LAKEPORT — A Grand Champion rooster crowed, turkeys strutted, lambs bleated, hogs snorted and bidding records for the annual Junior Livestock Auction tumbled like a row of dominoes on Saturday at the Lake County Fairgrounds Pavilion.
“We are $30,000 to $40,000 ahead of anything we”ve ever done. Across the board, this is the most we”ve ever gotten,” Junior Livestock Chairman Dave McGrath said on Monday as he worked with a team to tally up the auction results.
McGrath set the gross total of bidding for this year”s auction at $268,489, which compared to $224,608 for 2005.
With Lake County Electric, Safeway, Lake County Grocery Outlet, Jonas Oil and Granite Construction driving the action, bids for healthy lambs and hogs nurtured by 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) members reached new highs. The auction”s Grand Champion steer, weighing 1,279 pounds, went for $6 a pound, or just slightly under $8,000.
Lake County Electric owner Tom Powers purchased the steer, the highest priced animal in the auction, and probably led all bidders in the amount spent,
“When he had the high bid on his 14th animal, I gave up counting,” District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said of Powers. Brown was one of a group of “ring men,” whose job is to spot the next highest bidder for the auctioneer. No one worked harder at the fair on Saturday.
In a hectic but friendly showdown, Powers went head-to-head with Granite Construction over a lamb and to win paid the unheard-of price for Lake County, anyway of $29 a pound, said McGrath. Undeterred by being outbid, McGrath added, Granite simply bought the next lamb for the same $29 a pound.
“We”ve never had anything close to $29 a pound never even gone into the 20s for a lamb. The previous high was two years ago and I think it was about $12.50 a pound,” said McGrath.
Another record fell when a hog went for an unprecedented $12 a pound.
A new high was also set by the total of 245 registered buyers, who made donations to 4-H and FFA.
The generosity spilled over into smaller animals and fowl as well.
Jim Jonas spent $600 for a pair of white rabbits. For what purpose?
“I just give them back to who I bought them from,” says Jonas. “I don”t know what I”m going to do with a couple of rabbits. You don”t slaughter them.”
Lake County Grocery Outlet owners Jeff and Jackie Hansen, meanwhile, purchased a turkey for $700, yet another record, just because they had “come to help the kids out.” They had done the same for the 4-H in Arizona before coming to Lake County.
The mood was one in which someone would bid on anything that walked and/or squawked. Resembling a feather duster, a Polish chicken brought $450.
“Once I went to the 4-H auction at the Sacramento County Fair and they auctioned off a dozen eggs for $350,” McGrath said laughing.
Barely into her teens, 4-Her Stormy Shore was hopeful that the purchaser of her lambs would be like Jonas and let them live. “I hope somebody buys them and takes them home,” she said as she hugged her lambs one last time.
Some 4-H and FFA members simply don”t want to come to grips with the thought of an animal they”ve given a pet”s name to winding up with mint jelly on someone”s dinner table.
“The 4-H program is a good thing for young people to do as opposed to some other activities that might be a little less helpful,” Jonas said.
“None of us are here for a bargain,” said Brown. “Whatever you spend on these kids, it”s still cheaper than rehab.”
Contact John Lindblom at jlwordsmith@mchsi.com.
