Youth livestock exhibitors take center stage at Governor’s Sale of Champions
Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker Donate $105,000 for Grand Champion Steer
SPRINGFIELD, IL – The annual Governor’s Sale of Champions at the Illinois State Fair brought together Illinois’ top youth livestock exhibitors, their families and industry supporters to celebrate excellence in livestock exhibition and invest in the next generation of Illinois agriculture.
For the seventh year in a row, Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker purchased the Grand Champion Steer. Their $105,000 contribution secured the top prize-winning animal, which will be donated to Feeding Illinois and distributed to a food bank to support families in need.
“Every champion showcased at this sale represents countless hours of dedication, discipline and commitment from these young exhibitors,” said Jerry Costello II, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. “The Governor’s Sale of Champions gives us an opportunity to celebrate these accomplishments while helping our young people build a future in agriculture. These exhibitors are the agricultural leaders of tomorrow.”
Grand Champion exhibitors, along with the Reserve Grand Champion exhibitors, will receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their animal. The exhibitors use the funds towards their college education or invest it back into projects for next year.
In addition to purchasing the Grand Champion Barrow, CME Group contributed $50,000 to the 2026 Governor’s Sale of Champions which fund scholarships, each worth $5,000.
The Governor's Sale of Champions is supported through a partnership with the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Meat Science Laboratory in the Department of Animal Sciences processes the champion livestock following the sale, with the meat donated to Feeding Illinois member food banks.
Illinois 4-H, the state's youth development and leadership program, is part of University of Illinois Extension within the College of ACES. Through hands-on learning experiences, Illinois 4-H helps young people develop leadership, responsibility, and life skills, including many of the youth livestock exhibitors recognized during the Governor's Sale of Champions.
Illinois FFA is a dynamic youth organization that changes lives and prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. Illinois FFA develops members’ potential and helps them discover their talent through hands-on experiences, which give members the tools to achieve real-world success.
Below are the results of the 2026 Commodity Auction and the 2026 Sale of Champions.
2026 Commodity Auction
| Commodity | Exhibitor | Location | Purchaser | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latin American Cheese – Queso Fresco | V&V Supremo Foods | Cook | U of I College of ACES | $1,000 |
| Ice Cream – Strawberry Ice Cream | Tillamook Creamery | Macon | McDonald's Marty & Donna Davis |
$375 |
| Ice Cream – Birthday Cake Ice Cream | Hoffman Oberweis Dairy | DuPage | Joni Paaske | $500 |
| Small Curd Cottage Cheese – 4% Small Curd Cottage Cheese | Prairie Farms Dairy, Quincy | Adams | McDonald's Marty & Donna Davis |
$375 |
| Natural Unflavored Cheese – St. Pete's Select Premium Blue Cheese | Prairie Farms Dairy, Davenport | Scott | Turner Farms | $300 |
| Bacon – Hickory Smoked Bacon | Arrow Farm Meats, Rock City | Stephenson | Joe Hampton & George Obernagel | $450 |
| Bone-In Ham – Sugar Cured, Hickory Smoked Bone-In Ham | Eickman's Processing Co. | Winnebago | Illinois Manufacturers Association | $1,100 |
| Beef Jerky – Teriyaki Beef Jerky | Turasky Meats | Sangamon | Cindy's Livestock Photos | $550 |
| Snack Sticks – Honey BBQ Snack Sticks | Raber Packing Company | Peoria | Illinois Association of Meat Processors | $400 |
| Cooked Bratwurst – Bratwurst with Cheddar Cheese | Meat Master Processing | Jo Daviess | Illinois Association of Meat Processors | $325 |
| IFS Wine Show – Dos Hombres | Tres Rojas | Tazewell | Friends of the Macoupin County Fair | $500 |
| Honey | William Budd | Sangamon | Joe Hampton & George Obernagel | $650 |
| Goat Milk | Ava Crites | Champaign | Kevin Carey Illinois State 4-H Office / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
$500 |
2026 Sale of Champions
| Animal | Exhibitor | County | Purchaser | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Champion Rabbit Market Pen | Payton McKittrick | Pike | AgriVest Farm Management Channel Seed / Field Level Ag Sky Ride North American Amusement Company Etix |
$5,000 |
| Grand Champion Poultry Meat Pen | Austin Ater | Champaign | McDonald's Champaign County Farm Bureau Kevin Carey Bellflower Feed Mill Friends of Austin Ater |
$7,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Supreme Champion Dairy Cow | Wyatt Zehr | Livingston | S & S Farm Chemical Bank of Pontiac – Chris Clement Mid-West Dairy Ryan Family Farms Benjamin Livestock Heart of Illinois Holstein Club Joni Paaske Midland States Bank DHIA Flanagan Fertilizer Graymont Co-op Kathy Brenner, Shevawn Brenner Stephanie and Matt Mitchell Kevin Cassady Lukach Seed Agency Nolan Creek SCI Corp St. Louis Dairy Council Sulzberger Tile and Drainage Young Farms Friends and Family of Wyatt Zehr |
$20,000* |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Meat Goat | Eva Lansaw | Morgan | Springfield Plastics Edward Teefey Fricke Show Goats JO Harris Sales Prairie Land FS Petefish Skiles & Company Bank Jessica Richardson |
$5,350 |
| Grand Champion Meat Goat | Eva Lansaw | Morgan | North American Amusement Company | $8,250 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Market Lamb | Kashen Ellerbrock | Henry | Syngenta Keifer Farms JO Harris Sales |
$5,500 |
| Grand Champion Market Lamb | Kashen Ellerbrock | Henry | Cardinal Cattle Co. Gensini Cattle Co. |
$14,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Barrow | Ashley Wiegand | Woodford | Becks Hybrids George Obernagel |
$20,000 |
| Grand Champion Barrow | Ike Heckman | Putnam | CME Group | $25,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer | Brenna Dryer | Woodford | Brandt | $40,000 |
| Grand Champion Steer | McKlay Gensini | Putnam | Governor JB Pritzker & First Lady MK Pritzker | $105,000 |
*Indicates new record