COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions livestock auction broke more than half of the records previously set at the Sale, with a grand total in sales of $547,500. Eight of 12 records were broken or set Sunday afternoon in the WCOL Celeste Center.
More than $421,000 will fund the Virgil L. Strickler Youth Reserve Program to continue supporting Ohio youth in agriculture and beyond.
“What a great, final Sale of Champions in my career,” said Ohio State Fair General Manager Virgil Strickler. “I am so proud of the junior fair livestock exhibitors who work so hard throughout the year to exhibit at our great state Fair and dedicate so much time to becoming a champion. They deserve this honor. I will forever be grateful to our outstanding buyers who make this Sale possible year after year and who went above and beyond this year.”
Spirits were high and buyers came prepared to honor the retiring General Manager, Strickler, at his last Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions in his current role. The Sale ended with a surprise indoor pyro display in Strickler’s honor thanks to a generous sponsor.
The Sale bill this year included grand and reserve market beef, grand and reserve market barrows, grand and reserve market chickens, grand and reserve market lambs, grand and reserve market goats, grand market turkey, and the grand champion Swiss cheese representing seven dairy champions and two supreme dairy showmen.
For the first time since the Sale of Champions began in 1968, a Reserve Grand Champion Market Goat was added into the sale. An outstanding group of buyers including The Kroger Company, Huffman’s Market, Event Marketing Strategies, Faith Driving School, and Talley Amusements set the first record sale of the Grand Champion Market Goat with a winning bid of $30,000.
While the junior fair exhibitors take great pride in raising quality animals throughout the year, the ultimate goal each year is to be selected as the grand champion. Grand and reserve champion are both immense honors for young exhibitors; and with the Virgil L. Strickler Youth Reserve Program and generous buyers, it is rewarding for the entire junior fair program as a whole.
Established in 1995, the Youth Reserve Program was developed to reward junior exhibitors participating in the Ohio State Fair. The program was renamed earlier this year as the Virgil L. Strickler Youth Reserve Program in honor of Strickler, who was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the program. This year, $421,500 from the Sale will go to the program.
Funds for the program are made up of the dollars received over the caps that are placed on the amount exhibitors can receive from the Sale of Champions. The funds from the program are distributed among more than 20 scholarships, outstanding market exhibitor program, outstanding breeding exhibitor program, showmanship contests, skillathons, and many other 4-H and FFA activities. Prior to today’s sale, the Youth Reserve Program had collected $4,691,150 since its inception, supporting more than 44,500 youth.
The 2023 Sale of Champions results are as follows:
Grand Champion Market Beef
Exhibited by: Holden LeVan, Champaign County
Purchased by: Mark and Megan Kvamme and Family
Price: $80,000
Cap: $25,000
Reserve Grand Champion Market Beef
Exhibited by: Beckett Winegardner, Allen County
Purchased by: The Kroger Company and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
Price: $37,500
Cap: $18,000
*Grand Champion Market Barrow
Exhibited by: Oksana Gossard, Allen County
Purchased by: Giant Eagle and Sugardale Bacon
Price: $100,000
Cap: $13,000
Reserve Grand Champion Market Barrow
Exhibited by: Logan Deel, Gallia County
Purchased by: Bob Evans, The Kroger Company, and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
Price: $35,000
Cap: $9,000
*Grand Champion Meat Chickens
Exhibited by: Lilly Conrad, Hancock County
Purchased by: The Kroger Company, Gerber Poultry, and Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association
Price: $40,000
Cap: $7,000
*Reserve Champion Meat Chickens
Exhibited by: Natalie Fitzgerald, Cuyahoga County
Purchased by: Meijer Inc.
Price: $33,000
Cap: $5,000
Grand Champion Market Lamb
Exhibited by: Bailee Amstutz, Union County
Purchased by: Expo Services, Concessions by Cox, OKI, Inc, Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, NetSteady, and SP+
Price: $33,000
Cap: $13,000
*Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb
Exhibited by: Avery Rice, Trumbull County
Purchased by: Mark and Megan Kvamme and Family
Price: $31,000
Cap: $9,000
*Grand Champion Market Goat
Exhibited by: Braxton Method, Auglaize County
Purchased by: Mark and Megan Kvamme and Family
Price: $32,000
Cap: $8,000
*Reserve Grand Champion Market Goat
Exhibited by: Ethan Davies, Wood County
Purchased by: The Kroger Company, Tim and Glenda Huffman, Event Marketing Strategies, Faith Driving School, and Talley Amusements
Price: $30,000
Cap: $4,000
*Grand Champion Market Turkey
Exhibited by: Maria Henderson, Logan County
Purchased by: Mark and Megan Kvamme and Family and Bernie Moreno
Price: $45,000
Cap: $6,000
*Grand Champion Swiss Cheese – Produced by Pearl Valley Cheese, representing the seven dairy champions and two supreme dairy showmen
Exhibited by:
- Grand Champion Ayrshire: Carli Binckley, Columbiana County
- Grand Champion Brown Swiss: Elaina Lahmers, Union County
- Grand Champion Guernsey: Savannah Thomas, Champaign County
- Grand Champion Holstein: Colton Thomas, Champaign County
- Grand Champion Jersey: Olivia Finke, Madison County
- Grand Champion Milking Shorthorn: Madison Hesler, Adams County
- Grand Champion Red and White: Lilly Ann Elsass, Auglaize County
*Supreme Showman
- Week 1 – Exhibited by: Ruth Bambauer, Auglaize County
- Week 2 – Exhibited by: Lillian Finke, Madison County
Purchased by: A.G. Boogher & Son, Inc., S&S Volvo, and Turn-er Green
Price: $51,000
Cap: $9,000
Overall
2023 total sale: $547,500
2023 amount earned for Youth Reserve Program: $421,500
*Denotes new record
For more information about the Sales of Champions, call 1-888-OHO-EXPO or 1-614-644-FAIR. On the Web, visit us at ohiostatefair.com.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2024 Ohio State Fair, July 24 – Aug. 4 with a spectacular midway, big-name entertainment, hundreds of exhibits, and one of the largest junior fair shows in the nation.
— Ohio Expo Center and State Fair
