Showmanship helps boost prices at Rock County Fair meat sale
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Dessa Morris of Bradford 4-H coaxes her reserve grand champion pig around the ring during the meat sale on Friday.
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D.J. Waller holds a sign about his steer as auctioneer Ryan George takes a bid during the meat sale at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Friday.
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Ring man Lee Twist works the bidding up on the grand champion steer during the meat sale at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Friday.
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Maddie Hodge of LaPrairie 4-H smiles during bidding for her steer at the Rock County 4-H Fair meat sale on Friday.
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M&I Bank's Jim Raymond raises a bid during the steer sale at the Rock County 4-H Fair Meat Sale on Friday.
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Garrett Kietzman of Clinton FFA smiles as Dean George auctions off his Reserve Grand Champion steer at the meat sale at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Friday.
JANESVILLE — By the time Greta Arndt made her way to the sale area, buyers seemed a bit sheepish in throwing out bids for the steers.
While most bids were at least 10 cents above the 88 cents per pound market price, most were selling at about $1.10 per pound.
All it seemed to take was a little showmanship. Arndt shook her sign, prodding and pleading the buyers to go higher. Even after she had eclipsed the highest price at that point, she urged bidders to climb higher.
It paid off. Both her Simmentals sold for $1.65 per pound.
Similar prodding from
the auctioneers helped drive up the price of Hillary Huisheere’s grand champion steer, which eventually sold at $4 per pound for a whopping $5,188.
During the beef carcass bidding, one auctioneer leaned near potential bidders to nudge them.
“It’s a good one, I’ll help you eat it,” he said.
Although final numbers were not available as of press time, UW Extension dairy and livestock agent Randy Thompson said buyers pushed total sales over the $300,000 mark and brought in prices well above market price for nearly every animal.
“With the champions, it takes a little bit as far as a build up, but they were above average for the last 10 year period, from that perspective,” Thompson said.
“We really had a strong sale, tremendous community and buyer support, even with the economy being somewhat down.”
The overall success of the sale still hovers between figures for the last two years. Total head was 572, 32 more than last year’s numbers but still down from 2007 and 2008. Sale averages for barrows were 30 cents less on average than last year.
However, grand and reserve champions exceeded most of last year’s sale numbers.
This year’s champion lamb, a 130 lbs. crossbred, sold for $8.50 per pound, an increase of $3 per pound from last year. The grand champion barrow sold for $12 per pound, for a total of $3,252.
Youth selling the animals receive the sale amount minus 1 percent commission.
Rock County Meat Animal Sale
Steers: 85
Average price: $1.10 per pound
Market price: $.88 per pound
Barrows: 377
Average price: $1.50 per pound
Market price: $.50 per pound
Lambs: 110
Average price: $2.50 per pound
Market price: $1.02 per pound
Grand Champion Barrow
Name: Ali Luety
FFA or 4-H chapter: Bradford 4-H
Sale amount: $12 per pound
Total amount, buyer: $3,252, Woodman’s
Reserve Champion Barrow
Name: Dessa Morris
FFA or 4-H chapter: Bradford 4-H
Sale amount: $5.50 per pound
Total amount, buyer: $1,386, Ott Schweitzer
Grand Champion Steer
Name: Hillary Huisheere
FFA or 4-H chapter: Clinton FFA
Sale amount: $4 per pound
Total amount, buyer: $5,188 Seneca
Reserve Champion Steer
Name: Garrett Kietzman
FFA or 4-H chapter: Clinton FFA
Sale amount: $2.15 per pound
Total amount: $2,846.60, I.G. Hall
Grand Champion Lamb
Name: Jessica Duoss
FFA or 4-H chapter: Milton FFA
Sale amount: $8.50 per pound
Total amount, buyer: $1,105, Woodman’s
Reserve Champion Lamb
Name: Molly Deegan
FFA or 4-H chapter: Evansville 4-H
Sale amount: $3.50 per pound
Total amount, buyer: $486.50, Jeff and Patty George
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