August 4, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio State Fair: COLUMBUS –Enthusiasm for Ohio youth and agriculture during the 2024 Ohio State Fair Sale of Champions livestock auction. Caps were met and exceeded at the Sale on Sunday in the WCOL Celeste Center, with a grand total in sales of $260,500.
More than $134,000 will fund the Virgil L. Strickler Youth Reserve Program to continue supporting Ohio youth in agriculture and beyond.
"I'm so impressed by the junior fair livestock exhibitors for a tremendous display here at the Ohio State Fair of their work throughout the year," said Ohio Expo Center & State Fairgrounds Executive Director Adam Heffron. "The Fair and especially this sale would not be possible without the generous support of all the dedicated buyers."
Several new buyers participated in the Sale this year including Springer Mountain Farms, Farmer Boys, Sarka Electric, Dangler Excavating, LLC, and the Ohio Quarter Horse Association.
The Sale bill this year included grand and reserve market beef, grand and reserve market barrows, grand and reserve meat 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.
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. In 2023, the program was renamed the Virgil L. Strickler Youth Reserve Program in honor of retiring Ohio State Fair General Manager Virgil Strickler, who was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the program. Strickler, who was general manager for 20 years, retired following the 2023 Ohio State Fair.
This year, $134,500 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 $5,112,650: since its inception, supporting more than 45,400 youth.
The 2024 Sale of Champions results are as follows:
Grand Champion Market Beef
Exhibited by: Annistyn Oszust — Tuscarawas County
Purchased by: The Kroger Company, Bob Evans Farms, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, and Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association
Price: $40,000
Cap: $25,000
Reserve Grand Champion Market Beef
Exhibited by: Essie McGuire — Champaign County
Purchased by: OKI, Inc., Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, NetSteady, SP+, Expo Services, and Ohio Quarter Horse Association
Price: $22,000
Cap: $18,000
Grand Champion Market Barrow
Exhibited by: Kylie Locke — Clark County
Purchased by: Giant Eagle and Sugardale Foods
Price: $37,000
Cap: $13,000
Reserve Grand Champion Market Barrow
Exhibited by: Kole Bishop — Champaign County
Purchased by: The Kroger Company, Bob Evans Farms, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
Price: $35,000
Cap: $9,000
Grand Champion Market Lamb
Exhibited by: Ava Shroyer — Logan County
Purchased by: The Kroger Company, Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association, and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
Price: $13,000
Cap: $13,000
Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb
Exhibited by: Marshall Miller — Tuscarawas County
Purchased by: Giant Eagle and Sugardale Foods
Price: $12,000
Cap: $9,000
Grand Champion Meat Chickens
Exhibited by: Alec Genter — Fulton County
Purchased by: Giant Eagle and Springer Mountain Farms
Price: $21,000
Cap: $7,000
Reserve Grand Champion Meat Chickens
Exhibited by: Ava Hester — Clinton County
Purchased by: The Kroger Company and Gerber Poultry
Price: $11,000
Cap: $5,000
Grand Champion Market Turkey
Exhibited by: Isabel Newman — Muskingum County
Purchased by: Cooper Farms, Faith Driving School, Bob Evans Farms, Farmer Boys, Sarka Electric, and Dangler Excavating, LLC
Price: $15,000
Cap: $6,000
Grand Champion Market Goat
Exhibited by: Maya McCoy — Fayette County
Purchased by: Event Marketing Strategies, Talley Amusements, Tim and Glenda Huffman of Huffman’s Market, Faith Driving School
Price: $15,000
Cap: $8,000
Reserve Grand Champion Market Goat
Exhibited by: Braxton Method — Auglaize County
Purchased by: OKI, Inc, Schmidt’s Sausage Haus, NetSteady, Expo Services, Ohio Quarter Horse Association
Price: $7,000
Cap: $4,000
Grand Champion Swiss Cheese - Produced by Pearl Valley Cheese, representing the seven dairy champions and two supreme dairy showmen
Exhibited by:
Grand Champion Ayrshire: Audry Sidle, Wayne County
Grand Champion Brown Swiss: Aubree Topp, Shelby County
Grand Champion Guernsey: Savannah Thomas, Champaign County
Grand Champion Holstein: Colton Thomas, Champaign County
Grand Champion Jersey: Lily Elsass, Auglaize County
Grand Champion Milking Shorthorn: Aubree Topp, Shelby County
Grand Champion Red and White: Allison Francis, Darke County
*Supreme Showman
Week 1 – Exhibited by: Lily Elsass, Auglaize County
Week 2 – Exhibited by: Carissa Pittman, Wayne County
Purchased by: A.G. Boogher & Sons, Inc. and American Dairy Association Mideast
Price: $32,500
Cap: $9,000
2024 total sale: $260,500
2024 amount earned for Youth Reserve Program: $134,500
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 2025 Ohio State Fair, July 23 – Aug. 3 with a spectacular midway, big-name entertainment, hundreds of exhibits, and one of the largest junior fair shows in the nation.
