Junior Livestock Sale proceeds continue to grow, as they inch toward $1M mark

Total receipts this year were $880,200

The Bud Vanberg Memorial 4-H/FFA Junior Livestock Sale continues to inch toward the million-dollar mark.

Becky Santomaso of Sterling Livestock Commission Co. said total receipts this year were $880,200, up from 2021’s record of $724,350.

The amount bid has continued to grow while the number of animals shown in the various livestock shows and sold at the Saturday sale hovers between 300 and 350. Santomaso said 344 head were sold during this year’s sale.

This year’s record-breaker is nearly twice the amount bid just five years ago. Total receipts have continued to increase by leaps and bounds in spite of low commodity prices, an 18-month viral pandemic and, recently, historic inflation. Receipts broke the halfmillion-dollar mark just two years ago at $550,000, then skyrocketed in 2021 and continue to grow this year.

“I think (the growth in sales) shows just how much this community cares about and supports these kids,” Santomaso said. “Besides the bids, we always get add-ons, where people just add money to whatever was bid for an animal. It’s that important to them.”

This year Santomaso said there were more than $50,000 in add-ons.

As it does every year, Sterling Livestock conducted the sale for free. Prior to the sale, auctioneer Jason Santomaso pointed out that the sale fee exhibitors pay does not go to Sterling Livestock, but is put back into the livestock program.

Here is how the grand champion and reserve grand champion animals fared in the sale ring on Saturday:

Grand Champion Market Sheep, Cooper Dewitt, $7,000, E3 Solutions & 911 Cattle Co.;

Reserve Grand Champion Market Sheep, Cooper Dewitt, $5,500, Dr. Gerk & Northeast Colorado Family Medicine;

Grand Champion Market Swine, Ben Walker, $10,500, Mcendaffer Feedyard;

Reserve Champion Market Swine, Beau Carlson, $5,500, Advantage Feedyard;

Grand Champion Market Steer, Trotter Thomas, $ 12,000, Circle L Irrigation;

Reserve Champion Market Steer, Tyla Thomas, $ 8,000, R Bar Cattle Co.;

Grand Champion Market Goat, Hadley Stull, $ 4,000, First National Bank of Fleming;

Reserve Champion Market Goat, Dylan Wagner, $ 3,000, Walmart;

Grand Champion Market Poultry, Matt Gillham, $ 2,000, American Building Systems;

Reserve Champion Market Poultry, Bailey Spielmann, $ 2,250, Cross Cut Farms.

Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-advocate Trotter Thomas' Grand Champion Beef sold for $12,000 to Circle L Irrigation at the Bud Van Berg Memorial 4-H/FFA Junior Livestock Sale.

Jeff Rice / Sterling Journal-advocate Bud Van Berg Memorial 4-H/FFA Junior Livestock Sale proceeds for the past five years.

Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-advocate Cooper Dewitt's Grand Champion Sheep sold for $7,000 to E3 Solutions and 911 Cattle Co. at the Bud Van Berg Memorial 4-H/FFA Junior Livestock Sale.

Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-advocate Hadley Stull's Grand Champion Goat sold for $4,000 to First National Bank of Fleming at the Bud Van Berg Memorial 4-H/FFA Junior Livestock Sale.

Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-advocate Matthew Gillham's Overall Champion Poultry sold for $2,000 to American Building System at the Bud Van Berg Memorial 4-H/FFA Junior Livestock Sale.

Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-advocate Ben Walker's Grand Champion Swine sold for $10,500 to Mcendaffer Feedyard at the Bud Van Berg Memorial 4-H/FFA Junior Livestock Sale.