Plumas and Sierra county youth participating in local 4-H clubs and local chapters of the National FFA Organization raise livestock each year to sell at the Plumas-Sierra Junior Livestock Auction. This year’s auction was held July 28, at the end of the Plumas-Sierra County Fair at the fairgrounds in Quincy. Buyers — both individuals and business owners — collectively spent $357,852.50 on 136 animals, reports auction treasurer Suzanne Powers.
It was another great year for the hardworking youth of Plumas and Sierra counties, said Powers. “Fair time is fun time for the youth but it can be bittersweet in the end as their summer-long efforts and subsequent attachments to their animals comes to an end.”
Sales at a glance; price bumps
The 20 steers added $167,967 to the total, making the average price $6.54 per pound. Swine buyers paid a total of $118,507 for an average price of $8.25 a pound for the 59 animals on the market.
The 31 lambs averaged $9.45 per pound, adding another $39,649 to the coffers, while the 16 goats fetched a total of $23,885, averaging $17.47 a pound.
This year included 10 turkeys that averaged $28.80 per pound, bringing in $7,825.
Several individuals and businesses bumped the sales prices and/or donated additional funds to the auction, said Powers. Add-ons added up to over $98,000 to exhibitors. Indian Valley Construction donated $15,000: well over $100 to each exhibitor. Sierra Valley Feed and Ranch Supply donated $10,000 to exhibitors. Other notable add-ons came from the Law Office of Bret D. Cook; Al and Karla Pombo, of Hobart Mills Aggregate; Wade Lacque, of Orland Livestock; Beatty Construction; Lindsey Buis-Kelley, of LBK Engineering; Genesee Valley Ranch; Tyler McGarr, of McGarr Excavation; Tim and Jill Curran, of Circle Ranch; Indian Valley Butchers; and Willo Vieira, of Vieira Ranch. “There were many others as well,” said Powers. “Thank you to everyone who contributed additional dollars!”
Champions sale
Details follow for the sale of champion animals.
- Lucy Bentz, Indian Valley 4-H: grand champion swine, $12 per pound, bought by Law Office of Bret D. Cook
- Kanoa Caudle, Loyalton FFA: reserve champion steer, $9 per pound, bought by Sierra Precision Painting
- Rowdy Caudle, Loyalton FFA: reserve champion swine, $19 per pound, bought by Joe and Annie Tipton and Judy Alexander
- Emily Choate, Quincy FFA: reserve champion turkey, $21 per pound, bought by Sierra Precision Painting
- James Earle, Loyalton FFA: grand champion turkey, $24 per pound, bought by Integrity Heating and Air
- Aurora Osburn, Sierra Valley 4-H: grand champion goat, $20 per pound, bought by Andrew Clarke
- Faith Powers, Loyalton FFA: reserve champion lamb, $18 per pound, bought by Sierra Nevada Construction
- Alexandria Siquedo, Loyalton FFA: grand champion lamb, $13.50 per pound, bought by Quincy Hot Spot
- Katarina Wellise, Treasure Mountain 4-H: reserve champion goat, $31 per pound, bought by Miramonte Duck Club
- Micah Williams, Sierra Valley 4-H: grand champion steer, $10 per pound, bought by Lenny Stahl, of Motorsport Tech
Multiple buyers
As always, there were numerous multiple buyers supporting the local 4-H and FFA youth, said Powers. Leading the list this year were Joy Engineering, Motorsport Tech, Bengard Ranch, Sierra Precision Painting, Berger Concrete, A & M Timber, Brian West, Green’s Feed, Quincy Hot Spot, Round Valley Ag and Resort, George’s Custom Meats, Hat Creek Construction, Hunt and Sons, McGarr Excavation, Sierra Pacific Industries, Empire CAT-Dana Taylor, Cole Halverson Construction, Dwight Ceresola, Lights Creek Construction, Paul and Sheri Roen, Select Environmental, Silver State Geotechnical, Veritas Mountain Medical, Wilburn Construction, Cal-Sierra Title, Bamford Timber and Andrew Clarke.
Purchases donated back for resale
Several buyers donated their purchases back to be resold with the proceeds benefiting a worthy cause of their choosing, said Powers. Steve and Joanie Utterback donated their purchase to benefit the Martinetti Scholarship. Dan Van Vuren, Roberti Ranch and McHenry Hay and Cattle donated their purchases to benefit the Sierra Valley Grange in honor of Helen Roberti. Fifteen lots were donated back to benefit the Clayton Neer Memorial Fund; they were purchased by Charlie and Mary Lynn Neer and Neer’s Custom Cut and Wrap, Indian Valley Construction, Berger Concrete, Cal-Sierra Title, Spurs Trucking and Equipment, Law Office of Bret D. Cook, Motorsport Tech, R3 Concrete, Bamford Timber, Stella Smalley, Cole Halverson Construction and Curran Tire Center.
Showmanship awards
The FFA showmanship winners were as follows:
- James Earle (grand champion turkey)
- Adrian Griffin (grand champion goat)
- Bobbi Jo Griffin (grand champion steer)
- Gus Petterson (grand champion swine)
- Alexandria Siquiedo (grand champion lamb)
The 4-H senior showmanship winners were as follows:
- Mia Johnson (grand champion lamb)
- Nate Jordan (grand champion turkey)
- Aubrie Schramel (grand champion swine)
- Katarina Wellise (grand champion goat)
- Micah Williams (grand champion steer)
The 4-H junior showmanship winners were as follows:
- Jacey Gregory (grand champion goat)
- Addison Loubet (grand champion steer)
- Callie Steffanic (grand champion swine)
- Chloe Waltermire (grand champion lamb)
The 4-H beginning showmanship winners were as follows:
- Shane Bakker (grand champion swine)
- Jessy Freeto (grand champion goat)
- Josie Petterson (grand champion steer)
- Blake Preston (grand champion lamb)
- Serenity Sharp (grand champion turkey)
Behind the scenes
“As he has successfully done for decades, auctioneer Wesley Neer did a masterful job working a very, very generous crowd of buyers that packed the sales arena that Sunday morning,” said Powers. She also acknowledged the hardworking livestock action committee: Megan Neer, president; Crystal Emsoff, vice president; Tanya Morgan, secretary; Suzanne Powers, treasurer; Ron Wilson, livestock manager; and Susan Taylor, recordkeeper for all shows.
Powers also offered a shout-out to the “amazing” sponsors, both businesses and individuals, that supported this year’s auction.
Information provided by Plumas-Sierra Junior Livestock Auction
