Find out how much prize winning steers sold for at the Branch County Fair
BRANCH COUNTY — The Branch County Fair for 2023 is over.
Manager Keith Bildner said “all the numbers are up” over previous years after COVID-19 cut back the annual event in 2020 and 2021.
Final numbers won’t be available for several weeks as the volunteer board for the nonprofit takes time to recover from weeks of preparation and execution to put on the annual event geared to 4-H youth.
The youth had mixed feelings on Thursday afternoon for small animals and Friday for larger ones as the Branch County Youth Livestock Association puts them up for auction.
Since the 1970s, with the fair board and 4-H, the association is the third leg of the groups to make the fair work.
Corey Brewer, president of the youth livestock association, explained, “We’re trying to make it positive for the kids. If it wasn’t for the kids, we wouldn’t have a fair. This is their time to shine.”
For the youth who want to sell the animals they raised, the association brings together buyers, local groups, individuals, families and businesses, ready to bid on the livestock the kids raised over the last eight months to a year.
The beef sale usually brings in the most money. Kori Musgrove, whose mom and dad showed cattle at previous fairs, won grand champion beef. The $5,000 winning bid from Bronson Veterinary was donated to the cystic fibrosis foundation at the University of Michigan by the Musgroves.
The second place, reserve grand champion Angus raised by Alia Howe, sold for $8,000.
Howe purchased the steer in November and showed him all winter. At the Michigan Livestock Exposition, the steer won grand champion in the lightweight division.
The steers are kept in a 55-degree air-conditioned room to help them grow hair.
Alia worked with the steer for at least 10 to 15 hours a week, preparing it for the show ring. “It was a commitment,” she said.
The steer weighed 550 pounds in November when purchased. At the sale, he was 1,280 pounds.
Third place in the division went to Katrina Howe, her sister. Older sister Cara Howe showed the steer across the state during the winter. She could not show at the Branch County Fair because she “aged out” of 4-H at 19.
The girls are all members of the Tri-Town 4-H club. Their father, Matt Howe, operates Pine Ridge Farm Services Inc.
Brewer said the association takes a commission on the sales to pay for the auctioneers and the organization's costs. The money also is used for scholarships to further education in livestock or farming.
Most buyers send the animals for processing. Others continue to show them.
Once all costs are tallied, “In October, we have our annual meeting and disperse our checks to the kids,” Brewer said. Many use the money to buy their animal for the next year.
The association holds up to six workshops for the youth during the year to help them on raising their animals.
“Basically how you feed your animal and take care of your animal, making sure he’s healthy,” he said
“Regardless if it’s a calf, steer, hog, goat or small animals liked rabbits or fowl, we want to make sure they get the right food, the right bedding, and keep them healthy,” Brewer explained.
All animals that show at the fair must present a health certificate. “We help them get that certificate,” Brewer said.
The association also brings in judges in each category.
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“We teach them a little bit of showmanship to work with them. That’s big, to set a goal for the livestock, we get judges to come in and help these kids," he said.
The checks paid help reimburse the kids for the purchase, feeding the animal, and other expenses. “If they make a profit it helps with their education or rainy day money,” Brewer explained.
---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Find out how much prize winning steers sold for at the Branch County Fair
