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4-H auction yields $152,805
The 2015 Putnam County 4-H Fair came to its traditional close on Friday with the annual 4-H Livestock Auction bringing in $152,805 in premiums.
Local businesses and supporters made for a rewarding end to the fair for the 228 livestock exhibitors who sold animals during the auction.
Selling the Grand Champion Putnam County Steer, Brady Mann brought in $3,000 from a group of buyers that included Co-Alliance, United Feed, Chicago's Pizza, First National Bank, York Automotive, Fleece Insurance, Anderson Concrete, Bane-Welker Equipment, Farm Credit Mid-America, Greg Thomas, Keith and Nona Smith and POET Biorefining.
The largest yield of the night was brought in by 10-year 4-H'er Noah Poynter, whose steer brought in $3,400 in premiums.
With nearly half the animals in the sale, the swine barn brought in $73,125 for an average price of $658.78 per barrow.
With the most valuable animals in the sale, the beef barn brought in $1,228.33 per steer, raising $25,795 for 21 steers.
The goat barn raised the third most, bringing in $17,000, an average of $739.13 for 23 market goats.
Sheep raised $22,110, an average of $884.40 for 25 lambs.
The rabbit barn's 24 market pens brought in $11,214, an average of $467.29 per pen.
The dairy barn sold $10,680 worth of animals, with 17 steers bringing in an average of $628.24.
For poultry, 15 meat pens brought in an average of $187.50 for a total of $3,000.
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 $1,567.65 for the largest beef steer.
The total sales for 2016 are down from the 2015 mark of $158,410. However, 19 fewer animals sold, meaning they actually brought in an average of $17 more than last year.