Issued the following announcement on Aug.
Being in the Governor’s Sale of Champions is something all livestock exhibitors dream about, but few are able to accomplish. Each year, this marquee event of the Illinois State Fair Ag Day festivities showcases the hard work and dedication of the youth in the agriculture industry.
For the second year, Governor JB Pritzker ended up in a bidding war for the Grand Champion Steer with none other than his wife. He drove up the price, but it was the First Lady who took home the Grand Champion Steer with a record setting bid of $105,000.
In addition to being spotlighted before the crowd on Tuesday 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 $50,000 in scholarships to this year’s Sale of Champions and for last decade.
Below are the results of the 2021 Commodity Auction and the 2021 Sale of Champions. It should be noted that the Grand Champion Steer will be donated to the Central Illinois Foodbank.
Commodity
Exhibitor
Location
Purchases
Price
Champion Feta in Brine
Nashville Dairy Inc.
Taylorville, IL
Marty and Donna Davis
$300
Grand Champion Mild Cheddar Cheese
Foremost Farms Inc.
Marshfield, WI
Unknown
$275
Grand Champion Aged Cheddar Cheese
Foremost Farms Inc.
Marshfield, WI
University of Illinois
$350
Grand Champion Queso Blanco Cheese
V&V Supremo Foods
Taylorville, IL
Marty and Donna Davis
$325
Grand Champion Belgian Chocolate Premium Ice Cream
Prairie Farms Dairy Inc.
Edwardsville, IL
Unknown
$200
Grand Champion Snack Sticks
Turasky’s Meat
Springfield, IL
Illinois Auctioneers Association
$1,000
Grand Champion Beef Jerky
Main Street Meat Company
Roscoe, IL
George Obernagle and Joe Hampton
$500
Grand Champion Bratwurst
Meat Master Processing Company
Urbana, IL
University of Illinois
$775
Grand Champion Bacon
Eickman’s Processing Company
Brighton, IL
Turner Farms
$2,000
Grand Champion
Bone in Ham
Eickman’s Processing Company
Brighton, IL
Unknown
$1,200
Best of Show Wine
Galena Cellars Vineyard and Winery
Galena, IL
Conn’s Hospitality Group
$1,400
Grand Champion Honey
Joyce and Mike Dullenty
Springfield, IL
Conn’s Hospitality Group
$1,400
Best in Show Dairy Goat’s Milk
Lillian Lee
Taylorville, IL
Marty and Donna Davis
$550
Animal
Exhibitor
County
Purchasers
Price
Grand Champion Rabbit Market Pen
Owen Pree
Iroquois
Agrivest Inc. and George Obernagel
$4,000
Grand Champion Poultry Market Pen
Brayden Wilson
LaSalle
McDonalds Owners
Central, IL & Taylorville,IL
$5,000
Land of Lincoln Supreme Champion Dairy Cow Print
Rosalee Zehr
Livingston
Midwest Dairy
$3,500
Land Grand Champion Meat Goat
Maddox Horner
Jasper
Springfield Plastics
Dale and Holly Hummel
Agri Gold Hybrids and
The Sky Ride
$5,000
Grand Champion Meat Goat
Nolan Hoge
McDonough
Keibro, LLC
Farmers State Bank & Trust Company
Ed Teefey
George Obernagel Family
Arigold Hybrids
Tomhave Family
$6,000
Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Market Lamb
Ashtin Guyer
Crawford
Lynn Zehr, Eric Faugust, Syngenta & Rich Deschepper and Becks Hybrids
$5,000
Grand Champion Market Lamb
E.N. Hanson
Iroquois
Miller’s Spectacular Shows
$8,250
Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Barrow
Jess Hawk
DeKalb
Bayer Crop Science DeKalb and Asgrow
$18,000
Grand Champion Barrow
Ella Bobell
Logan
CME Group
$25,000
Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer
Cole Caldwell
Peoria
Evelyn Brandt Thomas
$30,000
Grand Champion Steer
Landry Freeman
Scott
MK Pritzker
$105,000
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