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A supportive community let local 4-H'ers know their hard work raising winning animals was appreciated at Thursday's annual beef, sheep and swine sale at The Great Frederick Fair. Allison Doody's grand champion steer was purchased by Concrete General for $7,944. When the judges selected her steer Wednesday as the grand champion, Allison, 13, said she cried for joy. "My (Hereford) breed hasn't won in 25 years," said Allison, daughter of Craig and Lisa Doody of New Market . "I'm so excited." The money will go toward her college fund and to support her other love, showing horses, said Allison, a member of the Johnsville 4-H Club. The 1,285-pound reserve grand champion steer, owned by Alexandria Hendricks of the Rocky Ridge 4-H Club, was bought by Giant Food. PNC Bank bought Morgan Figgins' 262-pound grand champion market swine for $4,192. Figgins is a member of Monocacy Achievers 4-H Club in Frederick . And John B. Snedden, of Rocklands Barbecue and Grilling Co. of Washington, D.C., Virginia and Rockville, bought Wesley Wolfe's 256-pound reserve grand champion market swine for $1,192.50. Snedden also bought two additional reserve champion swine. He's made the trip to the fair for the last four years to support the 4-H'ers, he said. The 133-pound grand champion market lamb, owned by Avery Graves of Linganore High School FFA, was purchased by Keeney and Basford Funeral Home for $2,660. The wins for the youngsters were the result of hard work, said Denny Remsburg, who helped auctioned the animals. Local business owners and companies should be applauded for their continued support of the 4-H'ers, Remsburg said. Donna Inskeep, 4-H leader for Unionville, was rooting for the kids. "They work all year so their animal makes a certain grade," Inskeep said. "They have to attend a certain number of meetings, keep up their schoolwork. And some participate in school sports. That calls for a lot of juggling." The youngsters send letters to the local business community soliciting support at the fair, Inskeep said. "And the local business community certainly shows up to support our young people," Inskeep said. Many local businesses, including banks, donated the animals they bought back to local 4-H groups or charities. Judges look for these characteristics in beef: long-bodied and level-topped; good evidence of meat muscling, with adequate growth for the animal's age; animals that stand on a good set of feet and legs in both placement and movement and conformity to the standards of the particular breed and consideration of characteristic male and female traits. The purpose of the market steer is for production of carcass. A modern market steer should be medium- to large-framed, fast-gaining in weight, long, smooth and thick-muscled, correct in fat cover, sound in skeletal structure and free moving in his walk. The ideal market steer weighs between 1,000 and 1,400 pounds. A steer is a castrated male that is 12 to 18 months old.
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