Toby Behrends of Sheffield was named Grand Champion Overall Master Showman on Aug. 14 during the 2026 Illinois State Fair Master Showmanship contest.
Sixty-six young livestock exhibitors competed for the Master Showmanship title. The exhibitors, who were the winners of their respective 4-H county contests, showcased their skills and knowledge of animal husbandry at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
This prestigious competition invites 4-H members ages 14-18 years to display their showmanship skills across three species – beef, sheep and swine. The competitors were judged on their ability to handle each animal, knowledge of the species and animal husbandry, as well as overall showmanship skills.
Three winners were named for each species and scores for all three species were tallied to determine the top five winners overall. This year’s contest winners are:
Grand Champion Overall Master Showman — Toby Behrends, from Sheffield, representing Bureau County. She is the daughter of David and Marinda Behrends.
Reserve Grand Champion Overall Master Showman — Alivia Porter, from Ashkum, representing Iroquois County. She is the daughter of Erik and Misha Porter and Jared Finegan.
Third Place Overall — Ryker Beckmier, of Morrisonville, representing Christian County. He is the son of Tucker and Megan Beckmier.
Fourth Place Overall — Bayli Brown, of Bridgeport, representing Lawrence County. She is the daughter of Michal Hendy and Glenn Brown.
Fifth Place Overall — Taylor Hendel, of Avon, representing Fulton County. She is the daughter of Shawn and Robyn Hendel.
Beef Division
Champion Beef Division — Wyatt DeAth, from Indianola, representing Vermilion County. He is the son of BJ ad Laura DeAth.
Reserve Champion Beef Division — Kinley Stolte, from Nokomis, representing Montgomery County. She is the daughter of Matt and Amy Stolte.
Third Place Beef Division — Callie Turner, from Mahomet, representing Champaign County. She is the daughter of Luke and Amanda Turner.
Swine Division
Champion Swine Division — Austin Komnick, from Auburn, representing Sangamon County. He is the the son of Jason and Melissa Komnick.
Reserve Champion Swine Division — Krosby Goebel, from Robinson, representing Crawford County. He is the son of Kurtis and Shannon Goebel.
Third Place Swine Division — Dillyn Heslop, from Leaf River, representing Stephenson County. He is the son of Dean and Kayla Heslop.
Sheep Division
Champion Sheep Division — JW Simms-Reisner, from Ellery, representing Edwards County. He is the son of Amanda Simms and Kenny Garrett.
Reserve Champion Sheep Division — Cole Knittel, from Downs, representing McLean County. He is the son of Rodney and Stephanie Knittel.
Third Place Sheep Division — Callie Turner, from Mahomet, representing Champaign County. She is the daughter of Luke and Amanda Turner.
Nearly $8,000 worth of prizes donated by sponsors were awarded this year. First, second and third place overall winners received $500, $400 and $300 cash respectively, a new show box and other various prizes. Fourth and fifth place overall received a $200 and $100 cash respectively and other various prizes.
Each species division winner received a $100 gift card and a Bluetooth speaker. Each contest participant received a t-shirt, bucket, harness and $25 gift card.
This year marked the 26th Annual Master Showmanship Contest held at the Illinois State Fair. This year’s contest was hosted by Illinois Farm Bureau. Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson presented the awards. Congratulations to these outstanding young livestock exhibitors!
***Courtesy of the Illinois Farm Bureau***
