WQIO Ohio's Super Station
Knox County businesses, organizations and community members once again demonstrated their support for local youth Friday as the 2026 Knox County Junior Fair Sale of Champions generated $89,500 for the county’s top livestock exhibitors.
The annual auction highlights Grand and Reserve Grand Champion market animals from each species and serves as the culmination of months of work by 4-H and FFA members who spent the year raising, feeding and preparing their projects for competition.
The two highest-selling animals of the afternoon were both Reserve Grand Champions, each bringing $9,000.
Addison McGuire of Centerburg, a member of the Animals R Us 4-H Club, sold his 284-pound Reserve Champion Market Hog to a buyers group consisting of Forman Realtors, Jennifer Farmer of Forman Realtors, Fredericktown Chevrolet, KN Excavation and Fox Swim Solutions. McGuire also earned Master Showman honors in the swine department during this year’s fair.
Matching that total was Kayleen Small of Fredericktown, whose 1,452-pound Reserve Champion Market Beef sold to Small’s Asphalt for $9,000. Small is a member of the Boots & Banners 4-H Club.
Throughout the sale, auctioneers John P. Ruckman, Dale Jagger, Dave McDowell and Sam Jagger encouraged spirited bidding as local businesses and supporters invested in Knox County’s next generation of agricultural leaders.
The sale also showcased the generosity of the exhibitors themselves.
Several participants announced plans to donate portions of their auction proceeds to charitable organizations and community programs. Among them was Kaleb Lamb, a 2026 graduate of Fredericktown High School’s Engineering Academy who will attend Central Ohio Technical College to study electrical engineering this fall. Lamb pledged to donate 10 percent of the proceeds from his market rabbit project back to the Fredericktown High School Engineering Academy to help support future students.
Other Grand Champion sales included:
- Kellen Algire – Grand Champion Market Beef – $6,000
- Carder McConachie – Grand Champion Market Hog – $4,250
- Mason Reynolds – Grand Champion Market Lamb – $5,000
- Nash Stull – Grand Champion Market Goat – $3,500
- Daisy Cline – Grand Champion Broilers – $4,500
- Brynley Kirkpatrick – Grand Champion Turkey – $2,750
- Ethan Swendal – Grand Champion Dairy Market Feeder – $3,000
- Ethan Swendal – Grand Champion Market Dairy Steer – $3,500
- Macy Miller – Grand Champion Market Rabbits – $3,750
- Berta Gomez-Sica – Grand Champion Pen of Three Market Lambs – $3,000
Fair officials say the Sale of Champions is about much more than livestock. The event recognizes the dedication, responsibility and leadership developed through 4-H and FFA while providing exhibitors with financial support they can reinvest into future projects, college education or agricultural careers.
With nearly $90,000 raised during this year’s auction, Knox County businesses once again demonstrated their commitment to supporting local youth and the future of agriculture in the community.
