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Hannah Mullins, 13, holds her 4-H Grand Champion chickens still Saturday as they're sold of at the Greenup County Fair Auction. John Flavell/The Independent
Cory Hayden, 16, marches his FFA Grand Champion market hog around the ring Saturday at the Greenup County Fair auction. John Flavell/The Independent
Elijah Lovelace, 7, puts everything he can into his tractor Saturday as his mother Robin Lovelace, urges him at the Greenup County Fair. John Flavell/The Independent
Courtney Tackett watches the crowd Saturday as her FFA Grand Champion market steer is auctioned at the Greenup County Fair. The numbers on her sleeve reflect the years she's shown the number of grand champions she's won. John Flavell/The Independent

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September 5, 2010

Livestock auction provides reward for young farmers at Greenup County Fair

Mike James The Independent The Daily Independent Sun Sep 05, 2010, 07:03 AM EDT

GREENUP — Listen up, if you’re a 4-H kid or an FFA member and want to raise a championship fair animal.

Cory Hayden has a secret technique and he has a long record of taking home grand and reserve champion ribbons — and the auction cash that goes along with them.

At this year’s Greenup County Fair, his market hog was grand champion and his feeder pig was reserve champion. He has been exhibiting pigs for six years. He won grand champion his first time out. “And he’s never stopped yet,” said his friend and co-competitor Courtney Tackett.

So what’s the secret?

Cory sings to his pigs. “The Farmer in the Dell.” Seriously.

Does it really work? “I’ve never lost,” he said Saturday before entering the show ring at the stock sale.

It’s more than singing, of course. Cory, a member of the Future Farmers of America chapter at Greenup County High School, calls it TLC. What he means is he goes the extra mile to care for his animals, spending a lot of time with them instead of tossing in their feed and heading back to the house.

It pays off. His 250 pound grand champion hog fetched $4.50 per pound at the auction.

Cory, 16, is a little bit different than some kids in what he does with his auction money. He saved it and bought a 1963 John Deere tractor and restored it. He likes to drive the machine and exhibit it with other vintage tractor enthusiasts. He figures he may use this year’s check for another tractor.

His friend Courtney Tackett doesn’t mind letting people know she has a pretty good winning record at the fair. The t-shirt she wore at the auction had the number series 7-6-5 airbrushed on it in pink and green. The numbers stand for seven years of competition, six grand champions and five reserve champions.

She has exhibited steers, heifers, and feeder calves and this year her market steer was grand champion, bumping her numbers up to 8, 7 and 5. The 1,365 pound steer went for $4.50 per pound.

This year is her last for competing, said Courtney, who is 18 and a student at Shawnee State University. A member of FFA and the Red Hot 4-H club, she plans to stay involved somehow. “It’s a good program and it’s good for youth. It’s our future,” she said.

Once all 118 animals were sold, 4-H and FFA members took home $116,096, according to county extension agent Kathy Junker. Compared to last year’s $109,659 for 130 animals.

”It’s a fantastic sale,” she said. “The buyers were here in spades and we got it done.”

Winning animals in some categories were receiving bids of $2 or more over market price. “It’s really, really good,” said auctioneer Cavel Bush.

“These kids worked hard all year and it’s good for them to be rewarded with the fruits of the sale,” Junker said.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2652.

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