Organizers pleased with 4-H auction

State Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen brought home the bacon.

But where’s the beef? Ask U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash.

The 4-H Livestock Auction at the 2005 Island County Fair was a big success, said Judy Feldman, Island County 4-H Program Coordinator.

This year’s auction brought in $21,000.

“According to everybody I talked to, the auction went really well this year. It was well attended, with some new bidders in the group,” she said.

This year, 10 lambs were sold, as well as 12 hogs and five steers.

And for the first time, two steers were auctioned off as quarter beef. That meant that people who have limited freezer space — or faced a bill of $1.88 per pound for a 1,300- to 1,365-pound steer — could still participate in the auction by bidding on a quarter portion.

Larsen had the winning bid for two quarter beefs, purchased from 4-H member Lance Kidder of Coupeville.

And Haugen had the winning bid for a pig from 4-H member Silver Kech of Clinton. That 200-pound porker went for $2.40 a pound.

Auction proceeds go to the 4-H members who raised animals for the auction.

“All the money goes back to the kids. And the first thing they do is they pay their debts,” Feldman said.

“Debts include not only the animal itself, because some of the kids actually take out a loan from the livestock committee to purchase their animals, but also they have to pay for the feed they’ve used all season,” she said. That’s not the end of the bills, however.

“They have to cover the costs of things like their groomings, all of their grooming equipment, basically, anything that went into the raising of the animal,” Feldman explained.

Some 4-H members said they planned to use their auction profits for college. One said she wanted to use her extra money for a prom dress.

4-H members are already looking ahead to next year’s fair and auction.

“The kids had a good time,” Feldman said. “They either have their replacements or they are preparing to get them in the spring.

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