COLUMBUS – Ohio’s youth were rewarded for their accomplishments at the 2001 Sale of Champions Livestock Auction in the Celeste Center tonight. Records were broken in five of the eight categories included in the sale.
The 34th annual Sale of Champions was dedicated to the late Governor James Rhodes and Ed Johnson.
Five records were broken at this year’s sale. The Kroger Company laid claim to three of these records, including the purchase of the grand champion steer for $75,000, breaking the 2000 record of $71,000.
Laura Kline of North Canton will receive $20,000 from her grand champion steer, which is the cap established in 1995. Funds over cap amounts – $139,500 at this year’s sale – will be distributed among other young exhibitors through the fair’s youth reserve program.
The reserve champion steer, raised by Angela Barhorst of Anna, sold for $21,000 to Steve R. Rauch Excavating and Demolition. Barhorst will receive $8,000.
Other new records. Other records include the grand champion meat chickens, raised by Patrick Nolan of Wakeman. His pen was purchased by the Kroger Company for $18,000, breaking the 1996 record of $17,500. Nolan will receive $5,000. The reserve champion meat chickens, raised by Kara McCarthy of Sycamore, were purchased by Meijer, Inc. for $10,000, topping the 2000 mark of $8,750. The cap for the reserve pen is $3,000.
Lambs. The grand champion market lamb, raised by Brock Rader of Jeromesville, sold to the Kroger Company for $30,000, breaking the 1996 record of $27,500. Rader will receive $8,000.
The reserve champion market lamb, raised by Jon Yoder of Bellevue, sold to Swan Cleaners and Nelson Auto Group for $12,500, breaking the 2000 record of $10,000. Yoder will receive $5,000
Other winners included Emily Gehret of Anna, who raised the grand champion barrow, which sold for $22,500 to Meijer’s, and A.J. Genter, Archbold, whose reserve champion barrow sold for $12,500 to Steve R. Rauch Excavating and Demolition.
The caps on the swine are $8,000 and $5,000, respectively.
Money is split. The Ohio State Fair started placing caps on the amount exhibitors could earn for their animals’ sales in 1995.
The fair’s youth reserve program allots funds for scholarships, the outstanding market exhibitor program, FFA, 4-H and other fair competition winners. Approximately $693,222 has been awarded to junior youth exhibitors from the youth reserve program, including the 2001 Ohio State Fair.
Meat goat. At the separate Ohio State meat goat sale, the Kroger Company paid $600 for the 107-pound grand champion meat wether, owned by Leah Schmerge of Shelby County.
The reserve champion meat goat wether was a 129-pound Boer cross owned by Alexander
Koch of Montgomery County. It sold for $2,100 to the Idaho Supreme Potato Company.
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