Written by Kendal Rae Jensen

In a year where many were anxious about the economy and its effects on the outcome, records were broken and lives were changed at the Weber County Fair Junior Livestock Auction. Senator Mike Lee and Weber County Commissioners Jim Harvey, Scott Jenkins, and Gage Froerer were there in support and attendance.

In her third year in 4H, Hallie Peterson started the year with the wildest hog she’s ever shown. She wasn’t sure how she and Wrangler, a spotted Hampshire cross barrow, would get along. Hallie says he was wild and unruly and loved to run. She spent many hours with Wrangler, exercising him and training him to listen to her commands. Even before they entered the show ring that day, she was anxious about whether or not he would listen amongst all of the noise and stress. They worked great together as a team, and the more time that they were in the ring together, the better Wrangler worked. They ended the long show day as 2022 Grand Champions. Although that alone made Hallie’s dream come true, she didn’t know what else was in store for her until she and Wrangler entered the auction ring the next day. They were the first of the day to start the bidding, and the auctioneer shared some of the trials that Hallie and her sweet family have been enduring. Hallie’s mother, Kim Peterson, is undergoing her third diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Kim and her family are strong, faith-filled, humble, and resilient people but have been hit hard during this third bout of the disease. Although Kim has not felt well during her recent treatments, she has been determined not to miss any of her kids’ activities, including traveling the country to rodeos and livestock shows. The bidding jumped to an astounding $30 a pound on the first bid, and within one-and-a-half minutes, ended at $190 a pound: a record of any animal ever auctioned at the Weber County Fair. There wasn’t a dry eye or an untouched heart in the whole arena.

The Petersons are beloved members of the Weber County community, and many have been searching for ways to ease their burdens. Come to find out, Ron Gibson, a West Weber resident and neighbor of the Peterson family, had been hard at work the week before, gathering the support of friends, businesses, and Senator Mike Lee to raise more than $48,000 for the family. Many of these supporters have requested to remain anonymous. There is also a silent auction and RMBRA Fall Arena Brawl (barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying and breakaway roping) fundraiser scheduled for September 24th at the Golden Spike arena. If you’d like to contribute, please contact Deb Conley at 801-726-5515.

In total, the auction raised more than $854,281 for the 417 4H and FFA participants, and more than $119,225 in boosts so far. You can still boost your favorite participant at webercountyfair.org until September 4th. 100% of boosts go directly to the participants. We are so blessed and grateful for the outpouring of support from Weber County businesses, year in and year out, of the Junior Livestock Program. It surely shows how dedicated to agriculture that Weber County residents and businesses are. Now, that is WINNING in WEBER COUNTY!

CONGRATULATIONS, 2022 WEBER COUNTY FAIR JUNIOR LIVESTOCK CHAMPIONS!