Published: July 25, 2008 01:09 am            

High bids and high jinks

Steer sells for record $8,000 at 4-H auction

Lebanon — Thursday’s Boone County 4-H Auction, the first at the new Witham Pavilion, saw records, history and hog tricks.

Tyler Olson, Zionsville, was the first 4-Her to sell animals in the inaugural auction at the Witham Pavilion. Olson has been in 4-H four years.

Tyler’s grand champion meat pen rabbits were bought for $200 by Harold Drees, of Friendly Hometown Motors.

“Kind of historic,” Drees said when told he had become the first buyer.

It closed a circle, of sorts. Drees said his son, Nelson, was 10 when his grand champion rabbits brought a record $1,400, 14 years ago.

Drees often buys the grand champion rabbit, he said.

Rosa Burns, Lebanon, became the initial first-year member of 4-H to sell an animal. Her dairy goat was bought for $150 by Thorntown Veterinary Clinic.

Austin Chandler, Whitestown, became the first 4-Her to receive four figures for an animal. Several people combined to buy Chandler’s grand champion meat goat for $2,350. The 76-pound wether had an appraised value of $60.80.

Dozens of bidders set a record for the grand champion steer.

Madeline Wilhoite’s Boone County Grand Champion steer sold for $8,000. The record had been set in 2006 when Jody Miller, a second-year 4-Her from Thorntown, sold her beef grand champion steer for $7,150. It was the first time a steer bid had topped $7,000. Miller also sold the 2007 grand champion steer, receiving $6,450.

The $8,000 Wilhoite received was nearly $7,000 more than the animal’s market value.

Auctioneer Tom Dull, who shared time with auctioneer Steve Cross, cajoled the crowd for more.

“Let’s see if we can get that $10,000,” he said.

Wilhoite tracked down as many of the bidders as she could for a thank-you hug.

“I was really surprised,” Wilhoite said. “The last figure I’d heard was $2,500 at 8 o’clock last night.” The money will pay for college, she said.

Wilhoite will attend Purdue University this fall. She plans to study landscape horticulture and design.

Wilhoite’s Witham Pavilion record was challenged in spirited bidding for Kayla Hieston’s grand champion barrow. The price rose quickly from $1,000, shot through $2,000, waved good-bye to $3,000 and settled in for a rapid back and forth before finishing at $5,450. A bevy of buyers contributed.

Hieston’s barrow was the first of 141 swine to be sold.

It was not, however, the most entertaining.

Amanda Reehling, Thorntown, had trained her hog to sit on command, for which trick the pig received a marshmallow.

“That’s got to be worth something,” said Cross. It was: Reehling’s pig sold for $1,000.

4-Hers this year sold 248 animals, receiving $102,084. That was eight animals less than last year, but $1,184 more in sales.

        

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