🔨The auction

The Junior Livestock Sale is Friday at 1:00 PM in the sale ring. It’s the payday for ten months of chores, and it’s also the emotional finish line. Knowing exactly how it works makes both parts easier.

How the sale works

1. Buyers (businesses, families, ranches) register with the NCJLC and eat at the buyer luncheon at 11 AM.
2. Animals sell in order by species and placing, champions first. Each animal is in the ring 2–3 minutes.
3. You lead or drive your animal into the ring in show clothes. The auctioneer describes you and your animal, buyers bid, and the sale is called.
4. The buyer pays the NCJLC, not you. The NCJLC takes a commission to cover the auctioneer, awards, and advertising, deducts any fines, and mails you a check a few weeks later.
5. Because these are market animals, the buyer decides what happens next: most send the animal for processing, some resell it to a packer at market price and treat the difference as their donation. Either way, you say goodbye at the fair.

The one-per-species rule

Rule: You may sell only one market animal per species at the NCJL sale.

You can show up to two animals per species, but only one of them can go through the sale. Here’s how that plays out:

• Two pigs? Only one sells. You declare which one at weigh-in on Tuesday. If you don’t declare, the highest-placing animal is sold automatically, and that decision can’t be appealed.
• A pig and a lamb? You can sell one of each, since they’re different species.
• Grand or Reserve Champion? Those animals don’t count toward the limit. Win Grand with one pig and you can sell that pig and your other pig. Selling a champion is optional unless the NCJLC requires it.
• Once you declare an animal for sale, you can’t pull it out without NCJLC approval.
• You don’t have to sell. Entering a market class doesn’t require you to sell. Some families take the second animal home for the freezer.

Who is eligible to sell

• Blue, red, and white ribbon market animals.
• The animal must have made minimum weight at weigh-in. Underweight animals go to the prospect class and can’t sell.
• You must have shown in showmanship in that species. No showmanship, no sale.
• The animal must have been your project: bought, fed, trained, and shown by you.

Sold by the head vs. by the pound

• Pigs, lambs, goats, turkeys sell by the head: the bid is the total price for the animal.
• Steers sell by the pound: the bid is price per pound × pay weight. Pay weight is capped at 1,400 lb even if your steer weighed more.

Why do 4-H animals sell for more than market price? Because buyers aren’t really buying meat. They’re investing in you: your work, your record book, your handshake. That’s why finding buyers matters so much.

Add-ons

A business or family that doesn’t want to buy a whole animal can add on a dollar amount to your sale. Add-ons go straight onto your check (minus commission). Many buyers add on to several kids they know. Pre-fill an add-on sheet with the names of businesses that told you they’d support you, and turn it in at the sale office. Ask the club leader for the current form.

Sale-day timeline

When	Do
Morning	Chores by 9. Wash or brush your animal so it looks as good as show day.
11:00 AM	Buyer luncheon (buyers only). Parents: this is where relationships happen. Drinks were due by 11:30.
12:30 PM	Be at the sale barn in full show clothes, 30 minutes early, animal ready. Know your sale order.
Your turn	Walk in confident, smile, keep your animal moving and set up. Look at the buyers, not the floor.
Right after	Find your buyer. Shake hands: “Hi, I’m [name]. Thank you so much for supporting me today.” Hand them your thank-you gift.
After the sale	Keep feeding and cleaning until Sunday. The animal is still your responsibility until it’s loaded out.

The buyer gift

It’s tradition here to hand your buyer a small gift within minutes of the sale. Something in the $40–60 range: a couple of stadium chairs, a plate of homemade cookies or a pie, a BBQ tool set, a gift card to a local restaurant. Have it wrapped and waiting at your pen, with a card that has your name and a photo of you and your animal.

Money details

• You completed a W-9 with your ShoWorks entry. The NCJLC needs it to cut your check.
• Commission and any fines (stall cleaning $25/day, load-out $100) come out of the check.
• Earned $600 or more? You’ll receive a 1099 in January. Give it to whoever does your family’s taxes.
• No private sales on the fairgrounds. Selling your second animal to a neighbor at the fair is not allowed and gets you in serious trouble with the NCJL board.
• Animals are loaded out Sunday only according to sale slips. Any change must be in writing by 10 AM Saturday.

Saying goodbye

You raised this animal so that it would feed people. That was the plan from day one, and it’s an honorable one. It’s also normal to be sad. Some things that help:

• Take a lot of photos Thursday and Friday morning.
• Spend a few quiet minutes at the pen Saturday night.
• Remember the buyer chose you. Write them a real letter.
• Put what you learned in your record book. Next year’s animal will be better because of it.

After the sale checklist

• Thanked the buyer in person and gave the gift
• Got the buyer’s mailing address from the sale office
• Hand-written thank-you note to the buyer within two weeks (include a photo)
• Thank-you notes to every add-on donor
• Thank-you to your superintendent and club leader
• Sale price, buyer, and add-ons recorded in your record book
• Seasonal Pass completed and returned to the Department of Agriculture
• Watch the mail for your check (and a 1099 in January if over $600)