|
 For the first time in its long history Tuesday, an animal in the
sale sold for a six figure sum when AT&T, Monsanto and DeKalb Asgrow
combined to bid $100,000 for 12-year-old Shaelye Varner’s grand
champion crossbred steer. The price easily surpassed the former
record of $62,000, which was set only a year ago, and was one of
four records broken during the sale.
In all, the event raised an astounding $260,095 for not only the
junior producers who raised the champion animals, but also the 4-H
and FFA programs, which each receive 10 percent of the proceeds.
“This year we set records that will benefit some of Illinois' finest
young producers, and will also benefit two great agricultural
programs, 4H and FFA,” Governor Pat Quinn said. “It was a thrill to
be a part of this record-breaking event that celebrates the state's
number one industry.”
Shaelye, a resident of Morris, has been showing since she was
five-years-old. She plans to save her winnings and use them to
further her career aspirations.
 “I want to continue in livestock,” she said. “When I grow up, I want
to judge competitions like the ones that I have been competing in.”
Other sales records were set for the sheep, barrow and Land of
Lincoln steer.
The sheep, exhibited by 15-year-old Brooke Ryner of Alexis, sold for
$21,000, eclipsing the old record of $17,200. Grant Kiefer’s barrow
sold for $53,000, almost double the $25,000 former high price, and
Branden Musgrave’s Land of Lincoln steer fetched $56,300, or $6,200
more than the previous record. Kiefer, 15, is from Livingston.
Musgrave, 11, resides in Pittsfield.
A friendly, family rivalry was renewed in the meat goat competition.
Since 2011, either Dylan or Tara Hummel of Caberry has exhibited the
grand champion. This year 12-year-old Tara prevailed. While not a
record, her goat, Carl, sold for $10,000.
“I am going to use this to pay off some of my feed bills and save
up for college,” Tara said. “One day, I want to take over the family
business of raising animals. So I need to plan for that.”
[to top of second column] |
The grand champion poultry trio sold for $5,900. Bailey Hunt of
Sycamore, who won last year as well, exhibited the birds. Like many
young producers, he plans to invest his winnings in his college
savings fund.
Sarah Brown of Jacksonville received $6,000 for her rabbit meat pen.
The sale marked the culmination of her twelve years of showing,
although the 19-year-old nursing student plans to judge rabbits in
the future.
“Part of the money will go to buying a car,” Sarah said. “The
remaining portion will help me visit the American Rabbit Breeders
Association National Convention in Texas.”
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 follows. The record-breaking amounts are in bold. Johnson
County resident wins auctioneer bid calling contest Alex
Belcher of Buncombe won the 31st Annual Illinois Championship
Auctioneer Contest held by the Illinois State Auctioneers
Association. Belcher has been competing for seventeen years. He
started in 1998 after college and primarily auctions cattle and
cars.
“By far, this win has made me a better person and a better
auctioneer,” Belcher said.
For winning the contest, Belcher was named the auctioneer of the
Governor’s Sale of Champions.
The 2014 Reserve Auctioneer was Abbey Schmid of Clinton.
[Text received; JEFF SQUIBB, ILLINOIS
STATE FAIR] |
|
Product |
Exhibitor |
Hometown |
Purchasers |
Price |
|
Grand
Champion Rabbit Meat Pen |
Sarah
Brown |
Jacksonville |
Agrivest,
Rex and Carolyn Evans |
$6,000 |
|
Grand
Champion Poultry Trio |
Bailey
Hunt |
Sycamore |
McDonald's of Peoria, McDonald’s of Central Illinois (Marty
Davis) |
$5,900 |
|
Land of
Lincoln Supreme Champion Female Print |
|
|
Prairie
Farms Dairy of Carlinville |
$2,895 |
|
Grand
Champion Meat Goat |
Tara
Hummel |
Caberry |
Sky Ride,
Rolly Rosenboom, Tom Paulk, Mike Earles and Friends of Tara
Hummel |
$10,000 |
|
Grand
Champion Wether |
Brooke
Ryner |
Alexis |
North
American Midway Entertainment, Friends of Brooke Ryner,
Channel Seed, Matt Repp Memorial Scholarship, Anonymous |
$21,000 |
|
Land of
Lincoln Grand Champion Wether |
Mitch
Holmes |
Mahomet |
Terry
Duffy and CME Group
Resold: Frank Hoffreiter, Becks Seed, Channel Seed, Hunter
Nutrition, Sky Ride |
$5,000
Resold: $5,000 |
|
Grand
Champion and Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Barrow |
Grant
Kiefer |
Livingston |
Terry
Duffy and CME Group |
$53,000 |
|
Land of
Lincoln Grand Champion Steer |
Branden
Musgrave |
Pittsfield |
Bruce and
Diana Rauner |
$56,300 |
|
Grand
Champion Steer |
Shaelye
Varner |
Morris |
AT&T,
Monsanto DeKald Asgrow |
$100,000 |
|
