Trumbull County Fair long on tradition

CORTLAND, Ohio – It was a year of traditions at the Trumbull County Fair junior livestock sale July 14, with some new faces in the winners’ circle, but with many of the past champions repeating their winning ways.

Total sales were up again this year. With 250 animals sold total proceeds were $158,284.83, up almost $11,000 over last year. Last year’s total was up $17,000 over the year before.

Hogs have traditionally been the biggest category in Trumbull County, and this year was no exception.

A tradition breaker, however, was that both the grand and reserve champion were raised by the same junior exhibitor. Leigh Harnett, who showed the grand champion steer last year, showed both grand and reserve champion hogs this year.

She had not placed in the hog competition since she won reserve champion in 1998.

Her 249-pound grand champion hog sold for $3.50 a pound and her 244-pound reserve champion hog for $3 a pound, both to Gateway Frontier Meats in Greenville, Pa.

Ryan Bell of Johnson, who has shown both a grand champion and a reserve champion hog in the past, won the junior division outstanding pork project award, and Joe Meloni of Kinsman won the intermediate division outstanding pork project award.

Bell also had the grand champion hog carcass with a hanging weight of 178 pounds. It was bought by the Barzak Agency of Warren for $4.25 a pound.

The reserve champion hog carcass trophy went to Jessica Schwartz of Johnston, who had the grand champion carcass last year. Her reserve champion carcass sold for $4 a pound to Garst Seed at Bristolville.

Hog carcasses have been the fastest growing category for the Trumbull County Junior Fair, growing from six carcasses five years ago to 37 entered this year. According to junior fair officials, the carcass competition is now just as competitive as the live hog competition.

In the 2001 junior livestock sale a total of 85 live hogs were sold for a total of $37,345.15, averaging $1.87 a pound, and 35 hog carcasses for a total of $14,071.55, averaging $2.05 a pound.

Record price. Only one price record was broken at this year’s junior livestock sale, and that was for the grand champion market goat, which Karie Lichty of Southington, also last year’s grand champion winner, sold for $11.25 a pound, well above the previous record of $6 a pound set in 1999.

Lichty also had the reserve champion goat. Both animals were bought by Alma Dishong of Amos Farm and Pet Feed of Bristol. The reserve champion sold at $2 a pound. There were four goats sold for a total of $372.75, averaging $1.50 a pound.

Market poultry. Lichty also had the grand and reserve cages of market chickens, a feat she was repeating for the second year in a row. In 1999 she raised the reserve champion cage.

Her grand champion cage of 34.25 pounds sold for $12 a pound to Klingensmith-Crowder Feeds, $4 more than she received last year, but less than the record $16 she got for her grand champion cage in 1997.

The reserve champion cage was bought by Richard Houk of Green and Golden Farms for a $8 a pound.

There were 14 cages of market chickens sold for a total of $1,423.02, averaging $3.48 a pound.

The grand champion market turkey also sold close to, but not quite at, the record price. The 38.25-pound grand champion was shown by Aaron Pospisil of Kinsman, who had the reserve champion turkey last year. It was bought by Green and Golden Farm, who also purchased Pospisil’s grand champion last year. This year the turkey brought almost twice the price, $22 a pound rather than $10.50 for last year. This year’s price was only $1 a pound less than the record price, set in 1996.

Green and Golden Farm also bought the 40.25-pound reserve champion market turkey, shown by Brian Casper of Lordstown, for $7 a pound. Seven turkeys sold for a total of $1,807.36, averaging $7.04 a pound.

In market cages of rabbits, Jessica Sommerville of Bloomfield, who has had the grand champion cage for the past three years, was edged out this year by Jonathan Brzyscz, also of Bloomfield.

Brzyscz’s grand champion cage of 13.96 pounds sold for $20 a pound to John’s Country Nursery. Somerville’s reserve champion cage of 14 pounds sold for $13 a pound to Green and Golden Farm. This is the first time there has been a reserve champion cage since 1995. Total proceeds for rabbits were $455.80.

Lamb categories. A total of 20 market lambs were sold for a total of $5,256, averaging $2.42.

The 121-pound grand champion was shown by Jennifer Bell of Johnson, and sold for $3.50 a pound to Quinn’s Johnston Market. The 125-pound reserve champion was shown by Ryan Bell of Johnson, and sold for $4 to Pat Molendyke of Johnson for $4 a pound.

Six lamb carcasses were also sold for a total of $1,222.95, averaging $3.35 a pound.

Andrew O’Donnell had the grand champion for the second year in a row, and sold it to Ed Meloni Packing for $8 a pound, a tie with the record price he received for his grand champion lamb carcass last year.

The reserve champion lamb carcass was shown by Drew Turner of Fowler, who had shown the grand champion live lamb for the last two years. His carcass was purchased by Trumbull County Recorder Diane Marchese for $4 a pound.

Dairy feeders. The 20 dairy feeder calves sold for a total of $12,478.90, averaging $1.30 a pound.

The 556-pound grand champion was shown by Elizabeth Boorn, who has now taken the title for three years in row. And for the third year in a row it was purchased by Montgomery Dairy Farms of Newton Falls, this year for $1.40 a pound.

The 561-pound reserve champion was shown by Katie Wellman of Bristolville, who also showed last year’s reserve champion. It was purchased by Valley Feed Mill at Orwell for $1.20 a pound.

Beef cattle. The grand champion market steer, weighing 1,273 pounds, was shown by Jonathan Robinson of Brookfield. It was purchased for $3 a pound by John Robinson and Jim Doan of Doan’s Trucking.

The 1,220-pound reserve champion was shown by Emily Whitlach of Fowler, and purchased for $1.55 a pound by the Strimbu Memorial Fund of Brookfield.

There were 44 steers sold for a total of $68,684.10, averaging $1.90 a pound. There were also 11 beef carcasses sold, for a total of $15,176.25, averaging $1.90 a pound

The grand champion 768-pound beef carcass was shown by Todd Barnett of Green and sold for $1.85 a pound to Gibson Governor Insurance of Vienna. The reserve champion 666-pound carcass was shown by Tara Barnett of Greene and sold for $1.85 a pound to Terry Jones of Hartford.

The auctioneer team for the Trumbull County junior livestock sale included Chuck Brewster, Scott Mihalic, Mike Davis, Simon Miller, Kyle Kraig, Jim Polson, Beth Hillmar and Ron Wier. Jim Ernest and Bill Passek served as ring men.

(You can contact Jackie Cummins at 1-800-837-3419, ext. 23, or by e-mail at jcummins@farmanddairy.com.)