Grand Champions Announced at Grand Drive
Grand champions were announced Sunday night at the Indiana State Fair 4-H Grand Drive Presented by Farm Credit Mid-America. Young winners were the story of the night, including one 10-year-old that won Grand Champion Market Barrow and Grand Champion Beef Steer. Randolph County’s Hadley Hendrickson is about to start 5th grade and was overwhelmed after her big wins.
“I am really happy. I’m just…I am just wow! I worked my butt off every day and it’s all led up to this. I feel so proud of everyone that’s helped me, and I thank everybody who supported me, and I love my family.”
9-year-old Kale Beer of Adams County won Grand Champion Dairy Steer, and 9-year-old Mercedes Ferree of Sullivan County won Grand Champion Beef Heifer. 10-year-old Spencer Goettemiller of Randolph County won Grand Champion Meat Goat Wether.
The only exception was Lane Slayton from Hamilton County. Slayton is going to be a high school junior next year at Hamilton Heights, and he won Grand Champion Sheep in back-to-back years.
“It takes the same hard work. Just because we won it last year doesn’t mean that it was a given this year. It’s still the same equal work, if not more. This one was special from the beginning, just like last year’s, and (the hard work) paid off.”
Slayton has hopes of not only coming back next year but has plans for after high school that could bring him back for years to come at 4-H events.
“I plan to go to a school where I can livestock judge and then, hopefully, major either in animal nutrition or animal chiropractics.”
Grand Champion Rabbit Meat Pen went to Allen County’s Brooke Kneubuhler.
Second place was awarded to the following:
- Reserve Meat Goat Wether: Maxwell Scamihorn, Middleweight- Vigo County
- Reserve Sheep: Gabrielle Raute, Reserve Blackface Cross- Hamilton County
- Reserve Market Barrow: Lakyn Mauck, Berkshire- Delaware County
- Reserve Beef Heifer: Addison Walther- Wayne County
- Reserve Beef Steer: Harlee Henney, Reserve Crossbred- Steuben County