Logan County youth beats all-time record at state fair Sale of Champions

Event raises staggering $222,650 for junior producers and state's 4-H and FFA youth education programs

[August 16, 2013]  SPRINGFIELD -- This was an amazing year for the Governor's Sale of Champions, an auction of prize-winning Illinois State Fair junior livestock. Seven records were broken Tuesday, including two that more than doubled, and an eighth was tied. The grand champion barrow, exhibited by Lane Rinderer of Elkhart, sold for nearly four times the previous record price.

With encouragement from Gov. Pat Quinn and Agriculture Director Bob Flider, a total of $222,650 was raised for the youngsters who exhibited the animals and for the state's 4-H and FFA youth education programs. Together, the two leaders persuaded buyers to pay record-breaking prices for the Land of Lincoln meat goat, the grand champion meat goat, the Land of Lincoln wether, the Land of Lincoln barrow, the grand champion barrow, the Land of Lincoln steer and the grand champion steer. In addition, the Land of Lincoln supreme champion female print tied its record sales price.

The grand champion steer, exhibited by Nelson England of Oneida, fetched the highest price. It sold for $62,000, or $10,000 more than the previous record. The largest increases, however, were recorded by the Land of Lincoln wether and Land of Lincoln barrow. Hanna Runner's wether sold for $19,100, more than twice as much as the former record of $9,500, and Lane Rinderer's barrow sold for $40,650, obliterating the previous high purchase price of $11,000. Runner is from Sciota, and Rinderer hails from Elkhart.

The junior producers who raised the champion animals receive 80 percent of the sales price. The 4-H and FFA programs split the remaining 20 percent equally.

For a list of all the champions sold at the auction, as well as the exhibitors, the purchasers and the amount that each champion sold for, click here.

Prior to the sale of junior livestock, the fair's best processed foods were auctioned. For the results of the Commodities Auction, click here.

[Text from Illinois State Fair file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]