4-H Ag Expo auction draws eager bidders for award-winning animals raised by local youth

Nearly 50 livestock animals raised by local youth were auctioned to community members and businesses on Saturday at the Kenai Peninsula District 4-H Agriculture Expo’s Junior Market Livestock Auction, part of Soldotna Progress Days festivities.

Hundreds piled into the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex this weekend for the auction. There were bidders vying for their pick of the offering, 4-H youth waiting their turn to parade their animal — representing as much as a full year of work and investment — and others just looking to see the animals on show.

Cassy Rankin, program coordinator for the Kenai Peninsula District 4-H, last week described the auction as something of a capstone to the 4-H youth’s efforts raising animals.

“There’s so many things that are special about when a youth raises an animal,” Rankin said. “They understand agriculture, the circle of life and where food comes from.”

Rankin said the young agriculturists who make up the local 4-H are learning to raise their animals to “industry standard” before then seeing those animals off to local dinner tables. Each youth, she said, understands the weight of raising an animal for food.

On Friday, before the auction, 4-H youth participated in animal shows, and the grand champion animals were among the first to see auction.

Rayne Reynolds acted as auctioneer, smiling as he spurred bidders into spending more money.

“These students have put so much time and effort, it makes my soul sing when I see youth involved in organizations like 4-H and the amount of time that these here kids have put into their projects,” he said. “The amount of preparation that goes into these projects — the hogs, the turkeys, the rabbits — it’s absolutely amazing that we are doing this in Soldotna, Alaska.”

The very first animal to be sold on Saturday was Trevor the Turkey, this year’s community service animal raised by Xiling and Xinlan Tanner and Ella and Levi Rankin. All proceeds from that sale, announcers said, would go to the Kenai Peninsula Local Food Connection. Trevor was sold for $800, to Rep. Ben Carpenter and his wife, Ameye, but then drew another $565 in “add-ons,” additional donations made by other bidders.

Besides Trevor and another animal sold as a fundraiser for the auction at the end of the day, proceeds from each sale went to the student who raised the animal.

A 1,165-pound overall grand champion steer named Napoleon, raised by Melanie Carpenter, was sold for over $10,000 before add-ons.

Carpenter, in a written statement read as she led Napoleon out into the arena, said this would be her last year in the junior auction, after almost 11.

“While this is a bittersweet moment, I’m super excited to move on to my own cattle breeding endeavors,” she wrote. “Give it a few years. You’ll start seeing some of my steers.”

Rusty Holmes noted in his introduction that in previous years he had raised turkeys and chickens. Despite moving away from poultry, he led an overall grand champion hog, Bacon, into the ring on Saturday. His award-winning hog garnered nearly $4,000 before add-ons.

A grand champion lamb was brought forward by Paxton Katzenberger, who said it was his first time participating in the auction. He described his lamb as easily excited at mealtimes and wont to leap out of the pen.

“As far as lamb quality goes, it doesn’t get much better,” Reynolds said. “If you want to put a lamb in your freezer, this is the one that I’d put my money on.”

The bids reflected that claim, starting at $1,000 and rising all the way to $2,900 before add-ons. Each increased bid was punctuated by the rising cheers of the other 4-H youths at the side of the arena.

Reynolds tried unsuccessfully to coax out a final bid to set a new auction record at $3,000, but celebrated the response to the lamb all the same.

Kadence Holmes sold her grand champion goat for $700; Ian Chihuly sold his champion turkey for $500; Behati Frisk sold her pen of champion chickens for $500; and Jocelyn Krone sold her pen of champion rabbits for $250. Each, like the animals that came before them, garnered a couple hundred dollars in add-ons from local businesses.

There were 48 total animals on the roster for Saturday’s auction, each raised by a 4-H youth from the local community.

“Our best one yet, and not just financially,” Rankin said in a Monday email. “Amazing energy, amazing volunteers, new families from across the peninsula … support in droves for these awesome kiddos.”

Ag Expo festivities continued Sunday with the Ag Olympics, petting zoo and other events.

The horse show traditionally held as part of the Ag Expo will be held this weekend, Sunday, Aug. 4 starting at 9 a.m.

For more information, find “Kenai Peninsula District 4-H” on Facebook.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.