Grand Champion Market Lamb From Salem A Natural In The Showring

Preslie Strader of Salem stands with her grand champion market lamb, a 147-pound Natural Colors lamb. Strader and her lamb earned Grand Champion at the 2022 Missouri State Fair market lamb show Thursday, Aug. 11th. (Photo by Kyle Hill, Alpha Ag Network)

A market lamb from Dent County proved to be a natural in the showring, winning Grand Champion at the 120th Missouri State Fair on Thursday. The 147-pound Natural Colors lamb was exhibited by Preslie Strader, a sophomore with Salem FFA. Strader said the breed wasn’t the only thing natural about the lamb that led her to the Sale of Champions.

Central MO Info · 22 0812 Preslie Strader on her Grand Champion Market Lamb

Strader will make her first trip to the Sale of Champions, capping off a successful competition that also saw her lambs win the crossbred and speckled classes.

Central MO Info · 22 0812 Preslie Strader on her Grand Champion Market Lamb

Payton Rodgers of Savannah stands with her lamb after the market lamb show at the 2022 Missouri State Fair. The 128-pound Hampshire won Reserve Grand Champion.

Reserve Grand Champion honors went to Payton Rodgers, representing Savannah FFA. It’ll be Rodgers’ third straight trip to the Sale of Champions, having won grand champion with a steer last year and a barrow in 2020. This also matches the streak her younger sister Reagan set last year.

Central MO Info · 22 0812 Reagan Rodgers on winning Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb

Rodgers exhibited a Hampshire lamb weighing 145 pounds.

Howard County’s Braylin Brunkhorst won the 4-H division with her Hampshire lamb weighing 141 pounds. A crossbred weighing 151 pounds picked up division reserve, shown by Aubree Sloan of Clinton County.