LOGANSPORT —
Bailey Farrer said she was hoping to end her 4-H career with a bang, and she did just that at Saturday’s livestock auction when her grand champion barrow set a new record.
Her barrow sold for $27.30 a pound, which broke the record $26 a pound set in 2008.
At 278 pounds, Farrer’s pig earned her $7,589.40.
“It’s quite a chunk of money,” Farrer said. “It will go for college.”
Farrer was finishing her 10th and final year in 4-H. She said it had been a good year for her. She won first runnerup in the Cass County 4-H Fair queen pageant. She showed the grand champion steer and grand champion barrow.
“Breaking the record was just icing on the cake,” she said.
For Kristi Berlet, another 10-year 4-H member, the auction was a little bittersweet.
She paraded her grand champion market lamb around a small ring inside the exhibition building at the fairgrounds until a bidder finally bought her animal for $21 per pound.
Then she loaded her lamb onto a trailer and said goodbye.
Tears ran down her face.
“I give them up every year,” she said. “It doesn’t get any easier. I try not to get attached to them, but every year, I do.”
One man called the trailer where kids surrendered their animals “crying corner.”
Cass County fair board director Mark Musall said it’s not uncommon for kids to shed tears when they have to hand their animal over to the buyer.
“It becomes like a pet to them,” he said.
Sixth-grader Kayla Hill felt differently about the rooster she auctioned off. She said she wished her cousin wouldn’t have bought it for the second year in a row because she knew he would make her keep it.
“I told him, ‘no, really, you can keep it forever,’” she said. “We have too many roosters.”
Hill was forced to take her rooster home this year. She said she’s showing a hen next year.
Musall said the 4-H members put a lot of time and hard work into training and caring for the animals they show. The goal of the auction is to reward the kids for their work.
Through her tears, Berlet acknowledged all the support she has received from community members during her 4-H career.
Money earned in past auctions helped her buy a car and will now help with college expenses, she said.
Musall said he is amazed every year by the number of people and businesses in the community that give their money to the kids and make the auction a success.
This year there were 209 buyers who spent $232,309.99 on the 273 items sold.
The 4-H members raised an additional $60,503.59 over last year’s total.
“I don’t know if it’s a record, but it’s right up there,” Musall said of this year’s total.
The fair board director said the grand champion dairy goat wether and reserve grand champion steer set records as well. The animals sold for $4.50 per pound and $18 per pound, respectively.
Musall noted that many of the specialty items brought in less money at this year’s auction, though.
Fair queen Taylor Miller didn’t earn quite as much money for her kiss as last year’s queen, who raised a record-breaking $3,100.
Miller said she was surprised her kiss sold for the $2,000 that it did.
“I didn’t know it would go that high,” she said.
Miller’s boyfriend surprised her by finding a group of about 10 people who worked together to bid on the kiss. Only her boyfriend, however, got the smooch.
“I knew it wouldn’t be anyone creepy,” Miller said with a laugh. “But I’m glad it was him.”
• Lindsey Ziliak is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or lindsey.ziliak@pharostribune.com.
Local News
Related Photos
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Keygan Hanawalt waits to enter the auction ring with her hog during the 2011 Cass County 4-H livestock auction Saturday. P-T photo | Angi Turnpaugh
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Taylor Farrer calls out a bid in the 2011 Cass County 4-H livestock auction Saturday. P-T photo | Angi Turnpaugh
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Bailey Farrer shows her grand champion barrow, which brought a record $27.30 per pound at the 2011 Cass County 4-H livestock auction Saturday. P-T photo | Angi Turnpaugh
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Miss Cass County 2011 Taylor Miller gets a kiss from her boyfriend, Derek Pullen. The kiss was purchased by a group of buyers for $2,000. P-T photo | Angi Turnpaugh
Discussion
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