4-Hers do well at Greene County market lamb and steer sale
Tristan Cole shows off his grand champion lamb in the show ring during the 4-H market sale Thursday night at the Greene County Fair. Rice Energy bought Cole’s lamb for $30 a pound.
The grand champion market steer sold for $7.50 a pound Thursday at the Greene County Fair. The animal was purchased by Patton Electric. Pictured, from left, are Bridget Montgomery, Tom Patton and his son Curtis Patton and steer owner Holden Headlee.
The grand champion 4-H market lamb sold for $30 a pound Thursday at the Greene County Fair. The lamb was purchased by Rice Energy. Pictured, from left, are Steven Ashcraft, his son Zachary Ashcraft and Kurt Katchmark of Rice Energy and lamb owner Tristan Cole.
WAYNESBURG – It was a profitable night for many of the 4-Hers who auctioned off their market lambs and steer Thursday at the Greene County Fair.
The grand champion market steer, a 1,321-pound steer shown by Holden Headlee, 16, of Morgan Township, sold for $7.50 a pound, or $9,907.50. The steer was purchased by Patton Electric of Waynesburg.
The grand champion market lamb, weighing 128 pounds, brought a whopping $30 a pound, netting $3,840 for its owner Tristan Cole, 14, of Wayne Township. The buyer was Rice Energy.
“It was a very good show. I commend the public and the buyers who supported these kids,” said Dave Shipman, one of the leaders of the 4-H Market Steer Club. “There was fantastic support from the community.”
The sale brought good prices for the sellers, some that could easily be called “exorbitant,” Shipman said. He noted one lamb was sold for $40 a pound.
Steer prices also were also very good, Shipman said. “The lowest price was $2 a pound, most were above that.”
If a farmer were to take a steer to market now, he would get only about $1 a pound for his animal, he said.
The reserve grand champion steer, a 1,321-pound animal owned by Benjamin Archer, went for $5 a pound, or $6,605, and was purchased by Charlie Riggs of Kirby Farms.
The reserve champion market lamb, a 139-pound lamb shown by Anthony Brookover, brought in $11 a pound, or $1,529, and was purchased by the Waynesburg and Rices Landing Giant Eagle.
Sixty-nine market lambs and 35 steer were sold during the auction.
This year, many of the buyers donated their animals to be resold to raise money for the 4-H scholarship funds, American Cancer Society, the buyers’ banquet or other charities. A few also were donated to raise money to benefit West Virginia flood victims.
Forty-four lambs were resold later at the auction for such causes. In addition to buying the top lamb, Rice Energy also donated $75 for each of the steers sold that night.
Several companies and local families also bought multiple animals this year.
Some of the families that participated in this year’s sale had benefited from the natural gas boom, Shipman said.
“A lot of them are now sharing their fortunes with these kids,” he said.
The 4-Hers also gave back to the community, with many designating a percentage of the money they made from the sale of their animals to such charities as Children’s Hospital and the American Cancer Society.
The sale, held at the fairgrounds livestock barn, continued until late Thursday night. After the 104 lambs and steer were sold, animals that had been donated to be resold were then placed up for auction.