By Amanda McCoy
amccoy@wbcowqel.com

Although the market steer generated the highest earnings of the night, Jessica Millenbaugh, from the Colonel Crawford FFA, broke the price-per-head record with the sale of her Grand Champion and Reserve Champion Lambs.

Millenbaugh’s 148-pound grand champion lamb was sold for $2,350, hedging the 2010 record by $50. The lamb was purchased by Pritchard Insurance Agency, Peoples Savings & Loan, Eliot Farms LLC, Kalmbach Feeds Inc., Poet Biorefining, Willow Creek Farm Club Lambs, the Animal Hopsital of Tiffin, and Chuck and Karen Thompson. Millenbaugh’s 151-pound reserve champion lamb auctioned for $2050, breaking the 2007 record by $550.

Millenbaugh also set the record for highest sale for her reserve champion market steer. The 1,317-pound steer cashed in at $6,700, shattering the 2011 record by $1,450. The market steer was purchased by First Federal Community Bank of Bucyrus & New Washington, Dalin Show Cattle, Sunrise Cooperative, Fike Energy, Wyandot Tractor, Wilson Tire, Chuck and Karen Thompson, Schmidt Machine, Schilling PropaneService, and AgriGold Hybrids.

Adam Widman’s 1,325-pound grand champion market steer was auctioned for $7,000, the highest sale of the night, and was purchased by McDonald’s.

Craig Smith Auto Group & RV Center purchased the gallon of milk produced by the Dairy Maids & Gents of Bucyrus for a whopping $4,200, which will be split between five members: Kendra Hudson, Kyle Hudson, Megan Lyons, Zach Parker, and Taylor Lutz. The purchase included one gallon of white milk and one gallon of chocolate milk.

Other top earners include Alan Leonhardt’s grand champion market hog, weighing in at 275 pounds and selling for $3,500 to Gibbs Equipment Inc., Beck’s Hybrids & Brause Bros. LLC, Mid-Wood Agronomy Services, and Tom Leonhardt. The 276-pound reserve champion market hog shown by Jennifer Siegel sold for $2,000 to Craig Smith Auto Group & RV Center of Galion.

Michelle Flick’s 600-pound grand champion dairy feeder was purchased for $2,250 by Burkhart Farm Center, and the 465-pound reserve champion handled by Madelyn Assenheimer pulled in $1,300 from K & N Farms, Beck’s Hybrids & Brause Bros. LLC, First Federal Bank of Ohio, and Charles Assenheimer.

Although Bryce Christy was victorious in the Beef Feeder competition, it was rival Max Hackman’s 512-pound reserve champion that won out in sales, auctioning off for $2,500. The beef feeder was purchased by Lutz Homes, Steve Watts, Sharpnack Ford, Tech Ted’s, Sky-Line Services LLC, John Schaeffer of Great Lakes Hybrids, Mizick Miller, JD Equipment, and Morral Companies.  Christy’s 451-pound grand champion beef feeder sold for $1,500, going to Ken’s Standing Seam, Nigh Builders, Picou Builders, and Longhorn Remodeling.

Dwight Shawk sold his 74-pound grand champion goat and his 84-pound reserve champion goat to purchasers Schiefer Bins, Kroger, and Sunrise Cooperative for $1,950. Brothers Colton and Weston Guinther, of the Dairy Maids & Gents, teamed up to generate $1,800 in sales with their grand champion and reserve champion poultry. The 59.94-pound grand champion bird was sold to Schiefer Bins while the 57.38-pound reserve champion went to Farmers Citizens Bank.

Latasha Bays of the Crawford Little Critters auctioned the llama purchase by WBCO-WQEL, Schiefer Bins, Dr. Wayne Collier, and Craig Smith Auto Group & RV Center. Bays collected $1,500.

The 2013 Junior Livestock Sale of Champions was called by Craig Miley of Craig Miley Realty & Auction Services with Amanda Wagner announcing the event. Livestock Treasurer and Sale Coordinator Chris Johnson explained the sale as, “a way for kids to learn about the ag industry without breaking their bank. They take the money they make and either buy animals for next year or fund their college education.”

The Livestock Sale allows the community to be a part of the support and education of the agricultural industries future leaders. This year the total revenue exceeded $40,000, which tops last year’s earnings by over $5,000.

The balance of the animals from the Junior Fair were sold on Saturday.