Vada Vickland was emotional before and after selling her grand champion market beef.
Vada, 15, of Longmont, sold the 1,344-pound bovine for $59,000 on Tuesday at the Colorado State Fair Junior Livestock Sale.
The Sam Brown family of Pueblo bought the animal.
“It’s overwhelming,” said Vada, who plans to use the money for college. “I started crying before we went in. We’ve had him for a long time.”
The $59,000 figure Vada’s steer sold for topped what the grand champion market beef fetched last year by $2,000. The Sam Brown family also purchased that bovine.
The 51st annual auction netted approximately $480,950 for the youth exhibitors, up from last year’s total of $452,424, according to Fair officials.
Wray’s Baylor Buck sold the 1,319-pound reserve champion steer for $21,000 to the Denver Rustlers buying group.
Cassie Chapin of Akron sold her 270-pound grand champion market hog for $30,000 to Anadarko Petroleum.
“I’m very excited. I know the grand champion pig sold for $28,000 last year so it’s exciting to top that,” Cassie said.
Byers’ Cameron Pugh sold the 150-pound grand champion market lamb for $15,000 to the Denver Rustlers buying group.
Pueblo’s own Lacey McCurry sold her 102-pound grand champion market goat for $5,750 to TIC Southwest.
Jerica Hernandez-Husher of Boone sold her grand champion chicken for $2,000 to the Fair Ladies while the grand champion rabbit was sold by Alyssa Weigel of Castle Rock to Friends of the Fair for $3,500.
