At the heart of the Fair, in many ways, is the market sale.  The sale is the culmination of an important project for a lot of local kids.  Some of them will likely continue on in the farming and ranching worlds, and this early experience will help shape their expectations as they go forward.  The hours of effort, observation, diligence, and plain hard work are ultimately as valuable as the kids make them, but they are also as valuable as buyers are willing to pay for the results.

For the kids who are primarily involved in the sale because “their parents made them,” there are valuable lessons in that, too.  Hopefully, the correlation between effort and results is something that everyone who raised an animal can see.  It can also be hoped that a sharp understanding of just how much is involved in raising the food that ends of on the table was gained.  

In any case, the sale is a lively day for the community, as it gathers to see who will end up spending just how much on the livestock in the arena.

Speaking on the topic, the sale this year was dedicated to Jerry and Brenda Thomas.  The Thomas family has been a fixture of the fair for years, with Jerry routinely purchasing the Grand Champion or Reserve animals to be processed for sale at the store.  For several weeks during the fall, it’s been fun to taste the results of the 4-H season on the grill out back.  With their retirement this summer, the Thomas’ have temporarily “left the building,” but we’ll keep an eye out for them at the sale next year as private citizens.

We bring you a list of the Grand Champion and Reserve buyers here, as well as the Carcass animal winners.

Grand champion Swine: 

Cale Carter 

Buyer: Roche Ranches & Roche Financial 

Price: $2,500

Reserve Champion Swine: 

Ira Carter 

Buyer: Stokes/Preston

Price: $2,300 

Grand Champion Steer: 

Draylyn Jones 

Buyer: Nucor 

Price: $7,800 

Reserve Champion Steer: 

Rawzen Munns 

Buyer: Ward’s Ace 

Price: $5,200 

Grand Champion Goat: 

Caleb Roe 

Buyer: Ireland Bank 

Price: $1,700 

Reserve Champion Goat & #1 Carcass Goat: 

Katy Carter 

Buyer: Hilltop Rentals 

Price: $1,400 

Grand Champion Sheep: 

Alivia Waldron 

Buyer: J Peak Propane 

Price: $2,100 

Reserve Champion Sheep: 

Kyler Price 

Buyer: Flinders Reality 

Price: $1,800

#1 Carcass Swine: 

Delila Hansen 

Buyer: ATC 

Price: $1,600 

#1 Carcass Steer: 

Mason Eliason 

Buyer: Hess Pumice 

Price: $5,700 

#1 Carcass Sheep: 

Audrey Moss 

Buyer: Broulim’s 

Price: $1,400