CUMBERLAND, Ohio – Cooler morning weather brought cooler morning prices at last week’s Guernsey County junior livestock sale.
However, prices heated up in the afternoon – along with the rising midday temperatures – in time for the dairy beef feeder, lamb and hog sale.
Nevertheless, the overall sale total hit $204,100.27, dropping almost $23,000 from last year.
Continuing support. Conn’s Potato Chips continued its support of Guernsey County 4-H’ers with its $12-a-pound purchase of Julie Watson’s 265-pound grand champion hog. Although Watson has been successful showing lambs for years, this was her first year with a hog project.
Last year’s grand champ brought in $14 a pound.
Although the grand champion hog price was down, the reserve champion price soared $6 above last year’s high. Kayla Carpenter’s 265-pound reserve hog sold for $11 a pound to Riesbeck’s Markets in Cambridge, Ohio.
Last year, Riesbeck’s Markets paid $5 a pound for the reserve champ.
The swine sale brought in $68,650.26 from 157 hogs.
Kyle Weingart sold his 665-pound grand champion dairy beef feeder to O’Hayes Farms in Cumberland, Ohio, for $3.30 a pound, which is 55 cents more than last year’s champ.
Liberty Storage bought Steve Ball’s 575-pound reserve champion dairy beef feeder for $2 a pound. Last year’s sold for $1.50 a pound.
Forty-four dairy beef feeders sold for $23,696.25.
One step higher. Breanna Winters wasn’t satisfied winning just reserve champion lamb last year, so this year she took grand with her 149-pound champion lamb. Harold and Shirley Kidd bought it for $19 a pound, $11.25 a pound more than last year’s.
The Kidds bought Winters’ reserve champion last year, too.
Cambridge Classic Ford and Caldwell Classic Chevrolet bought Sarah Nichols’ 129-pound reserve champion lamb for $5.50 a pound, $2.50 a pound less than last year’s reserve champ.
The lamb sale brought in $33,995.26 from 112 animals.
Going down. Both champion steer prices dropped this year, as well as the overall steer sale total.
Kayla King’s grand champion brought in $4.50 a pound from Bruner Land Co. Last year’s went for 50 cents more a pound.
Cambridge Classic Ford and Caldwell Classic Chevrolet continued buying champions with the purchase of David Watson’s 1,230-pound reserve champion steer. The dealerships paid $2.10 a pound for the steer, which is down $1.15 a pound from last year’s winning bid.
Forty steers sold for $51,123.50. Last year’s steer sale brought in $69,520.75.
Small animals. Prices were down for all champions in the small animal sale.
The 17-pound grand champion poultry broiler pen sold for $325 to Century National Bank, compared to last year’s $600 price. The exhibitor was Joseph Stewart.
Kroger of Cambridge, Ohio, was at this year’s fair again to support local 4-H’ers, this time with a champion purchase. Kroger bought Darrell Hopps’ 18-pound reserve champion broiler pen for $200, down $350 from last year’s reserve champ.
Eighteen lots were sold for $2,785.
The grand champion rabbit winning bid dropped $650 and the reserve price dropped $875.
Kayla McCormick’s 11-pound grand champion rabbit pen sold for $350 to Cambridge Classic Ford and Caldwell Classic Chevrolet, and Jenna Orr’s 13-pound reserve pen sold for $375 to Cambridge Open MRI.
Fifty-six lots sold for $12,935.
James Scurlock’s 87-pound grand champion goat sold for $400 to Genesis Health Care, down from $950 last year.
Deer Creek of Cambridge, Ohio, bought Dayna Waller’s 90-pound reserve champion goat for $525, compared to last year’s $700 winning bid.
Thirty goats brought in $6,715.
In addition, 15 lots of dairy baskets added another $3,900 to the sale total. Last year’s 15 baskets sold for $5,100.
Pryor and Sons Auctioneers handled the livestock sale.
(You can contact Kristy Alger at 1-800-837-3419, ext. 23, or by e-mail at kalger@farmanddairy.com.)
