid: $8,000 (cap $3,000)
Buyer: Amusements of America, Event Marketing Strategies, Concessions by Cox, JP’s Barbeque

Youth Reserve Program

Since 1995, the Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions has capped the amount an individual market exhibitor could receive from the sale of his or her animal. Twenty-five percent of the final bid, or the amount over the cap (whichever is greater), is distributed among other youth exhibitors, including the following:
25 percent to carcass contests
20 percent to scholarships
15 percent to Outstanding Marketing Exhibitor Program
8 percent to showmanship contests
8 percent to skillathon contests
5 percent to dairy cattle program
11 percent to breeding livestock
4 percent to FFA
4 percent to 4-H

The caps for the sale of champions are:
Grand champion steer: $21,000
Reserve champion steer $10,000
Grand champion lamb $9,000
Reserve champion lamb $6,000
Grand champion barrow $9,000
Reserve champion barrow $6,000
Grand champion chickens $5,000
Reserve champion chickens $3,000

This year, $122,000 went into the Youth Reserve Program from the sale of champions, which totaled $191,000.

Auctioneers and Ringmen:
Johnny Regula, Steve Andrews,
Todd Woodruff, Kevin Wendt