PUEBLO, COLO. - (August 31, 2018) – On Tuesday, August 28, nearly $500,000 went to young people, who brought championship livestock to the Colorado State Fair. The annual Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Junior Livestock Sale is the largest event of its kind in Colorado and the championship event for the state’s 4-H and FFA youth. According to state fair officials, the 2018 sale accumulated $495,000 from the state’s supportive bidders from across the state.
The sale is sponsored each year by Grand Valley Power, Colorado Country Life, the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the Colorado Rural Electric Members Service group, Tri-State Generation and Transmission and 17 other electric co-ops in Colorado, all unified under the Touchstone Energy brand name. The young exhibitors who won champion, reserve champion, first, second and third place in their livestock divisions have the opportunity to auction their animals at this sale. All proceeds from the sale go directly to the education funds of the youth exhibitors.
“The electric cooperatives in Colorado are honored to sponsor this event, especially since most of the exhibitors live in electric co-op territory,” said Tom Walch, CEO of Grand Valley Power.
For the last 38 years, gross sales have totaled more than $10.3 million, all of which went directly to the agricultural youth you raised the animals.
This year, the Mesa County highlights were:
• The Reserve Champion Chester White hog exhibited by McKenna Young of Loma, CO earned a $2,250 bid.
• 2ndPlace Market Steer exhibited by Echo Bartels of Loma, CO earned a $3,900 bid.
• 3rdPlace Market Heifer exhibited by Addie Hudson of Fruita, CO earned a $3,800 bid.
All sale results can be found at https://www.coloradostatefair.com/p/exhibitors/livestock/167