The annual Governor’s Sale of Champions at the Illinois State Fair spotlighted the state’s top youth livestock exhibitors Tuesday evening, auctioning off animals that earned the title of Grand Champion, the highest accolade for livestock exhibited in Illinois.
For the sixth year in a row, Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker purchased the Grand Champion Steer. Their $105,000 contribution secured the top prize-winning animal, which will be donated to Feeding Illinois and distributed to food banks throughout the state to support families in need.
“Earning the title of Grand Champion is the pinnacle of excellence in livestock exhibition,” said Jerry Costello II, Director, Illinois Department of Agriculture. “Reaching this level means countless hours of hard work and sacrifice. To see our youth in agriculture recognized for the effort that they put into these animals is beyond gratifying.”
Grand Champion exhibitors, along with the Reserve Grand Champion exhibitors, will receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their animal. The exhibitors use the funds towards their college education or invest it back into projects for next year.
In addition to purchasing the Grand Champion Barrow, CME Group contributed $50,000 to the 2025 Governor’s Sale of Champions which fund scholarships, each worth $5,000.
Below are the results of the 2025 Commodity Auction and the 2025 Sale of Champions.
| Commodity | Exhibitor | Location | Purchaser | Price |
| Champion Chihuahua Cheese | V&V Supremo Foods | Chicago, IL | U of I College of ACES | $1,000 |
| Champion 2% Chocolate Milk | Hoffmann Oberweis Dairy | North Aurora, IL | McDonalds – Marty & Donna Davis | $650 |
| Champion 40% Heavy Whipping Cream | Prairie Farms | Rockford, IL | McDonalds – Marty & Donna Davis | $300 |
| Champion Vanilla Ice Cream | Prairie State Ice Cream | Chicago, IL | Ray Jacobs Family | $300 |
| Champion Vanilla Non-Homogenized Whole Milk Yogurt | Deerland Dairy | Freeport, IL | McDonalds – Marty & Donna Davis | $225 |
| Champion Bacon | Jones Meat & Locker | Jacksonville, IL | Turner Farms | $850 |
| Champion Bone-In Ham | Eickman’s Processing Co. Inc. | Seward, IL | Illinois Manufacturers Association | $1,600 |
| Champion Beef Jerky | Jones Meat & Locker | Jacksonville, IL | George Obernagel, Obernagel Family Farms & Joe Hampton | $900 |
| Champion Snack Sticks | Main Street Meat Co. | Roscoe, IL | Cory Craig Auctioneer | $1,025 |
| Champion Cooked Bratwurst | Behrmann Meat & Processing | Albers, IL | Brian Engelmann, Weeke Sales and Service | $1,800 |
| Illinois State Fair Wine Show Champion | Blue Sky Vineyard | Makanda, IL | Mollett Auction Services | $925 |
| Grand Champion Honey | Steven Hinrichs | Rochester, IL | Pour Farm Apiary | $600 |
| Grand Champion Dairy Goat Milk | Lillian Lee | Glenarm, IL | Kevin Carey, Assistant Dean & Director, U of I Extension | $90 |
| Animal | Exhibitor | County | Purchaser | Price |
| Grand Champion Rabbit Market Pen | Conner Robinson | Morgan County | AgriVest Farm Management; Field Level Agriculture; Edward Teefey & Farmers State Bank of Mt. Sterling; and Prairie Land FS | $5,500 |
| Grand Champion Poultry Meat Pen | Austin Ater | Champaign County | McDonalds – Marty & Donna Davis; Illinois Farm Bureau; Champaign County Farm Bureau; Bellflower Seeds | $8,500* |
| Land of Lincoln Supreme Champion Dairy Cow | Owen Halpin | Iroquois County | Friends of Owen Halpin | $18,000* |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Meat Goat | Kadie Hummel | Kankakee County | Springfield Plastics; Illinois State Fair SkyRide; Kiebro Farms; Cardinal Cattle; BL Duke Recycling; Chad McClintock | $6,800 |
| Grand Champion Meat Goat | Maddox Horner | Jasper County | George Obernagel, Obernagel Family Farms | $8,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Market Lamb | Olive Ryan | Christian County | Rich DeSchepper & Eric Faugust; Syngenta; West Central Farm Supply; Channel; J O Harris Equipment; Beck’s Hybrids; Cardinal Cattle | $7,500 |
| Grand Champion Market Lamb | Bryce Clayton | Scott County | North American Midway | $8,500 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Barrow | Ashley Wiegand | Woodford County | Beck’s Hybrid – Sonny & Scott Beck | $20,000 |
| Grand Champion Barrow | Emma Rhoads | DeKalb County | CME Group | $25,000 |
| Land of Lincoln Grand Champion Steer | John Lukach | LaSalle County | BRANDT; Case IH; Friends of John Lukach | $70,000* |
| Grand Champion Steer | Kadie Hummel | Kankakee County | Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker | $105,000 |
*Indicates new record
***Courtesy of the State of Illinois***
