The 2026 Champaign County Junior Fair Livestock Sale wrapped up Friday after a full day of strong bidding and community support, with hundreds of buyers gathering at the sale barn to support the county’s 4-H and FFA exhibitors.
The auction got underway at 9 a.m., with auctioneer Todd Woodruff encouraging buyers to start the day with big bids — and they did.
The goat sale featured 90 animals, with several young exhibitors receiving significant support.
The top five goat sale prices were:
- Madison Ripley — $3,100
- Easton McGuire — $2,430
- Autumn Green — $2,170
- Hudson McGuire — $1,900
- Genevieve Lamb — $1,200
After the goats, the auction moved into market lambs, where buyers continued to show their support.
Siblings Payton Prince and Cameron Prince each sold their lamb for $4,125, making them the top-selling lambs.
Other top market lamb sales included:
- Addison Dillow — $2,000
- Layla Smith — $1,825
- Ava Heath — $1,675
The sale then moved into market steers, producing some of the largest bids of the auction.
Essie McGuire’s steer brought $15,000, while Sydnee Hurst’s steer sold for $6,875.
Additional top market steer sales included:
- Drew Hurst — $4,900
- Bryden Ankrom — $3,725
- Arden McGuire — $2,675
- Mason Wallace — $2,300
- Kenslie Harlow — $2,275
- Sophie Prosser — $2,275
The dairy steer portion was highlighted by Ella Vondenhuevel, whose champion dairy steer and Showman of Showmen entry sold for $7,195.
Other top dairy steer sellers included:
- Cooper Hudson Love — $2,600
- Hannah Volp — $2,025
- Levi McGuire — $1,325
- Cayden Love — $1,225
- Eli Wilson — $1,000
The dairy milk portion of the sale featured several championship animals.
Graham Jenkins, showing the Supreme Dairy Cow and Grand Champion Jersey, received $1,300.
Brynlee Randall’s Grand Champion Holstein sold for $975, while Olivia Weisent’s Junior Champion Guernsey and Junior Skillathon entry brought $1,400.
The dairy feeder portion continued the strong bidding.
Charli Ankrom, who earned the title of Champion Dairy Feeder — the same honor she earned at the Ohio State Fair — as well as Showman of Showmen, saw her dairy feeder sell for $3,900.
Other top dairy feeder sales included:
- Andie Adams — $1,475
- Grant Adams — $1,475
- Maverick Adams — $1,125
- Ellie Rodgers — $1,100
The strong prices throughout the auction reflected the continued support from local businesses, families and community members who came out to invest in Champaign County’s youth.
For the exhibitors, the sale marked the culmination of months of work feeding, training, showing and caring for their animals. The support from buyers provides a reward for that effort while helping encourage young people to remain involved in agriculture and livestock programs.
Podium Banners
The auction also featured the sale of banner placements on the auctioneers’ podium.
Woodside Veterinary Clinic purchased the center placement for $12,500, while The Melvin Family purchased the left placement for $11,000. Peoples Savings Bank purchased the right placement for $6,000.
The three sponsors will have their banner placements on the auctioneer’s podium again next year.
The three podium placements combined for $29,500, exceeding the total raised from the podium banner sales last year.
With the auction now complete, the 2026 Champaign County Junior Fair Livestock Sale once again showcased the dedication of local youth and the strong community support behind the county’s Junior Fair livestock program.
