Fair stock sale tops $500k

The 2017 Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo market stock sale grossed $515,090 Saturday as local 4-H and FFA members bid farewell to their steers, hogs and lambs. This year’s stock sale grossed nearly $138,000 more than last year’s sale.

Beef sold for an average of $3.50 per pound, up 3 cents per pound from last year. Hogs sold for an average of $7.17 per pound, up $3.03 per pound from last year. Lambs sold for an average of $9.16, up $3.85 per pound from last year.

This year’s champion animals are as follows:

Champion Market Beef raised by Nate Tutvedt of Kalispell and purchased by Dr. Al Olszewski for $8,838. The animal weighed 1473 pounds and sold for $6 per pound.

Reserve Champion Market Beef raised by Meghan Levanen of Kalispell and purchased by Super 1 Foods of the Flathead Valley for $4,854.50. The animal weighed 1387 pounds and sold for $3.50 per pound.

Champion Market Hog raised by Evan Heupel of Kalispell and purchased by Kramer Enterprises, Inc. for $2,200. The hog weighed 275 pounds and sold for $8 per pound.

Reserve Champion Market Hog raised by Abby Fritz of Kalispell and purchased by Thurston Orthodontics, PC for $1,419. The hog weighed 258 pounds and sold for $5.50 per pound.

Champion Market Lamb raised by Bailey Lake of Kalispell and purchased by Norm’s Soda Fountain/Western Outdoor for $1,823.25. The lamb weighed 143 pounds and sold for $12.75 per pound.

Reserve Champion Market Lamb raised by Amber Pugh of Whitefish and purchased by Lower Valley Processing for $1,303.75. The lamb weighed 149 pounds and sold for $8.75 per pound.

The stock sale is sponsored by the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce’s Agribusiness Committee.