A great turnout of animals in the Yuma County Fair’s Junior Livestock Sale helped lead to another record sale, Saturday.
A total of 172 — including beef, dairy, goat, poultry, rabbit, sheep and swine — paraded around the sale ring, the most since 189 in 2009. It was nearly 30 above the 143 sold in 2025, but that had been the most since 146 in 2020. Since then there have been 134 in 2021, 126 in 2022, 118 in 2023, and 131 in 2024.
That helped lead to a record receipt of $682,500, which topped last year’s record-setting $620,000. The previous record was $550,700 set in 2023, which topped the 2022 record of $521,000. Total receipts experienced a downturn in 2024 at $498,400.
The overall average sale was $3,968, which actually is below 2025’s $4,574.83, but still above 2024’s average of $3,804.58. The average sale in 2023 was $4,784.95, the recent high-water mark since the COVID-impacted 2020 sale.
Market Beef took center stage first last Saturday.
A total of 41 head of beef, the most this decade, generated $359,500, an average of $8,768.29. That is the highest in the 2020s. A total of 32 beef entries sold in 2024 for $236,250, an average of $7,382.81 per head. A total of 30 beef entries in 2023 sold for $238,500, an average of $7,950 per animal. A total of 29 beef in 2022 sold for $184,750, an average of $6,370.69 per head. Beef generated an average of $5,153.85 per head in 2021, and an average of $3,319.44 in 2020.
Emrrie Clark sold her Grand Champion Market Beef for $20,000 to a large coalition of buyers — Tri-Corner Trailer Sales, Wellstone, Marty & Yvonne Buoy, Scoular Grain, Schramm Feedlot, Wray Lumber, Webster Ag, Kelley Seed, G2G Aviation, K-Lawn, Yuma County Abstract, Welp Farms, Simplot, Bledsoe Cattle and Bonanza Ford.
Next up were the dairy cows, with three selling for $21,000, an easy-to-figure average of $7,000.
A total of 49 goats sold for $131,600, an average of $2,685.71. That was easily the most goats sold, probably ever. Thirty goats were sold in 2025 for a total of $107,850, an average of $3,595. Goat entries previously topped out this decade in 2024 at 32 in the sale, generating $83,400, an average of $2,606.25. In 2023, 24 head sold for $97,000, a decade-high average of $4,041.67. There were 24 goats in 2022 that sold for $47,800, an average of $1,991.67. A total of 26 goats in 2021 generated $61,300, an average of $2,357.29. A total of 28 sold in 2020 for $44,000, an average of $1,571.43.
Kaycee Clark sold her Grand Champion Goat to Rex and Jody Buck, and Buck Law.
There were 21 lots of poultry selling for a total of $19,800. That is the most lots sold this decade, and a healthy average of $942.86 for the fowl, though lower than the average of $1,178.13 per lot in 2025. There were 14 lots of poultry that sold for a total of $14,900, an average of $1,064.29, in 2024. Fourteen lots sold in 2023 for a total of $12,700, an average of $907.14. Twelve lots sold in 2022 for $15,200, an average of $1,266,67. There were 14 lots of poultry in 2021 that sold for $15,250, an average of $1,089.29 — compared to 15 lots selling for $9,950, an average of $663.33, in 2020.
There were six rabbits that sold for $7,700, an average of $1,283.33. Five rabbits sold in 2025 for a total of $6,750, an average of $1,350. Three rabbits sold for $3,500 in 2024, an average of $1,166.66. One rabbit sold for $1,200 in 2023.
Next came the sheep with 20 head generating $66,250 in sales, an average of $3,312.50. It is the most sheep sold this decade. There were 17 sheep sold in 2025, generating a total of $65,100, an average of $3,829.41 per head. That was the most sheep sold at the JLS this decade. There were 12 sheep sold in 2024 for $42,750, an average of $3,562.50 per head. There were 11 sold in 2023 for $49,800 for a whopping average of $4,527.27. Twelve head were sold in 2022 for $46,000, an average of $3,833.33 per lamb. Neither the Grand Champion nor the Reserve sold in 2021, yet a total of 13 head sold for $35,950, an average of $2,765.38. There were only 10 sheep in the sale in 2020, which brought in a total of $13,300.
Jaelynn Miner sold her Grand Champion Sheep to Chamberlain Concrete to pace the sheep sales.
The swine were the last to enter the sale ring. There were 32 head sold for $84,150, an average of $2,629.69. Thirty-three generated $126,150 in total sales, an average of $3,822.72 in 2025. Thirty-five hogs sold in 2024 for $101,100, an average of $2,888.57. A total of 37 pigs sold in 2023 for $146,000, an average of $3,945.95 per animal. The 2022 average sale was $4,547.87, well above the average sale of $2,439.62 in 2021, and the average of $1,756.36 in 2020.
Chamberlain did not sell her Grand Champion Hog as she instead sold her Grand Champion Beef.
Tri-State Livestock Exchange, under the direction of new owner Alex Eckhardt, and volunteers once again handled the Junior Livestock Sale in efficient manner.
Look for the full list of sellers and buyers in a coming edition of the Pioneer.
Youth Development Grant
Six animals that were part of the Youth Development Grant generated $7,500. The youth initiative is a grant awarded by the Fair Board. Through this program, grant funding is awarded to local youth to help cover the cost of purchasing animals, feed and necessary supplies for their livestock projects. The goal is to boost participation in livestock shows and give kids, especially those who may not otherwise have the means, a chance to experience the rewards and responsibilities of raising show animals.
Each year the buddy animal of the grant recipient is sold to sustain the next year’s projects.