Another year of 4-H livestock projects and auctions are in the record books. Oceana County 4-H clubs and their leaders can be proud of the reputation they’ve built for these programs in the past several years. Both Small Market and Large Market Livestock program participants and auctions saw great turnouts, both physically and financially, as can be seen by the numbers reported below.
The Large Market auction's overall grand total in sales was $361,516.65. The Small Market overall auction totaled $39,736.68, with the Junior Market auction totaling $26,790.35 overall.
"The Large Market saw a decent jump from last year, and the Small/Junior Market saw a nice jump as well," MSU Extension District Support/Office Manager Kathy Walicki said. "The community support has been amazing."
Top honors went to the Grand and Reserve Grand Champions in each Market division placing those animals at the top of the sale order at each auction.
For Beef, receiving $6.35/lb. was Miranda Merten for her Grand Champion Steer. The Reserve Grand Champion Beef raised by Annabelle Stark sold for $5.45/lb. Gross auction proceeds for beef projects totaled $361,516.65. Winning bids ranged from a high of $14.50/lb to a low of $4.00/lb. The average winning bid for beef was $6.50/lb.
For Swine, the Grand Champion Swine was raised by Henry Hilton and sold for $8.25/lb. The Reserve Grand Champion Swine raised by Lillian Wasson sold for $8.25/lb.
Overall, the swine project proceeds totaled $136,282.75. The highest bidder paid $22.00/lb, while the lowest winning bid was $5.50/lb. The average price per pound for swine was $10.92/lb.
The Grand Champion Goat raised by Emily VanderNaalt sold for $18.00/lb. The Reserve Grand Champion Goat raised by Carson Durga sold for $30.00/lb making the average per pound $24.00. Gross auction sales for the two goats on the auction totaled $4,554.00.
In the Lambs division, the Grand Champion Lamb was raised by Emery Velat and sold for $7.50/lb. The Reserve Grand Champion Lamb raised by Paislee Dawson sold for $7.00/lb. Gross auction proceeds for lambs totaled $11,232.50 with the average price per pound paid $7.95/lb. The highest bid came in at $11.00/lb. The lowest bid was $5.50/lb.
Together, the Junior Market and Small Market auction grossed $66,527.03 in sales.
In the Junior Market (JM) Livestock division, the Grand Champion chicken was raised by Lukas Mulder and was sold for $27.00/lb. The Junior Market Grand Champion chicken was raised by Merrie Rycenga and sold for $28.00/lb.
The JM Grand Champion duck was raised by Keegan Wulff and sold for $11.00/lb. The JM Reserve Grand Champion duck was raised by Olive Currier and sold for $24.00/lb.
The JM Grand Champion feeder calf was raised by Olive Currier and sold for $10.00/lb. The JM Reserve Grand Champion feeder calf raised by Octavia Falan sold for $4.40/lb.
The JM Grand Champion goose was raised by Merrie Rycenga and sold for $17.00/lb. The JM Reserve Grand Champion goose was raised by Tucker Sawdy and sold for $18.00/lb.
The JM Grand Champion goat was raised by Ella VanderNaalt and sold for $5.00/lb. The JM Reserve Grand Champion goat was raised by Kinsley Blohm and sold for $17.00/lb.
The JM Grand Champion rabbit was raised by Ella VanderNaalt and sold for $12.00/lb. The JM Reserve Grand Champion rabbit was raised by Ryder Hintz and sold for $22.00/lb.
The JM Grand Champion turkey was raised by Tate Payne and sold for $22.00/lb.
For the Small Market (SM) Livestock division, the SM Grand Champion chicken was raised by Joseph Jacobson who received $18.00/lb. for his animal. The SM Reserve Grand Champion chicken was raised by Jack Koegel who received $11.00/lb for his animal.
The SM Grand Champion duck was raised by Harper Freeman and brought $17.00/lb.
The SM Grand Champion feeder calf raised by Bryson Shaddock brought $7.25/lb. The SM Reserve Grand Champion feeder calf raised by Remington McCulley, brought $8.25/lb.
This year’s SM Grand Champion goose raised by Verlee Wulff received a winning bid of $8.50/lb., with Emery Velat and her SM Reserve Grand Champion goose receiving a winning bid of $10.00/lb.
The SM Grand Champion rabbit was raised by Lillian Wasson and received $16.00/lb. The SM Reserve Grand Champion rabbit raised by Asher Sorenson received $13.00/lb.
The SM Grand Champion turkey was raised by Brynn Payne and received $27.00/lb. The SM Reserve Grand Champion turkey raised by Audrey Parks brought $21.00/lb.
The Oceana Echo wishes to recognize and thank the 4-H Extension office for providing the above information; each 4-H member, club and leader who had livestock projects in this year’s fair; as well as every bidder, buyer, parent, and behind the scenes individual, who participated in each of the respective animal projects and auctions. It takes a community!
Auctioneering services for this year’s animal project auctions were provided by Miedema Auction Services.
