Auction yields highest total in three years

Monday, July 31, 2017
Waiting nearly six hours Friday to sell their pair of poultry meat pens during the Putnam County 4-H Livestock Auction, the fair’s traditional closing event, Abbi and Emma Yartz (front, center) proudly display the seed-pecking duo amongst a myriad of 4-H queens, auctioneers and buyers.
Banner Graphic/NICK WILSON

The 2017 Putnam County 4-H Fair came to its traditional close on Friday with the annual 4-H Livestock Auction, bringing in $165,605 in premiums.

Local businesses and supporters made for a rewarding end to the fair for the 232 livestock exhibitors who sold animals during the auction.

Selling his prized angus steer Friday, Ryan Sutherlin brought in the second-highest individual total of $1,478 from a group of buyers 34 strong.

With nearly half the animals in the sale, the swine barn brought in $71,985 for an average price of $685.57 per barrow.

With the most valuable animals in the sale, the beef barn brought in $1,701.94 per steer, raising $30,635 for 18 steers.

The goat barn raised the third most, bringing in $23,140, an average of $797.93 for 29 market goats.

Sheep raised $16,200, an average of $623.08 for 26 lambs.

The rabbit barn’s 21 market pens brought in $10,780, an average of $513.33 per pen.

The dairy barn sold $6,220 worth of animals, with 16 steers bringing in an average of $388.75.

For poultry, 17 meat pens brought in an average of $390.88 for a total of $6,645.

The premiums are in addition to the market prices paid to the 4-H’ers for each animal. Market support ranged from $1.40 for the smallest poultry meat pen to more than $1,900, also a poultry meat pen, sold by sisters Abbi and Emma Yartz at the end of the auction, giving poultry the largest range in the process.

The total sales for 2017 are up more than $12,000 from the 2016 mark of $152,805. However, four more animals were sold, meaning they actually brought in an average of $43 more than last year.

The top-ten buyers of the evening were: Co-Alliance, $12,475; North Salem State Bank, $10,260; Heritage Environmental Services, $10,075; First National Bank, $7,670; Supporters of Raegan Bowling, $5,650; Neier Transportation, $4,950; 243 Quarry, $4,800; POET Grain, $4,525; Fleece Insurance, $3,900; and Nucor Steel, $3,800.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: