Market animal sale rewards young exhibitors
Published 2:07 pm Friday, July 31, 2026
MENDON — If Willow Shaffer isn’t with her cattle at the Adams County Fair, she’s probably showing, taking a shower, or trying to catch a nap.
It’s a big time investment during the week of the fair, but the work begins long before the 12-year-old steps into the show ring.
The incoming seventh-grader at Unity has worked with her cows since last fall — walking them with a halter and washing them followed by a blow-dry and a touch of leave-in conditioner to “train the hair to go a certain way” — while providing daily routine care and feeding “the right stuff” to help the Simmental-Angus heifers thrive.
“You have to work with your animal every day so they can get used to showing and get used to being seen without being scared,” said Willow, who has been around cattle her entire life and showing since the age of 2. “It’s fun, and it gives me something to learn about.”
Willow and other Adams County young people will get rewarded for their hard work at the 26th annual Market Animal Sale set for Tuesday night in the sheep barn at the Adams County Fairgrounds. A buyer preview and meal begin at 5 p.m., followed by the 6 p.m. sale where exhibitors retain ownership and get a premium for their animal.
“It’s the reward for the youth. The sale is the culmination of all their hard work that’s gone into taking care of the animal,” said Kelvin Triplett, who serves on the planning committee, which sponsors the sale with the Adams County Beef Producers. “As they take care of these animals, they’re learning a certain work ethic, traits that you need to learn and that will help you later in life.”
Organizers expect some 80 young people to participate in the sale featuring beef, swine, sheep, and goats, and buyers aiming to be a top bidder or simply wanting to make a donation can help young people involved in agriculture.
“That’s our future. We need to support our future,” Triplett said. “The receipts have been steady to higher that they receive, and of course, what the youth are trying to do to build their livestock portfolio, they have more expenses.”
Willow, for example, will use the money to help with next year’s 4-H project and to help cover her production costs.
“It’s important to me,” she said. “It’s hard to buy all the products you need. They’re expensive, and so is beef. It takes a lot to buy a bag of feed or a cow, a chute, or whatever you need.”
Older exhibitors use the premium money to continue their education toward an ag career.
“I kind of want to do something with animal science when I grow up, or I want to be a nurse. I might just do both,” Willow said.
In the meantime, she intends to keep competing in the show ring, especially against her younger brother, Riggs. “I try to beat him, but it’s kind of hard sometimes,” she said. “We have fun.”
More information about the Market Animal Sale is available by calling Triplett at 217-242-0609, Chris Buckert at 217-430-8331, or Rob Tedrow at 217-257-5159, or by email at adamscountybeef@yahoo.com.
