Livestock sale close to record

Friday's Curry County Fair Junior Livestock Sale has a chance to be a record-breaker.

Organizers said 96 4-H and FFA youth sold their animals for just over $417,600 before add-ons.

Add-ons are donations made after the sale. Add-ons are accepted until Sept. 18.

Mindy Turner is the Family and Consumer Sciences agent with New Mexico State University's Curry County extension office. She said Friday night that after add-ons are compiled, this year's total could surpass last year's record of $424,000.

Eric Denton is the junior livestock sale committee chairman, and he said he appreciates the community coming out to support future leaders.

Denton's daughter, Mckenzie, sold her pig Friday night.

"She was in tears coming out of the show ring," Denton said. The money they make on the animals goes toward college funds, Denton said. "It's huge for these kids."

Sophie Schaap, a junior with Texico FFA, came away with the grand champion and reserve grand champion dairy heifer. She sold her reserve grand champion animal for $7,000.

"You work so hard, and then you're able to come into the ring and show people what you did," Schaap said. Dairy heifers are Schaap's specialty, and this year she showed five. She's been showing dairy heifers since she was 8 years old.

Elana Morris with Challengers 4-H sold her champion York swine for $4,000. Morris, 9, said this was her first time showing an animal, and she was happy to have made the sale.

For Morris and many other livestock show-ers, a lot of hard work goes on in the months leading up to the fair.

"I go out there almost every day and scoop poop," Morris said. "I had to get the pigs out like three times a week and feed them every day."

Morris said she enjoyed her first year showing and will definitely be back in the ring next year.

Here are the top three sales of the night:

• Hayden Hooten, market steer sold for $11,750

• Kaya New, black face lamb sold for $10,500

• Reece Robb, market heifer sold for $10,000