VIDEO: Hay Auction at East Texas State Fair
Published 8:11 pm Monday, September 22, 2014
The auctioneer rattled off the bids Monday as the buyers kept the bidding war going during the 30th annual Smith County Hay Show
The show, which was held at the East Texas State Fair and raised a total of $31,700, is an educational event for area forage growers and a means for raising money for youth, conservation activities and scholarships.
Chad Gulley, the Smith County extension agent, said area producers and youth benefit from this event, which has been the focus of the fair’s Howdy Neighbor Barbecue for the past 30 years.
Gulley said with the early rains, the yields and quality of hay were up from last year.
“We had 132 entries this year and that is up from 51 a few years ago during the drought that we were in at the time,” he said.
Gulley said there was an abundance of hay in the area, with some local producers not having enough room in their storage barns to keep it out of the weather.
Hay Show Chairman Lonnie Uzzell said the show and auction has raised more than $500,000 in the past 30 years for scholarships.
“It promotes youth involvement in East Texas and enhances life for all of us for years to come,” he said.
Richard Griffin had the grand champion hay sample with a crude protein content of 18.9 and an overall score of 89.2. Griffin’s entry went for $5,000 and was purchased by Noonday Tractor and Auction.
Vincent Haby took reserve grand champion, with a score of 85.3 and crude protein content of 18.4. Haby’s entry went for $2,000 during the bidding and was purchased by Southside Bank.
Brookshire Grocery Co. bought the third place hay grown by Coulter Cattle Company with an overall score of 82. The retail grocery chain shelled out $1,400 for the entry.
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