Livestock Merchandising Management Students Host Farm Auction “Sold!” After attending the 2006 Hokie Harvest Sale, Rachelle Petrine, sophomore at Virginia Tech, said that was the only thing that she understood the auctioneer say. The 2006 Livestock Merchandising Management class hosted the 12th annual Hokie Harvest Sale, a public auction of cattle, horses and swine on Friday, Oct. 27. The annual event proved extremely successful in giving Virginia Tech students some hands-on experience in every aspect of the field. Students from class organized and ran the event with help from the Equine Behavior and Training class, the Block and Bridle club and the Swine Production class. “Students take classes and have a hand in breeding, selection, feeding, fitting, training and marketing,” said Genevive Naylor, junior at Virginia Tech. “It rounds out our time spent at Virginia Tech so we have more than knowledge - we have practical experience.” Twenty-eight sport-horses, 45 beef cattle and nine swine were up for auction. The silent swine auction was new this year and began at 4 p.m. in the Livestock Judging Pavilion of Virginia Tech. A demonstration of the horses for sale was held from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. to give bidders a chance to preview each horse. Naylor said, “This allowed the bidders to see each horse individually and evaluate it according to ability and temperament.” The Block and Bridle Club of Virginia Tech hosted a complimentary barbecue dinner from 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. before the auction began. All guests attending the event were invited. The horse sale began at 6 p.m. in the Alphin-Stuart Livestock arena of Virginia Tech. The Equine Behavior and Training class played a big role in the presentation of the sale horses. Each student worked with each horse to make sure they had a basic skill set for their age. “Additionally, the student assigned to the horse maintains a training journal which transfers with it when sold. The person also acts as a caretaker and groom for their horse on sale day and presents him or her to prospective buyers,” said Naylor. The Swine Production class put great effort towards the swine auction by advertising, transporting and handling the swine on sale day. Virginia Tech owned all of the livestock sold at the event. Some were bred at the Smithfield Horse Unit on Virginia Tech’s campus and others were donated. “We felt especially comfortable and proud of our selection from Smithfield this year because it was our very first all sport-horse collection,” said Naylor referring to the 28 horses for sale at the auction. Dr. Dan Eversole, of the Department of Animal & Poultry Sciences, commented on the profit made from the event. Eversole said, “The total gross was $167,515 minus the sale expenses of $21,807. Cattle sale gross was $75,425. Horse gross was $90,100. Swine gross was $1,990.” The highest selling horse at the auction, Fox Nuri VT, a beautiful gray gelding, sold for $15,500. Profit from the event goes back to the Equine, Beef Cattle and Swine programs at Virginia Tech. Specifically for the Equine program, Naylor said, “Equine sales go directly back into the maintenance of the Smithfield Horse Unit, including maintenance of the horses themselves.” Profit is used similarly in the other livestock programs at Virginia Tech. The next Hokie Harvest Sale will be held Friday, Oct. 26, 2007. For more information, please visit the 2006 Hokie Harvest Sale website http://www.equine.vt.edu/HokieHarvest.html.
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