Even minus bidding, grand champion steer ties record price; 'It's an incredible feeling'

Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal- Register
·4 min read
Gov. JB Pritzker, left, talks with Kashen Ellerbrock, 16, of Atkinson at the Governor's Sale of Champions at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. Ellerbrock raised the grand champion steer, Bill. Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker donated $105,000 to purchase the champion steer, which was donated to Feeding Illinois and will be donated to food banks across the state.

Kashen Ellerbrock isn't new to the Governor's Sale of Champions stage.

In 2016 and 2017, Ellerbrock showed grand champion market lambs at the Illinois State Fair.

Still, Wednesday felt different as he was about to see his grand champion steer, Bill, go to auction.

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"It was always a dream, to have the grand champion steer and walk in the Parade of Champions," admitted Ellerbrock, 16, of Atkinston, Illinois. "I didn't know if I would get that goal accomplished but it was always in the thoughts, and I was hoping to get there one day.

"It's one of the best feelings in the world. It's the excitement, knowing all your hard work and dedication paid off."

That hard work and dedication paid off to the tune of $52,500. Ellerbrock, a junior at Kewanee High School, pocketed half of the $105,000 Gov. JB and First Lady MK Pritzker donated to the sale of the steer.

Because of MK Pritzker's absence from the coliseum Wednesday, there was not the spirited bidding war between her and the governor.

The $105,000 doled out for the champion steer ties MK Pritzker's record bids from the last two years.

The steer was donated to Feeding Illinois, and the meat will be distributed to food banks across the state.

Evelyn Brandt Thomas, of Springfield, raises a hand in triumph after winning the bid for the Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer during the Governor's Sale of Champions at the Illinois State Fair Wednesday, August 16, 2023. The audience serenaded Brandt Thomas with "Happy Birthday," in advance of her 100th birthday Aug. 25.
Evelyn Brandt Thomas, of Springfield, raises a hand in triumph after winning the bid for the Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer during the Governor's Sale of Champions at the Illinois State Fair Wednesday, August 16, 2023. The audience serenaded Brandt Thomas with "Happy Birthday," in advance of her 100th birthday Aug. 25.

The other breed champions will get 15% of the winning bid with another 15% going to the reserve grand champion steer and 10% going to the 4H and 10% going to FFA.

Ellerbrock said his third-generation family farm in Henry County has about 700 ewes on it with only a couple of show steer.

But what a show steer.

"From what the judge described (Friday), he had plenty of power," Ellerbrock said of Bill. "He was sound, he was good-looking, he balanced well from the side and everything about him tied together pretty well and there wasn't a major flaw."

Ellerbrock showed Bill at three or four shows this winter and then put him in a cooler room for the summer. The fair was Bill's first show since February.

Like a lot of show steers, Bill, who checked in at nearly 1,400 pounds, is kept in a cooler most of the day to stimulate the growth of its hair.

Bill, named for the son of the Winchester, Indiana, farmer, Brian Goettemoeller, from whom Ellerbrock bought the steer, may not be the perfect-behaving animal.

As he walked into the coliseum for judging, he twice tried to get away from Ellerbrock.

"He's not bad, though," Ellerbrock said.

Nora Hoge, 8, of Good Hope, spends some time with Donnie, a Boer goat, at the Governor's Sale of Champion Wednesday, August 16, 2023.
Nora Hoge, 8, of Good Hope, spends some time with Donnie, a Boer goat, at the Governor's Sale of Champion Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

Brandt's Consolidated had the winning bid on the Land of Lincoln grand champion steer shown by Maddox Reedy of Douglas County.

The crowd later sang "Happy Birthday" to Brandt co-founder, Evelyn Brandt Thomas, who turns 100 on Aug. 25.

Lincoln Land Community College sophomore Bryce Clayton of Winchester had the Illinois-bred grand champion market lamb.

Clayton, an ag business major, also has been on the big stage before, with the overall grand champion market lamb in 2018.

"He was the oddball of the group. He's just so wild looking from the side," Clayton said of his champion, a six-month pure-bred Hampshire from Taylorville. "It's not very often that your champion Land of Lincoln is your reserve Hamp also."

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For Ellerbrock, he'll be putting on the football pads for his high school team next week. He hopes to major in ag business and continue working on the farm owned by his parents, Jeff and Kelly Ellerbrock, and his uncle, Brad Ellerbrock.

Kashen Ellerbrock said after the sale he had no idea the first couple was going to forego the bidding and make the donation.

"I was hoping to tie (the record) and that's exactly what we did," he said. "It's an incredible feeling."

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

Illinois State Fair Grand Champion Livestock

  • Grand Champion Rabbit Market Pen, Chesney Thornton, McLean County

  • Grand Champion Poultry Meat Pen, Owen Pree, Iroquois County

  • Land of Lincoln Supreme Champion Dairy Cow, Alaina Dinderman, Stephenson County

  • Land of Lincoln Meat Goat Grand Champion, Trig Stoller, Woodford County

  • Grand Champion Meat Goat, Nolan Hoge, McDonough County

  • Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Market Lamb, Bryce Clayton, Scott County

  • Grand Champion Market Lamb, Lilian Unger, Kankakee County

  • Land of Lincoln & Grand Champion Barrow, Hunter Shike, Champaign County

  • Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer, Maddox Reedy, Douglas County

  • Grand Champion Steer, Kashen Ellerbrock, Henry County

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Grand champion steer sold at Illinois State Fair ties record price