For Immediate Release – August 17, 2021
Sale of Champions Invests in Tomorrow’s Agricultural Leaders
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Being in the Governor’s Sale of Champions is something all livestock exhibitors dream about, but few are able to accomplish. Each year, this marquee event of the Illinois State Fair Ag Day festivities showcases the hard work and dedication of the youth in the agriculture industry.
For the second year, Governor JB Pritzker ended up in a bidding war for the Grand Champion Steer with none other than his wife. He drove up the price, but it was the First Lady who took home the Grand Champion Steer with a record setting bid of $105,000.
In addition to being spotlighted before the crowd on Tuesday night, these Grand Champion exhibitors, along with the Reserve Grand Champion exhibitors, will receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their animal. The exhibitors use the funds towards their college education or invest it back into projects for next year.
“These exhibitors are the future of agriculture in our state and represent the best of the best,” said Jerry Costello II, Director, Illinois Department of Agriculture. “The Sale of Champions is the cherry on top of the Illinois State Fair. To see our youth in agriculture rewarded for the work that they put into these animals is my favorite aspect of the Illinois State Fair.”
CME Group also realizes the importance of education, which is why they have donated $50,000 in scholarships to this year’s Sale of Champions and for last decade.
Below are the results of the 2021 Commodity Auction and the 2021 Sale of Champions. It should be noted that the Grand Champion Steer will be donated to the Central Illinois Foodbank.
| Commodity | Exhibitor | Location | Purchases | Price |
| Champion Feta in Brine | Nashville Dairy Inc. | Taylorville, IL | Marty and Donna Davis | $300 |
| Grand Champion Mild Cheddar Cheese | Foremost Farms Inc. | Marshfield, WI | Unknown | $275 |
| Grand Champion Aged Cheddar Cheese | Foremost Farms Inc. | Marshfield, WI | University of Illinois | $350 |
| Grand Champion Queso Blanco Cheese | V&V Supremo Foods | Taylorville, IL | Marty and Donna Davis | $325 |
| Grand Champion Belgian Chocolate Premium Ice Cream | Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. | Edwardsville, IL | Unknown | $200 |
| Grand Champion Snack Sticks | Turasky’s Meat | Springfield, IL | Illinois Auctioneers Association | $1,000 |
| Grand Champion Beef Jerky | Main Street Meat Company | Roscoe, IL | George Obernagle and Joe Hampton | $500 |
| Grand Champion Bratwurst | Meat Master Processing Company | Urbana, IL | University of Illinois | $775 |
| Grand Champion Bacon | Eickman’s Processing Company | Brighton, IL | Turner Farms | $2,000 |
| Grand Champion
Bone in Ham |
Eickman’s Processing Company | Brighton, IL | Unknown | $1,200 |
| Best of Show Wine | Galena Cellars Vineyard and Winery | Galena, IL | Conn’s Hospitality Group | $1,400 |
| Grand Champion Honey | Joyce and Mike Dullenty | Springfield, IL | Conn’s Hospitality Group | $1,400 |
| Best in Show Dairy Goat’s Milk | Lillian Lee | Taylorville, IL | Marty and Donna Davis | $550 |
| Animal | Exhibitor | County | Purchasers | Price |
| Grand Champion Rabbit Market Pen | Owen Pree | Iroquois | Agrivest Inc. and George Obernagel | $4,000 |
| Grand Champion Poultry Market Pen | Brayden Wilson | LaSalle | McDonalds Owners
Central, IL & Taylorville,IL |
$5,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Supreme Champion Dairy Cow Print | Rosalee Zehr | Livingston | Midwest Dairy | $3,500 |
| Land Grand Champion Meat Goat | Maddox Horner | Jasper | Springfield Plastics
Dale and Holly Hummel Agri Gold Hybrids and The Sky Ride |
$5,000 |
| Grand Champion Meat Goat | Nolan Hoge | McDonough | Keibro, LLC
Farmers State Bank & Trust Company Ed Teefey George Obernagel Family Arigold Hybrids Tomhave Family |
$6,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Market Lamb | Ashtin Guyer | Crawford | Lynn Zehr, Eric Faugust, Syngenta & Rich Deschepper and Becks Hybrids | $5,000 |
| Grand Champion Market Lamb | E.N. Hanson | Iroquois | Miller’s Spectacular Shows | $8,250 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Barrow | Jess Hawk | DeKalb | Bayer Crop Science DeKalb and Asgrow | $18,000 |
| Grand Champion Barrow | Ella Bobell | Logan | CME Group | $25,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer | Cole Caldwell | Peoria | Evelyn Brandt Thomas | $30,000 |
| Grand Champion Steer | Landry Freeman | Scott | MK Pritzker | $105,000 |
