Home Sale of Champions raises nearly $74,000 for 2016 youth livestock exhibitors
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Sale of Champions raises nearly $74,000 for 2016 youth livestock exhibitors

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state-fairThe Oct. 1 State Fair of Virginia Youth Livestock Sale of Champions raised $73,875 to support the fair’s long-standing commitment to youth.

“The Sale of Champions not only helps fund the fair’s scholarship program but also affords an opportunity to showcase the hard work and achievement of our youth livestock exhibitors,” said Marlene Pierson-Jolliffe, the fair’s executive director.

“More than 300 young people exhibited livestock at the 2016 fair, and we believe the skills they develop while raising and showing animals will serve them—and Virginia agriculture—for years to come.”

The fair offers youth up to $70,000 each year in scholarship funds through 4-H, FFA and vocational competitions and specific equine, fine arts and horticulture competitions. Sale of Champions proceeds support competition premiums as well as an endowed scholarship fund open to all youth State Fair exhibitors and an awarded scholarship program for youth livestock exhibitors.

The Sale of Champions featured auction of grand champion and reserve grand champion market animals from this year’s 4-H and FFA youth livestock shows. Exhibitors received 25 percent of their respective animals’ purchase prices—60 percent as a cash premium and 40 percent in scholarship funds.

  • Grand Champion Market Beef, exhibited by James Wyatt Marshall of Weyers Cave and purchased for $17,000 by Virginia Club Calf Producers, Kroger, Justice Family Farms, McGuire Woods LLP, Marshall Farms and the Virginia Grain Producers Association
  • Reserve Champion Market Beef, exhibited by Suter Clark of Gretna and purchased for $11,650 by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc., James River Equipment of Danville, Glenmary Farm LLC, the Virginia Soybean Association, DOTS Beef and Youth Livestock Fund contributors Keith Simmons and Family; Cargill Turkey & Cooked Meats; Augusta Cooperative Farm Bureau Inc.; Tiki Tea Inc.; Jeff and Janet Wade; Pryoville Farm; Lakeview Tack Shop; Everett Farms Inc.; Triple B Cattle; Delta Springs Farm; Knight Cattle Corp.; and Lynwood Broaddus
  • Grand Champion Market Hog, exhibited by Talyn Armentrout of Weyers Cave and purchased for $11,000 by Smithfield Foods, McGuire Woods LLP and Stohlquist Showpigs
  • Reserve Champion Market Hog, exhibited by Parker Woodruff of Virginia Beach and purchased for $10,000 by the Virginia Pork Council, Land of Promise Farms and Hog Slat
  • Grand Champion Market Lamb, exhibited by Sarah-Jane French of Cumberland County and purchased for $6,500 by the Virginia Soybean Association, Green Plains and Land of Promise Farms
  • Reserve Champion Market Lamb, exhibited by Kennedy Whetzel of Edinburg and purchased for $4,700 by Brandt, Virginia Beach Farm Bureau, Western View Plantation LLC, Peoples Auction Co. and CFC Farm & Home Center
  • Grand Champion Market Goat, exhibited by Camille Mitchell of Chesapeake and purchased for $5,800 by Crop Production Services Inc.; Weller & Associates LLC; James River Equipment of Tappahannock; DuPont Pioneer; S&R Meat Goats; Land of Promise Farms; the Virginia State Feed Association; and Tidewater Seed LLC & Axis Brand
  • Reserve Champion Market Goat, exhibited by Luke Redifer of Blacksburg and purchased for $5,400 by Ironsides Animal Health, DuPont Pioneer, Land of Promise Farms, Scott and Lori Greiner and Riley’s Bellaire Farm

Other sale supporters were John Benner; Rockingham Livestock Sales Inc.; Triple B Farms and Show Pigs; Center Hill Farm; Burke and Allison Simmons; Pioneer Farm; Brookwood Farm; Sherri McKinney; Heather Newton; Snyder Cattle Co.; Meadow Farms; Webers Nursery; S&R Meat Goats; Helena Chemical Company; E. B. Harris; Scott Weller; Chris WoJo; B&J Printing; and Emergency Training Systems Inc.

The 2017 State Fair of Virginia will run from Sept. 29 through Oct. 8. Information is available atStateFairVa.org.

The State Fair is held each fall at its permanent home at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. The fair’s mission is to increase agricultural and natural resource awareness and interest through educational programs, exhibitions and competitions in a fun, family-friendly setting.

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