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Good year for the Wisconsin State Fair

August 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Final numbers show it was a good year for the Wisconsin State Fair. Total attendance this year was 920,962 up from 911,231 last year and the highest attendance in more than a decade. This year’s fair set a single-day attendance record when 127,883 went through the gates on Sunday, August 5th.

There were more than 3,400 exhibitors at the fair this year, the 26 animals in the Governor’s Red, White and Blue Livestock Auction sold for $221,000, the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction raised $88,300 for the 4-H Foundation and the Blue Ribbon Cheese and Butter Auction generated $35,000 for the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board to support the House of Moo dairy education center at the fair and scholarships.

The Wisconsin Bakers Association sold over 375,000 cream puffs during the fair’s 11-day run this year compared to 355,478 in 2011.

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Brock May takes the Wisconsin show…again.

August 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It was a very familiar face on the stage at the Governor’s Red, White & Blue Ribbon Livestock Sale at the Wisconsin State Fair Wednesday night.  For the sixth year in a row, Brock May of Mineral Point had one of the top steers…in fact this year; he had the top two steers.  May’s Grand Champion Chianina sold for $27,500 to Kenosha Beef International and Birchwood Foods.  He then sold his reserve champion crossbred steer to Potawatomi Bingo Casino for $16,000.

 The grand champion lamb was also a repeat performance, for the fourth time, Tierney Reilly of LaFayette County had the grand champion lamb, this time her Hampshire brought $8,000. Austin Lynd of Rock County sold the grand champion hog, the crossbred barrow brought $13,000.

 In all, 26 animals were sold for a total of $221,000, nearly $10,000 more than last year’s sale.  Eighty percent of the money goes to the exhibitors while 20 percent goes to the auction for expenses, grants and youth scholarships.

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A good night for the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation

August 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Taking the bids

It was a great night for the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation at the State Fair Tuesday night. The annual Governor’s Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction. Meat processors from across the state submitted more than 120 entries in various categories with champion and reserve champion in each category auctioned off. Governor Scott Walker, Wisconsin Ag Secretary Ben Brancel, Alice in Dairyland Rochelle Ripp, Wisconsin Fairest of the Fair Richelle Kastensen and others encouraged the bidders to help raise money to support the 100,000 4-H members in Wisconsin. In the end, $88,000 was raised in auction; add in the silent auction items and something around $90,000 was raised by the effort. Foundation president John Brunnquell says that is an all-time record for the auction, the money will go to the University of Wisconsin Extension in the form of a block grant and then Extension will decide how to divide it up.

The Best in Show award went to a bone-in ham from Ray’s Market in Colby, Wisconsin. The ham sold for $8,700 to a consortium formed by Country Fresh Meats, Egg Innovations and Hartmann Sand and Gravel. The consortium donated the ham back to the auction and it re-sold for $1,800 to Paulson Farms.

John Brunnquell

The auction is a partnership of the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation, Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors (WAMP) and Wisconsin State Fair and is sponsored by Cedar Crest Ice Cream, Rupena’s Fine Foods and Schenck, SC.

AUDIO:Brunnquell talks about the sale 2:29 mp3

Products and buyers were:

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A first-hand look at the farming experience

August 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If you want to find a bunch of wide-eyed kids at the Wisconsin State Fair, just stop by “The House of Moos”. The display is an interactive way for kids to learn about the dairy industry in Wisconsin. FFA chapters from across the state man the operation, on Tuesday, members of the Bonduel FFA were showing kids how to put a milking machine on a life-sized plastic cow, meet a real calf, drive a pedal tractor through an obstacle course of baled straw and other farm events. Mallory Mews is Bonduel FFA chapter president, she says it is just a great experience for her and the other members.

AUDIO:Mews talks about the House of Moos 3:00 mp3

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The first farm for many

August 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

While the Wisconsin State Fair is a celebration of agriculture it takes place in the largest metropolitan area in the state. That presents a great opportunity for the Wisconsin State FFA Officer Team to talk to people unfamiliar with the farm and agriculture. State president Kayla Hack and the others are in the Badgerland Financial Discovery Barnyard with a collection of animals. “It show’s animal care and how important animal care is to production agriculture.” The team does numerous demonstrations throughout the day explaining everything from birth to vaccinations. “This might be the only farm some people ever see” says Hack.

State Treasurer Nate Zindars talks to visitors about sheep, “Because you don’t find sheep in the grocery store”. He even does a little shearing to explain how wool is produced.

State Secretary Zack Markhardt is handing out “beanie baggies”, little bags of seeds that germinate to show how seeds become plants. He gives them to the visitors to carry with them.

State Vice President Logan Wells talks to people about forestry and soils in Wisconsin. He gives them a chance to feel the different types of soil found in the state and also see the differences among woods.

AUDIO: The State Officers talk about the display

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