ALDINE — The 51st Annual FFA Livestock Show & Country Fair was held last week at the M.O. Campbell Center, with 60 lots of livestock auctioned off to the highest bidders Friday night. Money from these auctions goes to the students who raised the animals, for scholarship purposes and expenses.
Due to the nature of the economy, bidding this year was not as robust as last year. Unofficial figures indicate that a total of $144,100 was bid for the livestock, compared with $170, 730 last year. These figures do not include so-called resale and add-ons, which increase the revenue to the students.
Bidding was lively through most of the evening, and a good crowd was on hand, but from the start, it was obvious that prices were not going to exceed previous years. Some bids were above last year, and many were below. For example, the Grand Champion Steer, raised by Tyler Kelch, sold for $12,000 compared with last year’s GC steer at $20,000. The Grand Champion Pig, raised by Josh Guillen, sold for $7,000 compared with last year at $9,000.
The bidding continued through 60 lots, and by the end prices seemed to be generally higher. Some spirited bidding wars between schools drove individual lots much higher than comparables. For instance, a 4th place goat raised by Johnice Jackson was purchased for $5,000 when last year’s went for $1,200.
The evening was marked with two ceremonies honoring long time supporters of the FFA show. Len Ray of First Construction Group received a certificate of appreciation. Due to the passing of Curtis McCauley, a moment of silence was observed by the audience in his memory.
