Youths Earn over $540,000 at Grange Fair
Published: Friday, September 30, 2022
Ella Yunker of Sturgis sold her 130-pound grand champion market ewe for $17 per pound ($2,210) at the St. Joseph County (Mich.) Grange Fair in Centreville last Thursday. Buyers included Boland Tire of Sturgis, Frost Legacy Farms, Green Valley Campground, KS Auto Service, Ludwick Electric, Morgan Composting, Southern Michigan Bank & Trust, and Meristem Crop Performance.
Peter Rambadt of Sturgis exhibited the grand champion market wether, which sold for $10 per pound to Willer's Shoes. The $1,550-lamb weighed 155 pounds.
Rambadt and Yunker stuck together in lambs, Yunker selling the reserve champion market wether and Rambadt selling the reserve champion ewe. Yunker's wether earned her $15.50 per pound, totaling $2,030.50 for the 131-pound animal. Rambadt's ewe brought in $30 per pound. A buyers group paid a total of $3,870 for the 129-pounder.
The grand and reserve champion lamb carcasses were shown by Lydia Wells and Hayden Montague, both of Burr Oak. Wells' grand champion sold for $8 per pound ($1,032) to J.L. Milling, Rob Loniewsky, Jackson Stock Farm and Shuring-Harris family. The carcass weighed 129 pounds. Montague's 116-pounder sold to Yoder Family Farms for $5 per pound or $580.
The sheep club earned a total of $37,685.39.
Overall, $547,624.30 were earned by 4-H'ers at the St. Joseph County Grange Fair in Michigan. That is a $122,168.92 increase from 2021.
In beef, Colin Trattles of Burr Oak earned $4 per pound for his 1,325-pound grand champion beef market animal. Totaling $5,300, the bid was split between Courtesy Car and Truck, Wana Feed Service, Greg and Emily Redmond, Kalmbach Feed, Bontrager Feed, Great Lakes Sire Service and River country Eye Care.
Jasper Johnson of Sturgis sold his 1,365-pound reserve champion beef animal to Helen and Lester Quimby for $2.50 per pound, or $3,412.50 total.
The 1,390-pound grand champion market heifer was sold to Rich Baker Farms LLC for $2.10 per pound, or $2,919.
Eleena Kelley's 1,740-pound grand champion beef carcass sold to Marshall and Karrie Landis Farms and Landis Trucking for $2.20 per pound or $4,350. The Sturgis youth also sold the grand champion dairy market steer to Marshall and Karrie Landis Farms and Ron and Angie Landis for $2.20 per pound ($3,696).
The reserve champion dairy market steer was shown by Gracelyn Sturgill of Howe. She sold the steer, weighing 1,415 pounds, for $2.10 per pound ($2,971.50) to Lester and Helen Quimby.
Grace Hartong was the exhibitor of the grand champion dairy feeder steer. The Centreville youth earned $7 per pound from the 585-pounder, totaling $4,095 from Southern Michigan Bank & Trust, Stroh Farm Supply, Sturgis Auto Wash, Brad and Chris Hartong and Chupp Insurance Agency. Kinder Smith of Sturgis showed the 540-pound reserve champion, which earned her $4 per pound ($2,160) from Oakleaf Financial, Sturgis Bank & Trust, Corrigan Oil, Black Gold Farm and Boland Tire of Sturgis.
A total of $148,366.64 was earned in beef.
The dairy club sold a gallon of milk for $12,000. The high bid before add-ons was made by Boland Tire of Sturgis and Three Rivers and Sturgis Bank & Trust.
In swine, a total of $161,267.30 was earned. Another $31,790 was earned by one pig, belonging to Brynleigh Sherman of Howe, which was dedicated to the building of a memorial for Jerry Waltke (see related story).
The grand champion barrow was shown by Mason Trattles of Burr Oak. The hog weighed 254 pounds and was sold to Wana Feed Service, Premier Feed, Littlefiled Livestock, Kalmbach Feed, Greenstone Farm Credit Services and Bontrager Feed for $6 per pound ($1,524). The reserve champion was owned by Rachel Eggleston of Marcellus. Her 286-pound pig earned $3.50 per pound ($1,001) from Tim and Laura Schug, Crystal Flash and Cripps Farm.
The grand champion gilt was owned by Allison Littlefield of Burr Oak, which sold for $6.50 to Littlefield Livestock, Double Trouble Farms, Kalmbach Feed, Trattles Livestock, Strugis Bank & Trust, Oakleaf Financial, Corrigan Oil, Boland Tire of Sturgis and Advanced Farm Supply. The 260-pounder brought in a total of $1,560.
Allison also sold the reserve champion gilt, which weighed in at 290 pounds. Littlefield Livestock and Double Trouble Farms placed the high bid of $3.50 per pound ($1,015).
Lilly Preston of Burr Oak exhibited the grand champion carcass hog, which weighed 264 pounds. It sold to Iron Circle Services for $5 per pound, or $1,320.
In goats, Mason Trattles exhibited the grand champion non-dairy market goat. Greenstone Farm Credit, Kalmbach Feed, Wana Feed Service and Bontrager Feed placed the winning bid of $1,750. Bailey Farms and Sturgis Bank & Trust bought the reserve champion, sold by Paityn Modert of Sturgis for $900.
The grand champion dairy market goat, shown by Aiden Habrouk of Sturgis, was bought by Schwartz Auctions, Bogen Concrete, Legacy Land Farms, Kalmbach Feed, Southern Michigan Bank & Trust and Farmer Boy Ag. They paid $1,800 for the goat. The reserve champion sold for $625 to Lima Elevator, Oakleaf Financial and Sturgis Bank & Trust. Collin Keeslar of LaGrange was the exhibitor.
Terry Miller bought the grand champion carcass goat from Kayla Hensell of Constantine for $450. The reserve champion sold to Family Farm and Home Center for $420. Noah Iobe of Mendon was the recipient of the cash.
A total of $31,113.23 was raked in by the goat club.
Benjamin O'Connell of Colon sold his grand champion market turkeys to Swarthout Excavating and Finkey Farms for $1,100. The reserve champion turkeys were owned by Elizabeth Graber of White Pigeon, who sold them to Ag Financial and Graber Farms for $500.
In total, $ 41,500 was brought in by rabbits and $66,814.75 was earned in poultry.
Loren Lane of Sturgis sold his grand champion market chickens to A.W. Ayers Insurance for $700. Luke Schinker of Mendon earned $1,000 selling his reserve champions to Brink Key Chludzinski, Crystal Flash, Prairie Ponies, Sturgis Bank & Trust, Century Bank & Trust, and the law firm of Bird, Scheske, Reed and Beemer.
Brooke Sult of Fulton brought in $600 for her grand champion market rabbits. Her buyers were Family Farm and Home of Coldwater and Three Rivers. Katelyn Trattles of Colon also earned $600 for her reserve champion pen, which was sold to Greenstone Farm Credit Services, Kalmach Feed and South Milford Grain Co.
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