Records fell Wednesday night at the Oklahoma Youth Expo Night of Stars Gilt Sale- 131 Gilts sell for a record $1,259,250- a $9,612 per head average, also easily a new record. This eclipsed the 2021 Matinee version of the Night of Stars sale that came several days after the rest of that year’s OYE wrapped up because of PED concerns. The old record in 2021 was a million dollars and a $7812 per head average.
The individual record that was also set in 2021 was swept away as well. The new OYE and NATIONAL record for a gilt hit $92,000 for the 75th pig in the sale(well into the second half of the sale)- this gilt was the 31st Dark Cross and was shown by Jaylee Buck of Kiefer FFA.
Earlier in the Sale-the Reserve Supreme Crossbred shown by Gage Winters of Altus FFA sold for $80,000- and that was the new OYE record for about an hour until Jaylee Buck smashed that record.
No names of the buyers were released- but it was reported that one of the top selling gilts is staying in Oklahoma and the other was leaving the state after the sale.
The third high individual gilt (as far as dollars received) was yet another dark cross barrow- shown by Preslee Bennett of the Yukon FFA- it was the 94th barrow sold in the sale and was the 44th Dark Cross selected for the sale- this gilt sold for $57,500.
After the sale- Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays talked with sale manager Blake Kennedy of Kennedy Ventures about the records and how this Night of Stars will be remembered for a long, long time- click on the Listen Bar below to hear their conversation.
Click here for the full schedule for the 2023 OYE. The Oklahoma Farm Report team will be snapping pictures from start to finish- and you can see them as we add them to our Flickr album for 2023- available here. If you want to look back to the 2022 OYE- click here for our pictures from last year’s event.
Our coverage of the 2023 Oklahoma Youth Expo is sponsored by Hilliary Communications- who deliver the latest cutting-edge communications services supporting tens of thousands of customers across 22 counties throughout Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa. The company offers internet, voice and HilliaryTV. Hilliary Communications continuously researches the marketplace for innovations and strives to improve underserved areas, offering services that exceed customer expectations. Click here to learn more about Hilliary Communications.