UPDATED with amended buyer information
Dallas Richey couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the moment. She was showing a grand champion for the first time, under the bright lights of the groundbreaking Porter County Fair 4-H Celebration Sale, and her beef steer sold for a record $17,485.
It was more difficult for the precocious 11-year-old to hold back the tears of joy, and sadness, immediately afterward than getting her single - minded 1,345-pound animal to pose for a photograph.
"First, I felt happy because he's going through the auction, and I'm going in there for my money," Richey said 30 minutes after last Thursday night's sale. "But I had this thought in the back of my head that, 'He's going to have to go away; they're going to have to take him,' and that kind of just hit me hard.
"Then, I heard the bells ringing and thought, 'Oh my gosh, I just broke the record.' It all just came at me all at once and I didn't know how to take it—it was an emotional whirl, but a good emotional whirl, not a bad one."
Richey's crossbreed steer, named Tonka, sold to Dr. Jac A Cooper Sr. for $13 a pound, a dollar more than the previous mark.
"It was a pretty big win for being the first time for me, I'd say," she said. "I got pretty emotionally attached to him, and it's really kind of hard to let go. But right now, I am really proud of myself because of all the hard work I put into over the past year, how it showed and how it paid off."
Richey, who is preparing to start sixth grade at Kesling Intermediate School in LaPorte, has been showing livestock since she was 7 years old, said her mother, Gretchen.
"This was not expected at all," Gretchen said. "We're all a little overwhelmed, to be honest with you."
In addition to working full-time jobs, Gretchen and her husband Shane sell cattle through Richey Show Steers in LaPorte.
"This is our hobby, our lifestyle and everything, besides something that we do for her," Gretchen said. "Our whole family—grandma and grandpa, and her uncle—we're all involved in the cattle business, so that's really, really important to us.
"But when you win a county fair for the first time, that's really special."
Memory-making events don't come much better as far as Dallas is concerned.
"The one thing I'll never forget is the bells ringing," she said. "That's going to stay there for a really long time."
Richey also exhibited the fair's reserve champion steer, which is the reigning reserve champion of the National Junior Shorthorn Show, and which she will take to the state fair.
Twelve individual animal records were broken during the Celebration Sale conducted by Kraft Auction Service of Valparaiso. The auction of 312 lots which, including $25,971.63 of add-ons, brought in a total of $453,344.54 to break the previous record by $50,000.
The Porter County Community Foundation bought five pigs and one steer which were donated to the Northwest Indiana Food Bank.
The in-person sale was accompanied by a simultaneous webcast bidding component which Kraft owner and lead auctioneer Jonathan Kraft believes was used for the first time ever at a county fair in the Midwest and possibly the nation.
Kraft, who served as one of the auction's superintendents, said the fair had been considering making remote bidding available even before last year's Virtual Celebration Sale was held as an online-only event because of pandemic restrictions.
"We've been wanting to do it and last year just kind of pushed the hand a little bit more," Kraft said. "In our regular business we use it for every auction so it's kind second-nature to do it."
A graphic displayed on a video screen hanging above the auction ring showed if the current bid was from on the floor or a bidder anywhere in the world. Online bidders purchased $16,000 worth of livestock.
"This is a way for grandma and grandpa who are six states away to participate," Kraft said.
Thirty-nine beef lots netted a total of $174,292.05, the equivalent of $4,469.03 per head or $3.55 per pound.
Ryland Hannon sold the grand champion beef meat carcass to the Valparaiso Animal Hospital for $3,705. McKenzie Birkey's reserve champion carcass commanded a record price of $8,050 paid by Abbett Farms LLC.
First-year 4-H'er Drake Huhnke showed the grand champion finished dairy steer in addition to the grand and reserve champion dairy feeder steers. He did not auction the animals and plans to show them at the state fair. Huhnke also had the grand champion Boer doe and the overall grand champion meat doe in the fair's goat show.
Cody Boone showed the reserve champion dairy beef finished steer which weighed 1,225 pound and earned $2,756.25 ($2.25 per pound) from Martz & Lucas LLC and E. Lucas & Sons of Valparaiso.
Twelve dairy steers brought in $27,570 ($2,297.50 per head; $1.67 per pound).
In the swine sale, Elizabeth Schuck's 260-pound grand champion barrow sold for $3,250 ($12.50 per pound) to Friends and Family of Ellie Schuck. Jacob Kolan showed the runner-up, which sold for $3,864.50 ($14.75 per pound) to Friends of Jacob Kolan and O'Connor Builders.
Geneva Maxwell's grand champion pen of two pigs sold for $1,992 to Sikora Farms LLC, Dr. Vegetable and Indiana Beverage. The reserve champion of Analysa Miller sold for a record-setting $3,228 to Kouts Ace Hardware.
A total of 161 pigs were auctioned off for a total of $164,467.48 ($1,021.54 per head; $3.86 per pound).
The Spears sisters and Stephanie Boone took all the honors in dairy milk.
Emma Spears sold the milk from her grand champion Brown Swiss for a record $1,400 to State Representative Ed Soliday and Mike Simpson of Porter County Republicans. The North Porter County Buyer's Group paid $500 for the milk from reserve champion Brown Swiss and $400 for milk from her reserve champion Ayrshire. Elodie Spears received $800 from Justin Higer for the milk from her grand champion Ayrshire.
The milk from Stephanie Boone's grand champion Holstein fetched $600 from the Porter Ag Society and her reserve champion Holstein picked up $250 from the Kraft Auction Service.
In the Lamb Celebration Sale, Sharp School Services pooled $990 for Rain Walker's 132-pound grand champion market lamb ($7.50 per pound). Cora Stoner showed the reserve champion which weighed 107 pounds and sold it for record $1,926 ($18 per pound) to the Washington Twp. support group.
Morgan Shurr's grand champion lamb carcass went for $840 to C&N Training LLC and Davin Sibo's reserve champ garnered $670 paid by Hanford Packing.
Hanford packing also spent $690 on Nathan Stoner's grand champion royale lamb carcass while Stephanie Boone received $424 from Troy and Pat Haman for the reserve royale champion carcass.
The lamb sale produced $22,146 on 40 lots ($553.65 per head; $4.14 per pound).
Jonathan Teitge was a double-winner in the goat show. Friends of Jonny Teitge spent $800 on his grand champion goat milk while his top dairy wether went for $350 paid by the Morgan Twp. buyers' group.
Walker also exhibited the grand champion meat wether which Kraft Auction bought for $600.
The reserve champion goat milk of Emma Spears received $300 from the North Porter County Buyers' group and Ruge Farms. Tyler Banks reserve champion dairy wether attracted $800 from Dr. Vegetable. Kraft Auction Service paid $600 for Jacob Kolan's reserve champion meat wether.
The goat auction netted $19,697.40 on 34 lots ($579.34 per head; $8:13 per pound).
In poultry, Greta Pressel showed the grand champion eggs which garnered $800 from Sharp School Services; Tudor Fashion Floors Inc.; and Details, Details LLC. Isabella Pitts received a reserve champion record $1,100 from Industrial Revolution, North Porter County buyers' group and Rudd Asset Management.
Carter Stoner sold the champion bronze turkey for $1,100 to Connie Rudd Hannon, BTBH Law and Rudd Asset Management. The reserve of Nate Krause was purchased for $600 by the Porter Twp. Buyer's Group. Stoner also showed the champion white turkey, which brought in $800 from 1st Source Bank and Elizabeth White's reserve sold for $400 to the Porter Ag Society.
Broilers set two new records. First, Madalyn King's champion went for $1,500 from 1st Source Bank, Giesler Electric Inc. and the Thorgren Toll and Molding Co. Then, the Washington Twp. Buyer's Group spent $1,300 on Cora Stoner's reserve champ.
Roasters broke two more consecutive records with Kara Krause receiving $1,000 from Michael Aylesworth and Northwest Health paying $1,200 for Ethan Lucas' reserve.
Addison Swartz exhibited the champion meat geese purchased by Fire in the Hole LLC for $500 and Walker sold the reserve for $400 to D. Good Farms and Heavlin Farms. The champion meat duck belonging to Kara Krause sold for $450 to Pat Kresel and Walker received $400 from Steven and Randi Webber for the reserve. Poultry brought in a total of $11,540.98.
The Celebration Sale started with the rabbit auction and Jocelyn Byers' grand champion meat pen, which sold for $1,200 to Kouts Ace Hardware and Yager Construction in memory of Randall Yager. Max Byers also received $1,200, a new record, for the reserve champion meat pen, paid by 1st Source Bank.
Heather Cox grand champion rabbit carcass was sold for $450 to the Morgan Twp. buyers' group and Shiloh Otey's reserve champion went for $350 to Great Lakes Labs.