50th Anniversary Sale of Champions sales reach $284,000
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions livestock auction, held this afternoon in the WCOL Celeste Center, showcased Ohio’s premium livestock, premier Junior Fair exhibitors and generous supporters. On the sale bill were grand champion and reserve champion market lambs, market barrows and market beef, as well as grand champion market goat, grand champion and reserve champion market chickens, grand champion market turkey and a block of Swiss cheese to represent the seven dairy champions. In full, the livestock was auctioned for a total of $284,000. This year’s sale broke one record: Reserve Grand Champion Market Barrow sold for $32,000, breaking the previous record of $31,000 set in 2013.
“The Ohio State Fair is rooted in agriculture, and each year we’re privileged to celebrate the hard work of our youth exhibitors. That’s what the Fair is all about,” explained General Manager Virgil Strickler. “I’m eternally grateful for our incredibly supportive buyers. By participating, they are supporting not only the champions here in the show ring, but thousands of other youth exhibitors as well. Funds above and beyond the caps go to the Youth Reserve Program, which allows us to reward everyone involved. We are exceptionally pleased with the $196,000 raised for the Youth Reserve Program at today’s Sale of Champions.”
While these Junior Fair exhibitors take great pride in raising a quality animal, the ultimate goal each year is to be awarded a grand champion ribbon. Grand or reserve champion is an immense honor for the exhibitor; and with the Youth Reserve Program and generous buyers, it is rewarding for the entire Junior Fair program.
Since 1995, the Ohio State Fair has placed caps on the amounts exhibitors can earn from their exhibits’ sales. Money exceeding the cap amounts is distributed to reward other youth exhibitors through the Youth Reserve Program. The program allots funds for scholarships, the outstanding market exhibitor program, FFA, 4-H, skillathons, outstanding breeding exhibitor program, showmanship, All-Ohio State Fair Band & Youth Choir and other Fair competition winners. The Youth Reserve Program has awarded $3,201,530 to approximately 33,600 youth exhibitors since its inception.
The bill for the 2017 Sale of Champions is as follows:
Grand Champion Market Beef
Exhibitor: Addison Jones
County: Allen County
Sale price: $50,000
Cap: $22,000
Purchased by: Steven R. Rauch, Inc.
Reserve Grand Champion Market Beef
Exhibitor: Montana Hulsmeyer
County: Allen County
Sale price: $36,000
Cap: $11,000
Purchased by: The Kroger Company
Grand Champion Market Barrow
Exhibitor: Matthew Butterfield
County: Butler County
Sale price: $41,000
Cap: $10,000
Purchased by: Meijer
Reserve Grand Champion Market Barrow
Exhibitor: Ella Sprang
County: Holmes County
Sale price: $32,000*
Cap: $7,000
Purchased by: Bob Evans Farms, Event Marketing Strategies, Huffman’s Market and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
Grand Champion Market Lamb
Exhibitor: Bailee Amstutz
County: Union County
Sale price: $29,000
Cap: $10,000
Purchased by: The Kroger Company
Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb
Exhibitor: Carly Gump
County: Miami County
Sale price: $18,000
Cap: $7,000
Purchased by: Huffman’s Market
Grand Champion Market Chickens
Exhibitor: LeAnn Regula
County: Logan County
Sale price: $15,000
Cap: $6,000
Purchased by: The Kroger Company, Gerber Poultry
Reserve Grand Champion Market Chickens
Exhibitor: Zac Ortman
County: Perry County
Sale price: $11,000
Cap: $4,000
Purchased by: The Kroger Company, Gerber Poultry
Grand Champion Market Goat
Exhibitor: Paige Pence
County: Clark County
Sale price: $15,000
Cap: $5,000
Purchased by: AG Boogher and Sons and S & S Volvo and GMC Trucks
Grand Champion Market Turkey
Exhibitor: Milan Pozderac
County: Knox County
Sale price: $15,000
Cap: $3,000
Purchased by: Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association, Kale Marketing, Cooper Farms
Grand Champion Swiss Cheese exhibited by Pearl Valley Cheese Co., representing the seven dairy champions
Exhibited by:
Grand Champion Ayshire: Lane Greiwe, Shelby County
Grand Champion Brown Swiss: Keaton Topp, Shelby County
Grand Champion Guernsey: Aubree Topp, Shelby County
Grand Champion Holstein: Kris Ackley, Logan County
Grand Champion Jersey: Allison Francis, Darke County
Grand Champion Milking Shorthorn: Somer Reid, Guernsey County
Grand Champion Red and White: Ally Cupps, Champaign County
Sale price: $22,000
Cap: $3,000
Purchased by: AG Boogher and Sons and S & S Volvo and GMC Trucks
Total sales: $284,000
Total collected for the Youth Reserve Program: $196,000
The Ohio Expo Center is proud to host the Ohio State Fair. With big-name entertainment, hundreds of exhibits and one of the largest junior fair shows in the nation, the 2017 Ohio State Fair ended for 2017 on Aug. 6.
For more information, call 1-888-OHO-EXPO or 1-614-644-FAIR. On the Web, visit us at ohioexpocenter.com.
