By TIM ALEXANDER

Illinois Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Director John Sullivan and Gov. JB Pritzker opened and closed a long day of festivities and events associated with Agriculture Day on August 13, at the Illinois State Fair.

Dedicated to celebrating the overriding purpose of the fair – agriculture – Ag Day 2019 began with an early-morning ribbon-cutting celebrating the completion of the “Barn 25Q” renovation, one of 25 historic barns slated for rehabilitation over the next three years, and ended with the Governor’s Sale of Champions in the newly renovated and christened “Coliseum of Champions,” which underwent $12.7 million in upgrades.

“Ag Day highlights all that agriculture has to offer in Illinois,” said Sullivan, a farmer and auctioneer who assisted taking bids during the Sale of Champions. “Over 1,200 farm families, state and federal elected officials, and our Centennial, Sesquicentennial, and Bicentennial farm families were in attendance at our Ag Breakfast.

“Throughout the day, folks had the opportunity to view the newly renovated coliseum as well as numerous other improvements on the fairgrounds, and concluded the day with a very successful Sale of Champions.”

Other highlights of Ag Day included an auctioneer and bid-calling contest, Cutest Little Farmer contest, tours of the fairgrounds originating from the IDOA Ag Tent, and plenty of delicious Illinois-grown foods including melons, hot buttered sweet corn, and apple cider slushies provided by Illinois Specialty Growers.

But the highlight of the day came at the conclusion of the Sale of Champions, which showcases the hard work and dedication of youth in the agriculture industry. Locked in a bidding war with the Governor, Illinois First Lady Mary Katheryn “MK” Pritzker outlasted her husband by offering the winning $75,000 bid for the Grand Champion Steer, exhibited by Cole Caldwell of Elmwood, in Peoria County.

After the sale, Sullivan, whose kids showed livestock in the Coliseum as youth in 4-H, praised the hard work and selflessness of each young farmer.

“These exhibitors are the future of agriculture in our state and represent the best of the best. The Sale of Champions in the highlight of the Illinois State Fair, and to bring it back inside of the Coliseum is phenomenal,” he said.

As recently as 2016, the 60,000 square-foot, three-story Coliseum had been condemned as unsafe, due to the deteriorating condition of ceiling supports, foundation beams, and other deficiencies. The resurrection of the 118-year-old building was captured using time-lapse photography, and videos of its reconstruction were looped on large video screens adjacent to the Ag Tent and elsewhere across the fairgrounds.

The reconstruction of the Coliseum of Champions was completed on time and within budget by general contractor R.D. Lawrence Construction Co.

“Thankfully, record-setting rain (in the spring) had little negative impact on progress because much of the precipitation occurred over nighttime hours, enabling us to stay on schedule,” said Aaron Gorbett, project manager for the company.

“We needed every hour to make the improvements that will considerably prolong the life of the structure and guarantee enjoyment for generations to come.”

While funding for the Coliseum project was provided by the state Capitol Development Board via the 2019 budget, renovations to the 25-series horse barns are being funded for now, at least, by the Compeer Fund for Rural America, a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin farmers. The Compeer fund has committed to donating $180,000 over the next three years to the Illinois State Fairgrounds Foundation to support the renovations of three barns; Barn 25Q was the first to be completed thanks to the gift.

“These buildings are just a small part of the pulse that is the fair, showcasing the long history and modern aspects of agriculture,” said John Monson, chief marketing and mission officer at Compeer. “Our fund board believed the commitment was a great way to support the fair and the agricultural families that look forward to the fair each year.”

The 2019 Fair also served as a showcase for a new crop that has recently been made available for farmers to cultivate in Illinois: Industrial hemp. Eight hemp plants grown for CBD oil and 100 grown for fiber were planted adjacent to the University of Illinois Master Gardeners plot, located near the Swine Barn.

“The arrival of hemp as a viable cash crop provides new opportunities for farmers, agribusiness, and hemp processors to make Illinois a leader in the hemp industry,” Sullivan said. “We thought there would be no better place to showcase this crop than the Illinois State Fair.”

Total proceeds from the Governor’s Sale of Champions, which included 13 blue-ribbon commodities and 11 animals, came to $183,000. While half the auction proceeds go to the exhibitors, much of the money is invested back into youth ag programs.

In addition, this year the CME Group pledged a total of $50,000 in scholarships for the Grand Champions and Reserve Grand Champions exhibitors of the sale. The champion goats, barrows, sheep, and steers were donated to the U of I Ag College.

For the 13-year-old Caldwell, an eighth-grader who didn’t show a steer at last year’s fair, the sale represented the culmination of months of preparation and hard work. This included waking at 4:15 a.m. each day to provide for the future Grand Champion Steer, while taking pointers about brushing and showing steers from older sister Olivia – who showed the Grand Champion Steer at the 2017 Illinois State Fair.

After the sale of his champion, Caldwell could be seen shedding what he called told the media were “happy” tears. “We’re very happy that this young man will benefit from this (sale) along with the 4-H and FFA,” Pritzker commented.