RANDOLPH, Ohio – Some showmen seem to have it all.
At this year’s Portage County Fair, Terry Day really did have it all.
A phenomenal steer, skill and dedication were his ingredients for making a grand champion, showmanship champion and best groomed sweep at last week’s fair.
Day’s 1,310-pound champion steer, which placed in the top 10 at the Ohio State Fair, sold to Oscar Brugmann Sand and Gravel for $3.30 a pound – 80 cents more than last year’s champion but 60 cents less than Day’s 2000 grand champion.
Although Day, of Ravenna, Ohio, did have it all, he left room for several other 4-H’ers to take their places in the winner’s circle.
Lydia Pirogowicz walked away with $1.70 a pound from Duma Meats for her 1,329-pound reserve champion market steer. Last year’s reserve steer sold for 20 cents more.
4-H’ers clapped when John May came into the ring to sell his champion carcass in front of the packed sale barn. His steer’s carcass sold for $2.75 a pound to Mogadore Veterinarians Inc., State Rep. Twyla Roman and State Rep. Mary Taylor. This price fell $2.30 from last year’s high carcass bid.
Ted Mohan and Tom Smith purchased Matt Shannon’s reserve champion carcass steer for $2.60 a pound, 50 cents more than last year.
Seventy-six steers sold for a total of $119,855.05. The average with champions was $1.26 and $1.18 without.
Afternoon sale. Six hours earlier at the lamb, goat and swine sale, Tierney Ruehr’s grand champion market lamb and reserve champion market goat broke sale records.
Against a backdrop of relentless rain in the open-air sale barn, Ruehr sold her 128-pound lamb for a record $12.25 a pound to John and Kathy Zizka. The previous record of $11 a pound was set last year.
Megan Smith’s 129-pound reserve champion market lamb sold for $8.75 a pound to Ted Mohan. Smith also received market project champion. Last year’s reserve market lamb sold for $5.25.
Kiko Meats bought Danielle Sweitzer’s grand champion carcass lamb for a record $10 a pound, beating out last year’s $7.50-a-pound record.
Kenny Shircliff’s reserve champion carcass lamb sold for 75 cents less than last year’s. State Sens. Leigh Herington and Tim Ryan and Portage County Commissioner Chuck Keiper bought the reserve champion for $4.25 a pound.
The lamb sale brought in $11,907.90 for 39 lambs. The average with champions was $2.58, and $1.87 without.
Swine time. Bonnie Harner once again bought the grand champion hog. This year she bought Tyler Gallagher’s 265-pound hog for $6.50 a pound. Last year she bought Gallagher’s sister’s champion for $8 a pound.
Mackenzie Kisamore sold her 271-pound reserve champion hog to Middlefield Bank for $3.50 a pound, compared to last year’s $4.70 a pound bid.
Bob and Terry Doty got the high bid on Doug Kisamore’s grand champion carcass hog. They bought the hog for $3.75 a pound, $2 less than last year’s record-breaking winner.
Mackenzie Kisamore came back to the ring with her reserve champion carcass hog banner. Kiko Meats bought the carcass for $3.25 a pound, $4.45 less than last year’s record.
Dan Ahrens’ 214-pound project hog winner sold for $3.25 a pound to Keith Moore.
The hog sale total was $56,909, averaging $1.56 with champions and $1.49 without. One hundred fifty-six hogs were sold.
Record breaking. Ruehr’s reserve champion goat sold for a record $625 to Paul Miller, county commissioner candidate, who then donated the animal back for resale.
Ruehr’s reserve goat’s price beat out the grand champion market goat by $350.
Shawn Wadsworth’s grand champion market goat sold for $275 to Thompson Landscaping. Last year’s grand champion goat price set a record at $600.
Two goats were sold for a total of $900, an average of $450 each.
Small animals. Thompson Landscaping continued to buy up the champion animals at the small animal sale. The landscaping business first bought Holly Kuchenbecker’s grand champion pen of chickens for $750, $125 short of last year’s record bid.
Nick Cross’ reserve grand champion pen of chickens sold for $350 to Wise Greenhouse. Last year’s reserve pen sold for $500.
Sixty-four pens of chickens were sold for a total of $9,130, averaging $142.66 a pen with champions and $129.52 without.
Thompson Landscaping continued their purchases with Lucas Allen’s reserve champion turkey. It sold for $475, compared to last year’s $375 bid.
Amanda Kitchen’s 27-pound grand champion turkey sold for $675 to Portage County Farm Bureau – $150 more than last year.
Forty-seven turkeys sold for a total of $6,055. The average with champions was $128.83 and $109 without.
Commissioner Keiper bought Dale Graves’ grand champion pen of market rabbits for $750, which was $300 more than last year’s champion pen.
Alesha Wise sold her reserve champion pen of market rabbits to Portage County Rabbit Breeders for $575, which was $75 more than last year.
Eight pens of rabbits sold for $2,180, averaging $272.50 with champions and $171 without.
The sale, conducted by Kiko auctioneers, brought in $206,936.95 – about $6,000 less than last year, but still about $15,500 more than two years ago.
(You can contact Kristy Alger at 1-800-837-3419, ext. 23, or by e-mail at kalger@farmanddairy.com.)
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