Livestock sale generates just under $500,000

The market livestock sale that ended this year’s Sheridan County Fair generated just under half a million dollars for the county’s 4-H and FFA youth.

Emily Swinyer, who’s the 4-H educator here, said prices stayed good for the event.

Swinyer said there were a lot more pigs in the market sale this year than in past years. She said 111 swine went under the gavel with total price paid of over $181,000 just for the swine alone.

In addition, she said, 39 head of beef were sold, 14 goats, 53 lambs, five pens of market poultry and one pen of meat rabbits were sold.

In a change from past years, and in response to COVID-19 restrictions, Sheridan Media live-streamed the auction so people could watch from home and phone in bids for the animals. Swinyer said most of the buyers attended the auction but there were a handful of people who watched the event online and called in their bids.

The 4-H and FFA owners of animals that did well in the shows during last week’s fair have the option of taking them to the state fair that starts on Tuesday.

Swinyer said that people who bought those animals during this week’s livestock auction will have to wait until the end of the state fair to take delivery.