(Photo by Matty Lamp) Landon Fordyce showed his market hog at the 2025 Wood County 4-H and FFA Summer Showcase Livestock Auction on Saturday.

MINERAL WELLS — The 2025 4-H and FFA Summer Showcase came to a close on Saturday with the Summer Showcase Livestock Auction at 12 p.m.

Nine Wood County 4-H clubs came together to sell at the auction on Saturday: Rebels 4-H Club, Saulsbury 4-H Club, Lubeck Lucky Clovers, Blennerhasset FFA, American Brushpoppers, Wood Chucks 4-H Club, Belleville 4-H Club, Sandhill Explorers and Bits & Bridles.

There were 141 total animals showcased and sold at the auction, including market and feeder steers, market and feeder heifers, market goats, market hogs, market rabbits, market sheep, market chickens and market turkeys.

Wood County 4-H Program Assistant Lindsey Boso says that the Sale Committee works throughout the year to plan the auction, including insuring the auction, budgeting money for the scholarships, collecting money for the buyer’s pool and advertising the auction to the community.

According to Boso, community members and local organizations can choose to donate money to the buyer’s pool during the showcase, which is used to support all of the kids in 4-H showing in the auction. They can also buy animals from the auction to have processed, donate them to various organizations to be used for meat in fundraisers, or they can even donate the animal they bought back to the member showing it and let the member keep the animal and the money.

(Photo by Matty Lamp) Gavin Pigott showed his market goat at the 2025 Wood County 4-H and FFA Summer Showcase Livestock Auction on Saturday.

“We definitely appreciate anyone who comes to help in any way, shape or form,” Boso said. “It’s a great help just to get some outside voices to help our kids and help the sale run smoothly.”

Kaelyn Clark, 20, is part of the Blennerhassett FFA. She joined the organization as a junior in high school after working with her family’s butcher hogs for years, and she showed her market hog and market goat at Saturday’s auction.

“This is only my third year showing, which is different from a lot of people,” Clark said. “But it’s something I’ve become pretty passionate about.”

Clark was a 2025 Senior Division Grand Champion for Goats. She says she eventually wants to start her own farm, but she is also looking into going back to school to become a radiology technician in the meantime.

Kendyll Marshall from the Saulsbury 4-H Club won 2025 Senior Division Grand Champion in Chickens and Senior Division Reserve Champion for Turkeys. She says that she especially enjoys working with turkeys for their demeanors.

(Photo by Matty Lamp) Kaelyn Clark showed her market goat at the 2025 Wood County 4-H and FFA Summer Showcase Livestock Auction on Saturday.

“I know it sounds a little odd, but they have the most personality of any animal I’ve showed, and I’ve showed everything from a goat to a cow,” Marshall said. “They are the sweetest, most personable things.”

Marshall is 21-years-old, the maximum age for members to be involved in 4-H. She says she wants to use her earnings from the auction to help pay for her master’s degree in social work.

Justin Donato, 11, presented a market hog and lamb at the auction, but he showed multiple other animals in the showcase and won 2025 Beginner Division Grand Champion for Chickens. Donato said his favorite part of the auction is the relief he feels after.

“Once you show those animals, it’s nice,” Donato said. “The work load’s off, and you get money for it.”

4-H membership is open to any youth who is at least 9 years old and no older than 21 within the current 4-H year, which starts on October 1. If you are interested in becoming involved with Wood County 4-H, you can call the Wood County Extension Office at 304-424-1960.

(Photo by Matty Lamp) Marissa Hendershot showed her market steer at the 2025 Wood County 4-H and FFA Summer Showcase Livestock Auction on Saturday.

(Photo by Matty Lamp) Karsyn Marshall showed her market steer at the 2025 Wood County 4-H and FFA Summer Showcase Livestock Auction on Saturday.