Some winning steer and swine bidders donate the meat to help feed local families.
In the steer category, Bella Ballard, a member of Youth Leaders in Production Agriculture (YLPA), took home Grand Champion and Kiah Swilley won Reserve Grand Champion, showcasing their well-raised and meticulously cared-for animals. Their dedication to proper nutrition, grooming and training paid off as judges recognized the superior quality of their steer. One hundred fifteen youth steer exhibitors earned a staggering $1,436,107.21 to support them in their future projects and endeavors. The Grand Champion steer buyers were Enhanced Healthcare, LLC, Drop the Walls Boutique and Westcoast Enterprises. The Reserve Champion buyer was MNM Construction.
Ballard said taking care of her steer, that she’s owned since he was born in Fall 2022 and named Legend, took a lot of effort. “I was at the barn every single day working with him,” she said.
Her steer weighed 1,341 pounds and sold for $25 per pound. “I’m going to use the money to buy more steers and some is going into my college fund,” said Ballard, who is homeschooled.
Meanwhile, in the swine competition, Kaygenn Wood, who won Grand Champion, and Sophia Briel, who won Reserve Grand Champion, emerged victorious with their impressive pigs. Wood’s pig, purchased by RAOK Boutique and Comer Tools, sold for $30 per pound. Briel’s pig was purchased by Pipe Pros for $29.90 per pound. In total, 73 exhibitors took home their share of $332,726.40 for their future projects and no exhibitor earned less than $10 per pound.
Wood, a fifth grade student at Pinecrest Elementary, has been showing swine since she was four years old. Her pig, affectionately named 2Pac, weighed 35 or 40 pounds when she got him but within six months he topped the scale at 289 pounds. His favorite treat? “I’d walk him a lot and give him marshmallows, which he loved,” she said.
The night of the swine sale, Wood wasn’t feeling well. Right after her swine sold, she was rushed to the St. Joseph’s Hospital, where she underwent an emergency appendectomy.
Adding to the triumph was the success of students in the plant sale category, where green thumbs and agricultural know-how were put to the test and demonstrated not only a keen understanding of horticulture but also a passion for nurturing life from seed to harvest. Exhibitors took home $141,345; the Grand Champion plant was grown by Anna Steed. The buyer was Consolidated Pest Control. Kate Solomon won Reserve Grand Champion and her plant buyer was Parkesdale Greenhouse.
In addition to the grand champion and reserve grand champion, additional category winners were: Payton Flanagan exhibited the champion woody ornamentals, Brennan Jenkins exhibited the champion foliage plants, Avery Palmer exhibited the champion hanging baskets, Ashley Jose exhibited the champion miscellaneous plants, Reagan Marchese exhibited the champion liner plants and Noah Steed exhibited the champion edible plants.
In the size categories, Lillian King exhibited the size No. 1 champion, Lacey Merrell exhibited the size No. 3 champion and Jonathan Jose exhibited the size No. 7 champion plant. Additional awards of distinction were given to Noah Steed, Mackenzie Puerto and Christopher Dudzinski.
“Our community is amazing,” said Florida Strawberry President Kyle Robinson. “So many came to the sales to support youth in agriculture.”
Many of the businesses that step up to support young farmers and purchase their projects do so with a philanthropic vision in mind.
For RAOK owner Hannah Benton, participating in the swine sale brings back memories of when she was an exhibitor. “I had at least six or seven swine projects and I also showed a steer,” she said. “4-H and FFA were just a huge part of my childhood.”
When Comer Tools owner Trenton Comer suggested they purchase the winning swine, she was quickly on board with the plan. “Our families are very close and this was probably the fourth year we’ve purchased swine but the first year we bought the grand champion,” she said. “It’s a nice way to support the community and is a real full-circle moment.”
Benton said she and her mom typically donate the meat to the United Food Bank of Plant City and to a children’s home in Lakeland. This year, the meat will be distributed to Comer’s employees and their families.
Comer has been sending the meat for processing and donating the meat to his employees for years. “They cut it up into all kinds of meats from pork loins to ribs to bacon,” he said. “My five guys love it because the meat tastes better than what you buy at grocery stores because it’s fresher, corn-fed and raised the correct way.”
Wood wasn’t sad to know that her prized pig was going to be cut up into melt-in-your-mouth morsels. “That’s awesome that they’re feeding families,” she said.
Many other local companies purchase steer and swine at the festival and then donate the meat to benefit others. Mosaic Florida Operations won a bid at the swine sale. They’re giving the meat to the United Food Bank of Plant City to help fight food insecurity.
“These fairs and youth livestock sales are the best example of farm-to-table and at Mosaic we support that and support the important tradition of local agriculture in our community,” said Mosaic Florida Operations Public Affairs Manager Jackie Barron.
The sales become an excellent lesson for the next generation of agriculturalists. “To tell them that at the end of the day, their project is going to go help families in their community have a good healthy meal is an incredible way to bring that full circle moment to them and plant the seed of what it means to put food on the table and play a role in that process,” she said.
For United Food Bank of Plant City Executive Director Mary Heysek, the donation, which will provide their clients with much-needed protein sources, is a blessing. “We’re incredibly grateful for the support of Mosaic,” she said. “Their donations ensure that we can continue to provide nutritious meals to those facing food insecurity in our community.”
