SEDALIA, Mo. — Royse Laffey, son of John and Kendra Laffey, is the exhibitor of the 2017 Grand Champion Market Barrow at the Missouri State Fair. Royse is from Maryville, and is a member of the Maryville Saddle Club. Royse’s prize-winning Crossbred Market Barrow weighed 275 pounds.
The Reserve Grand Champion Market Barrow honor went to Mackenzie Mawson of Archie. She is the daughter of Rodney and Kay Mawson and is member of the Archie FFA Chapter. Mackenzie’s Crossbred Market Barrow weighed 276 pounds.
On Aug. 19, both Royse and Mackenzie will sell their Market Barrows in two of 12 lots offered in the Missouri State Fair Sale of Champions. Proceeds from the annual sale benefit both the winning exhibitors and the Missouri State Fair Foundation Youth in Agriculture (YIA) Scholarship Program.
Many livestock exhibitors will work toward earning a place in the ring at the time-honored Sale of Champions Auction. Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Steers, Barrows, Lambs, Meat Goats, Pens of Chickens and Pens of Rabbits will be featured in the auction, which will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19, in the Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall. The entire auction will be broadcast live by KMMO radio online; and by KRLI radio online and on their FM station 103.9FM; on KMZU radio online and live updates on their FM station 100.7FM.
Through the generous support of YIA sponsors and the Missouri State Fair Foundation, the Missouri State Fair is able to award scholarships each year to Missouri youth. Last year, thirty $1,500 scholarships, one supreme $2,500 scholarship, sponsored by Sydenstricker John Deere of Missouri/Sydenstricker Angus Genetics, and one $5,000 platinum scholarship offered by YIA supporters were awarded to youth across Missouri. Since 1992, the YIA committee has awarded 570 scholarships totaling $558,000.
A complete listing of the 2016 YIA sponsors is available on the Fair’s website. A listing of the 2017 sponsors will be posted soon. Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor this year, or receiving more information about sponsorship, can visit www.mostatefair.com/
The 2017 Missouri State Fair, themed “Come Home,” is currently underway and runs through Aug. 20 in Sedalia. For more information about competitions and other events, visit www.mostatefair.com, follow the Fair on Facebook and Twitter, or call 1-800-422-FAIR (3247).
— Missouri State Fair
For more news from Missouri, click here.