SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Being in the Governor’s Sale of Champions is something all livestock exhibitors dream about. Each year, this marquee event showcases the hard work and dedication of the youth in the agriculture industry.
Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker took home the Grand Champion Steer for the fourth year in a row, donating $105,000 toward the purchase of the animal and tying the record Frist Lady MK Pritzker set in 2021. The Governor and First Lady also encouraged others at the Sale of Champions to make donations to go towards all of the champion exhibitors to further the advancement of youth in agriculture.
In addition to being spotlighted before the crowd on Wednesday night, these Grand Champion exhibitors, along with the Reserve Grand Champion exhibitors, will receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their animal. The exhibitors use the funds towards their college education or invest it back into projects for next year.
“These exhibitors are the future of agriculture in our state and represent the best of the best,” said Jerry Costello II, Director, Illinois Department of Agriculture. “The Sale of Champions is the cherry on top of the Illinois State Fair. To see our youth in agriculture rewarded for the work that they put into these animals is my favorite aspect of the Illinois State Fair.”
CME Group also realizes the importance of education, which is why they have donated $45,000 in scholarships to this year’s Sale of Champions and for last decade. This year seed company Beck’s is providing a $20,000 scholarship to be split among the champions.
Below are the results of the 2023 Commodity Auction and the 2023 Sale of Champions. It should be noted that the Grand Champion Steer will be donated to Feeding Illinois and dispersed to food banks across the state.
| Commodity | Exhibitor | Location | Purchases | Price |
| Champion Queso Blanco Cheese | V&V Supreme | Chicago, IL | University of Illinois Colleges of ACES | $850 |
| Champion Provolone Cheese | Jamison-Foremost Farms Inc. | Appleton, WI | McDonalds
Marty & Donna Davis |
$600 |
| Champion Sharp Cheddar Cheese | Foremost Farms Inc.-Marshfield | Marshfield, WI | McDonalds
Marty & Donna Davis |
$550 |
| Champion Vanilla Yogurt | Deerland Dairy | Freeport, IL | Illinois State Auctioneers Association | $450 |
| Champion 1% Chocolate Milk | Prairie Farms-Rockford | Rockford, IL | McDonalds
Marty & Donna Davis |
$450 |
| Champion Bacon | Behrmann Meat & Processing | Albers, IL | IL State Rep Charlie Meier, Weeke Electric, Eaglemann Construction | $3,100 |
| Champion Bone-In Ham | Eickman’s Processing Co. Inc. | Seward, IL | Forreston Mutual | $2,000 |
| Champion Beef Jerky | Jones Meat & Locker | Jacksonville, IL | Forreston Mutual | $1,700 |
| Champion Snack Sticks | Turasky Meats | Springfield, IL | George Obernagel &
Joe Hampton |
$1,800 |
| Champion Cooked Bratwurst | Turasky Meats | Springfield, IL | University of Illinois College of ACES | $1,300 |
| Best of Show Wine | Twelve Oaks Vineyard | Carlyle, IL | Illinois State Auctioneers Association | $1,000 |
| Grand Champion Honey | William Budd | Springfield, IL | Illinois State Auctioneers Association | $700 |
| Best in Show Dairy Goat’s Milk | Lillian Lee | Glenarm, IL | Paul Rice, Myers Rice Auction & Realty | $550 |
| Animal | Exhibitor | County | Purchasers | Price |
| Grand Champion Rabbit Market Pen | Chesney Thorton | McLean | Springfield Plastics, AgriVest Farm Management, Field Level Agriculture, Inc. | $6,500 |
| Grand Champion Poultry Meat Pen | Owen Pree | Iroquois | McDonalds Marty & Donna Davis, Mike McGraw, Michael Kasprzyk & Brad & Karol Davis | $5,250 |
| Land of Lincoln Supreme Champion Dairy Cow Print | Alaina Dinderman | Stephenson | Midwest Dairy, Becks Seed-Ryan Family, Stephenson Farm Bureau & St. Louis Dairy Council | $4,200 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Meat Goat | Trig Stoller | Woodford | Evans Feed & Bedding, Ed Teefey & Farmers, State Bank & Trust Company-Mt. Sterling & Illinois State Fair Sky Ride | $5,500 |
| Grand Champion Meat Goat | Nolan Hoge | McDonough | George Obernagel- Waterloo, IL & Obernagel Family Farms | $6,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Market Lamb | Bryce Clayton | Scott | AgriGold, Kiefer Farms, Pivot Bio, Logan Agri-Service, Inc., LG Seeds, Jones Show Feed-Andy & Darcie Jones, Roland Machinery | $7,500 |
| Grand Champion Market Lamb | Lilian Unger | Kankakee | North American Midway Entertainment, Syngenta, Eric Faugust & West Central Farm Supply | $11,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Barrow
& Grand Champion Barrow |
Hunter Shike | Champaign | CME Group | $25,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer | Maddox Reedy | Douglas | BRANDT | $40,000 |
| Grand Champion Steer | Kashen Ellerbrock | Henry | JB & MK Pritzker | $105,000 |
— State of Illinois
