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Illinois State Fair “Sale of Champions” sets new records
Two new records were set at the 2024 Governor’s Sale of Champions at the Illinois State Fair.
The Grand Champion Steer, shown by Kade Gensini, of Putnam County, sold for a record $110,000. Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker took home the Grand Champion Steer for the fifth year in a row and will have it donated to Feeding Illinois.
The Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer, shown by Chace Riley, of Grundy County, also sold for a record $65,000.
A full listing of the 2024 Commodity Auction and 2024 Sale of Champions:
| Commodity | Exhibitor | Location | Purchaser | Price |
| Champion Queso Blanco Cheese | V&V Supremo Foods | Chicago, IL | Midwest Dairy | $1,050 |
| Champion Bourbon Black Pepper Cheese | Shullsburg Creamery | Shullsburg, IL | University of Illinois College of ACES | $800 |
| Champion Strawberry Cheesecake Custard | Front Street Creamery | El Paso, IL | Marty & Donna Davis, McDonald’s | $600 |
| Champion French Onion Dip | Prairie Farms Carbondale | Carbondale, IL | Butch Jacobs Family | $300 |
| Champion Buckeye Ice Cream | Prairie Farms Rockford | Rockford, IL | Marty & Donna Davis, McDonald’s | $250 |
| Champion Bacon | Eickman’s Processing Co. Inc. | Seward, IL | Paul Turner, Turner Farms | $700 |
| Champion Bone-In Ham | Eickman’s Processing Co. Inc. | Seward, IL | Marty & Donna Davis, McDonald’s | $750 |
| Champion Beef Jerky | Korte Meat Processing | Highland, IL | Illinois State Auctioneers Association | $600 |
| Champion Snack Sticks | Wenneman Meat Co. | Saint Libory, IL | Illinois State Auctioneers Association | $1,200 |
| Champion Cooked Bratwurst | Behrmann Meat & Processing | Albers, IL | Brian Engelmann, Engelmann Construction | $1,700 |
| Illinois State Fair Wine Show Champion | Blue Sky Vineyard | Makanda, IL | Kim Carney Rhodes in support of Friends of Macoupin County Fair | $750 |
| Grand Champion Honey | William Budd | Springfield, IL | Former Director of Illinois Dept. of Agriculture Joe Hampton | $800 |
| Grand Champion Dairy Goat Milk | Ava Crites | Rantoul, IL | Marty & Donna Davis, McDonald’s | $525 |
| Animal | Exhibitor | County | Purchaser | Price |
| Grand Champion Rabbit Market Pen | Chesney Thornton | Piatt County | Robert Nelson & AgriVest Farm Management Logan Frye & Field Level Agriculture, Inc. John Riley & Cardinal Transport Gensini Cattle | $5,000 |
| Grand Champion Poultry Meat Pen | Oakley Yard | Knox County | Marty & Donna Davis, McDonald’s | $5,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Supreme Champion Dairy Cow Print | Connor Hartmann | Bond County | Midwest Dairy Beck’s Hybrids Prairie Farms Clinton County Vet St. Louis Dairy FNB Community Bank Langham Bond County Farm Bureau | $6,750 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Meat Goat | Kadie Hummel | Kankakee County | Kiefer Farms Syngenta Illinois State Fair Sky Ride | $5,500 |
| Grand Champion Meat Goat | Bryce Clayton | Scott County | George Obernagel & Obernagel Family Farms | $8,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Market Lamb | Karly Reel | LaSalle County | Springfield Plastics Edward Teefey J.O. Harris Equipment Gensini Excavating | $5,000 |
| Grand Champion Market Lamb | Nora Hoge | McDonough County | North American Midway Entertainment | $8,500 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Barrow & Grand Champion Barrow | Olivia Shike | Champaign County | CME Group | $25,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer | Chace Riley | Grundy County | BRANDT Friends of Chace Riley Senator Sue Rezin | $65,000* New record |
| Grand Champion Steer | Kade Gensini | Putnam County | Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker Friends of the Gensini Family | $105,000 $5,000 Total: $110,000* New record |
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