Cuyahoga County Junior Fair 4-H Livestock Auction breaks sales record

North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club Members take Four Grand Champion Winners to the Sale

Bidding was fast and furious at the Cuyahoga County Junior Fair 4-H Livestock Auction on Saturday, August 11, at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. With the tremendous support of a local Cuyahoga County business—Cherokee Demolition—owned by Dave Nemec, the auction recorded over $18,000 in sales, the highest in Cuyahoga County 4-H livestock sale history.
Dave and Colleen Nemec, Geauga County residents and longtime supporters of and previous advisors in the Geauga County 4-H program, led all buyers, purchasing three grand champion pens of animals: grand champion chicken and turkey pens and the grand champion hog, as well as three extra pens of chickens and turkeys.
“It’s all about giving back. I want to help support kids in the county in which I do the majority of my business,” said Nemec. “We were really pleased with the auction and the people, and are looking forward to coming back next year.”
The auction—which featured livestock grown by members from several different Cuyahoga County 4-H clubs—had a record 56 total market animals/pens for sale, including roaster and fryer rabbits, ducks, turkeys, chickens, lambs, and hogs. North Royalton Homesteader 4-H Club members sold a record 25 animals at the sale, nearly half of all the offerings.
North Royalton Homesteader 4-H Club members Natalie Fitzgerald, Henry Pierce, and Alex Hechko each earned grand champion ribbons for their market animals during fair week judging; Natalie Fitzgerald for her lamb and her pen of three chickens, Henry Pierce for his pen of two broad-breasted bronze turkeys (pen of two), and Alex Hechko for his hog.
“My favorite part of raising my 4-H hog was to teach him to walk in the yard outside of his pen without a leash,” said Alex Hechko, age 10.
The auction is a chance for 4-H members from all over Cuyahoga County, including members from the North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club, to proudly display and sell the market projects they have worked on all summer.
“This summer I tried raising a different breed of turkey— the broad-breasted bronze—and I was very happy how they turned out,” said NR Homesteaders member Henry Pierce, who hopes to take this project again next year.
Bidding on livestock began with roaster rabbits; NR Homesteader member Henry Pierce sold his 3rd place pen of market rabbits to Beth Durda for $140; 4-H alumni Jacob Durda purchased Natalie Fitzgerald’s 4th place pen of rabbits for $100.
Bidding on chicken pens was extraordinary this year; Dave Nemec of Cherokee Demolition led the way, purchasing two pens of chickens: Natalie Fitzgerald’s pen of grand champion chickens for $500, and the 8th place pen of chickens for $300, owned by Alex Hechko. Nemec Farms, owned by Dave and Colleen Nemec, purchased the second place pen of chickens for $575, owned by Hannah Stasiuk.
The North Royalton Tractor Club, a longtime supporter of the auction, purchased Kristen Patrick’s 7th place pen of chickens for $320, while Dr. Adam Hechko, Director of the North Royalton Animal Hospital, purchased the 10th place pen of chickens for $290, which were raised by Owen Szpak. Dr. John Bryk, Cuyahoga County Fair Veterinarian, purchased Christian Bryk’s 12th place pen of chickens for $500, and Linda Sergent, purchased Kayla Kucharski’s 13th place pen of chickens for $350.
Bidding continued to be strong for turkey pens; Dave Nemec of Cherokee Demolition purchased Henry Pierce’s grand champion pen of turkeys for $425, which weighed in at a total of 75 pounds; Nemec Farms purchased the third place pen of turkeys for $200.
Charlie Hosta returned to the auction this year to buy the grand champion lamb, raised by Natalie Fitzgerald, for $305. Greystone Veterinary Hospital, owned by Dr. Lindsay Kostal, purchased Kristen Patrick’s second place lamb for $464; Greystone Veterinary has purchased lambs from NR Homesteader Kristen Patrick for the last several years. Creekside Engineering, owned by Jeff Skoczen, purchased Henry Pierce’s 3rd place lamb for $297.
While there were no steers for sale at this years’ auction – there were plenty of hogs. Dave Nemec, of Cherokee Demolition, purchased the grand champion hog—owned by Alex Hechko— which tipped the scales at 218 pounds, for $926.50.
“Plenty of extra pens of hogs, chickens, and turkeys were also offered for sale this year, beyond those that competed in the market shows—23 extra pens in total—a sign that these 4-H members are committed to raising quality livestock,” said David Peth, Chair of the Auction committee and President of Cuyahoga County Farm Bureau.
Longtime local businesses and supporters of the auction— North Royalton Mayor Robert Stefanik, Augie’s Pizza, The Olive Tap, North Royalton Animal Hospital, Brecksville Kids Dentistry, Cossell Farms, Peth’s Landscaping, and Greystone Veterinary—as well as local individuals Tom Sabrey, Mary Bryk, Margaret Simko, and the Durda, Macek, and Barbo families —also purchased a variety of these extra pens of animals from the North Royalton Homesteaders at this year’s sale.
The livestock auction also includes the sale of non-animal items, which benefit the Bruce Kucharski Family Scholarship fund, named in memory of Bruce Kucharski, Sr., a founder of the NR Homesteaders 4-H Club. Proceeds from this portion of the auction benefited this scholarship fund. This year, the scholarship was awarded to Kristen Patrick, a 12-year member of the NR Homesteaders Club and recent graduate of North Royalton High School. Patrick will enter Ursuline College this fall with a major in nursing, and will swim on the Ursuline swim team.
4-H members were also recognized and rewarded by the Cuyahoga County Farm Bureau for their hard work raising market projects. Farm Bureau generously provided over $1,000 to members, which was divided among the market auction participants in recognition of their hard work in completing their market animal projects. The Crooked River Livestock Foundation also recognized 4-H members raising large animal projects (hogs and lambs), and provided a monetary reward to each of these members as well in recognition of their hard work, and the fact that often these projects do not earn them as much as the smaller market projects.
Work is already underway for next year as North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club members take pride in their accomplishments, and savor the remaining weeks of summer—and plan their projects for next year. For some, that will come very soon: Homesteader members who will be raising steers for the auction in 2019 will obtain their animals in the coming weeks. Save the date for next year’s auction—August 10, 2019—and purchase high-quality, locally grown food and support a young 4H-er in the North Royalton Homesteaders Club.