Iowa fair auctions raise $327,000 for scholarships

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Several price records fell as the livestock auctions at the Iowa State Fair raised $327,000 for scholarships this year.

The Des Moines Register reported hundreds watched the auctions Aug. 16. The livestock was raised by students involved in 4-H and FFA groups, and the proceeds help provide scholarships for people interested in agriculture.

Seventeen-year-old Alexis Delaney said she had no idea her prized hog would sell for $50,000. Iowa Select Farms paid nearly double the previous record price. Delaney said she raised her hog, Frankie, in DeWitt since he was a piglet and fed him marshmallows as a treat.

Seventeen-year-old Truman Chamness of Blairsburg said he spent many long days taking care of his champion red heifer. His dedication paid off when Casey’s General Store paid $36,500 for the animal.

Kentucky State Fair Sale of Champions celebrates youth

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky State Fair’s 4-H and FFA Sale of Champions raised $105,000 during the live auction Aug. 21, the ninth consecutive year that the auction raised more than $100,000. 

The winning steers, hogs, lambs and goats featured in the Sale of Champions are exhibited by 4-H and FFA members during the Kentucky State Fair. The youth exhibitors receive 60 percent of the purchase price; 30 percent is distributed to the respective class winners; and the remaining 10 percent is divided equally among Kentucky 4-H and FFA. 

The 2014 Kentucky State Fair Sale of Champions exhibitors, purchasers and sale prices are:

Supreme Grand Champion Steer – $21,000. Exhibited by A.K. Phillips, Fleming County FFA; Purchased by: Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance, Kentucky Cattlemen’s Assoc., Cargill, Southern States of Maysville & Flemingsburg, Hinton Mills, Michael & Julie Peterson.

Reserve Grand Champion Steer - $20,000. Exhibited by Dalton Anderson, Kenton County 4-H; Purchased by: Centerplate Inc., Kentucky 4-H Foundation, Carney’s Feedmill, VitaLix, Alison Lundergan Grimes.

Supreme Grand Champion Market Hog - $13,000. Exhibited by Ruth Ann Myers, Boyle County FFA; Purchased by: Kentucky Pork Producers, Kentucky Soybean Board, Fifth Third Bank, Hilton Garden Inn, Sam Moore.

Reserve Grand Champion Market Hog - $11,000. Exhibited by Gary Nelson Barger, Meade County FFA; Purchased by: Kentucky Corn Growers Assoc., Ed and Pat Jenkins, Farm Credit Mid-America, Judah Real Estate Group, Friends of the Sale.

Supreme Grand Champion Market Lamb - $10,000. Exhibited by Jackson Campbell, Logan County FFA; Purchased by: North American Midway Entertainment, Kentucky FFA Foundation, PNC Bank, Kentucky Livestock Improvement Assoc.

Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb - $9,000. Exhibited by Allison Breeze, Mason County FFA; Purchased by: Galt House & Crowne Plaza, Kentucky Assoc. of Fairs & Horse Shows, Central Farm Supply, Kenton County 4-H Livestock, Monsanto, Continental Industries.

Supreme Grand Champion Market Goat - $11,000. Exhibited by Blake Quiggins, Hart County FFA; Purchased by: Ron & Lynn Carmicle, Tom & Wendy Schifano, Bill Malone, Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay, Green Hill Productions. 

Reserve Grand Champion Market Goat - $10,000. Exhibited by Chesney Soileau, Bourbon County FFA; Purchased by: Kentucky Goat Producers Assoc., Paris Stockyards, Jefferson County Farm Bureau, Braxton & Hampton Burghy, Jack Henry, Lucy & Hadley Szydlowski, Ann Bakhaus, Bourbon County Farm Bureau. 

‘Pollinator Preserve Project’ by high schoolers is in full bloom

 ALSIP, Ill. — Sunflowers planted as part of the “Pollinator Preserve Project” between Nufarm and students from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Science (CHAS) are now blooming, providing food and safe haven for pollinators and birds at the Nufarm site in Alsip, Illinois.

The sunflowers were planted in late May in a 5,000 square foot plot. The objective of the Pollinator Preserve Project is to provide a beautiful view for drivers on Interstate 294 and also double as a valuable tool for teaching consumers about pollinator preservation and conservation.

Today, the sunflowers can be seen easily from Interstate 294. In addition, the sunflower plot is filled with bees of several varieties busily pollinating flowers and birds are beginning to feed on the earlier maturing flowers that are already bearing seeds.

The sunflowers will provide shelter and food to key pollinators in the area such as honeybees, leaf cutter bees, bumblebees and mason bees. These pollinators are critically important in the pollination and production of dozens of agricultural crops. In addition, the sunflowers won’t be harvested – they will be left with the heads on to provide food and shelter for area birds this coming winter.

World Beef Expo announces youth sweepstakes 

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The World Beef Expo is inviting all youth interested in the beef industry to be part of the 2014 World Beef Expo Sweepstakes Contest. Four contest areas will test a youth’s knowledge of nutrition, animal health, external anatomy and equipment. It also includes the option to participate in a public speaking contest, photo contest, essay contest and live cattle evaluation contest. 

The event will be Saturday, Sept. 27, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Wisconsin Products Pavilion at Wisconsin State Fair Park in Milwaukee. Four age categories are offered including Beginner – ages 8-12; Junior – ages 13-15; Intermediate – ages16-18; and Senior – ages 19-21. 

Prizes will be given to the top five overall youth in each age division and additional prizes will be awarded for each of the individual contests in each age division. 

Sweepstakes awards are given based on overall participation in each of the eight different contest events, but participation in all eight events is not mandatory to be part of the sweepstakes contest.

Pre-registration is not required to participate. For more information, visit www.worldbeefexpo.com or call contest coordinator Sarah Whitley at 920-675-1181.