The Grand Champion market turkey, shown by Bryant Fannin, sold for a record $6,400 to Strait and Lamp Group on Saturday at the Union County Jr. Fair Livestock Sale. Pictured above are, from left Andy Higinbotham, Kayleigh Arnold, Tanner Ufferman, Fannin, Fair King CJ Grose, Barb and Steve Arnold of Strait and Lamp Group and Fair Queen Maura Grose.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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The Grand Champion market barrow, shown by Jack Nicol, sold for a record $5,000 to Honda of Marysville, Weeks Plumbing Inc., Parrott Implement Company, ASE Feeding Supply, Richwood Bank, Hogan Tire, Sam Jackson’s Auto Repair, RB Equipment, Shanklin Enterprises and Union Propane. Back row from left: Bruce Daniels of Honda of Marysville, Denny Friermood of Honda of Marysville, Scott Weeks of Weeks Plumbing, Scott Beckett of Parrott Implements, Jarad Jackson of Sam Jacksons Auto Repair, Kenny Jewell of ASE Feeding Supply, Jean Smith of Parrott Implements, Kyle Feucht of Richwood Bank, Curtis Burns, Darrison Cook of Union Propane, Nick Hogan of Hogan Tire, Austin Burns, Brian Phelps of Union Propane, Doug Phelps of Union Propane, Dean Cook of Union Propane and Fair King CJ Grose. Front row: Camdyn Burns, McClain Burns, Corbin Burns, Liz Nicol, Jack Nicol and Maggie Nicol.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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The Grand Champion market duck, shown by Briar Welch, sold for a record $2,700 to Applied Electric on Saturday at the Union County Jr. Fair Livestock Sale. Pictured above are, from left 2019 Fair Queen Maura Grose, Welch, Loretta Green with Applied Electric and 2019 Fair King CJ Grose.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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The Reserve Champion market barrow, shown by Taylor Burnham, sold for a record $4,700 to Honda of Marysville and Leon’s Garage Saturday at the Union County Jr. Fair Livestock Sale. Pictured above are, from left Denny Friermood of Honda of Marysville, Bruce Daniels of Honda of Marysville, Rick Crago of Leon’s Garage, Whitney Clarridge, Taylor Burnham, Hailey Burnham and Fair King CJ Grose.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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The Reserve Champion market turkey, shown by Austin Fisher, sold for a record $2,900 to Nikki’s H20 Tanning and Geyer Farms Saturday at the Union County Jr. Fair Livestock Sale. Pictured above are, from left Travis Geyer, Allen Geyer of Geyer Farms, Fisher, Tyler Smith, Fair King CJ Grose, Nikki Kimbel of Nikki’s H20 Tanning, Eric Kimbel of Nikki’s H20 Tanning, Jamie Geyer of Geyer Farms and Fair Queen Maura Grose.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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Cardinal Construction Services purchased the Reserve Champion market duck, shown by Kira Jones, for a record $2,400 Saturday at the Union County Jr. Fair Livestock Sale. Pictured above are, from left, Cody Fulwider of Cardinal Construction Services, Shelby Jones, Paul Lyon with Cardinal Construction Services, Kira Jones, 2019 Fair Queen Maura Grose and 2019 Fair King CJ Grose.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
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Joelle Ziegler said 4-H has helped her meet a lot of people and learn many lessons — about animals, about her county, about herself and about life.
Friday, Ziegler was named overall Showman of Showmen for the 2019 Union County Fair.
The overall Showman of Showmen is a round robin style event, with winners of the dairy, goat, sheep, beef, horse, rabbit, poultry, swine and dairy feeder Showman of Showman competitions competing against each other. Each species champion will show their animal as well as each of the other animals. Judges for each species will watch the participant show the animal and will ask questions about the animal.
In addition to Ziegler, who won the dairy Showman of Showmen title, competing this year for the overall title were:
– Abby Underhill, poultry
– Bryce Phelps, beef.
– Jenna Dee, goat.
– Nick Johnson, sheep.
– Kenzie Abbati, horse.
– Sienna Bates, rabbits.
– Riley Wendt, swine.
– Madison Cook, dairy feeder.
Ziegler said she has been showing dairy heifers for years. It’s a family tradition.
“My family has always shown dairy cattle, and all of the kids have continued doing it,” she said.
A member of the Watkins Panthers 4-H club, Ziegler was in the overall Showman of Showmen competition in 2015 also.
Two years ago, Ziegler started something different.
“I started showing goats, just for fun and to try something different,” she said, then added, “and I thought they were cute and they looked fun.”
“I really enjoyed it so I kept going,” Ziegler said.
While she did it more for fun, the Fairbanks graduate credited things she learned showing goats for helping her in the overall Showman of Showmen competition. She said during her second year raising the goats she did a lot of research on the species. That prompted her to look at other animals.
“I really enjoyed learning about each species and how they are different from what I had already done,” Ziegler said.
In a couple weeks, Ziegler will begin her freshman year at Ohio University, studying accounting and business analytics. She hopes to combine her schooling with lessons she learned on the farm.
“After I get my degree, I’d like to take it back to an ag related business,” Ziegler said.
She said the most important lessons she learned through 4-H apply whether in school, on the farm, at work or whatever she does.
“I have learned a lot about responsibility — knowing you have a project to complete, knowing you have a deadline,” Ziegler said. “You want your project to look good and you want to do well. You have to put the work into it through the summer, before you can even go to the fair. The more work you put into something, the better results you yield.”
Those are lessons she is also trying to pass on to younger 4-H members, many of which are starting to take their place as showman of showmen competitors.
“There were a lot of young ones this year, which is really good to see,” Ziegler said. “There is a lot of good, young competition.”
Like Ziegler, fair board member Darrison Cook is excited about the future of the fair. He said sponsors, participants, parents and attendees are all, “extremely thrilled and liked all of the changes that we have done the last year and they like the new look of the fair.”
He said attendance numbers have not been compiled last year but they look, “comparable to last year, maybe a little bit more.”
Cook said there were less junior fair exhibits for every species, except goats.
“But that goes from year to year,” Cook said.
He said that despite less exhibits sold, the Junior Fair Livestock Sale “went great.”
“The numbers were up,” Cook said. “We broke several records for grand and reserve champions.”
He credited the fair sponsors as well as the junior and senior fair boards and livestock committee with this year’s success.
“They do a lot of work and they do it all for the kids,” he said.