Pictured above: Montgomery 4-H member Avery Wood holds her Champion Division 1 lamb, assisted by fellow 4-H’er Mary-Hayden Blaylock, at the Dixie National Junior Round-Up Sale of Champions. The lamb was purchased by Southern AgCredit, Kirk Auto Group, Fancher Cattle Co. and Alliance Ag Risk Management. Representing Southern AgCredit are Elliott Fancher, left, Greenwood branch manager, and Phillip Morgan, chief executive officer.

Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Show

RIDGELAND, Miss. – Southern AgCredit participated in the purchase of several animals at the 2020 Sale of Champions at the Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Show on Feb. 6, helping to celebrate the sale’s 51st year.

More than 1,600 4-H and FFA members from across Mississippi competed in this year’s Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Show. They showed 2,211 head of livestock, including pigs, sheep, cattle and goats. Of these entries, 46 animals were sold, and 37 scholarships were awarded.

Southern AgCredit partnered with other organizations to purchase five champions:

• Mississippi Bred Reserve Champion Barrow, owned by Anna Beth and Aimry Blackwell, Raleigh FFA
• Mississippi Bred Reserve Grand Champion Lamb, owned by Sidney and Tripp McGee, Newton 4-H
• Champion American Steer, owned by Kylie Roberts, Smith 4-H
• Reserve Champion English Steer, owned by Ayden and Paxton Wolken, Simpson 4-H
• Champion Division 1 Lamb, owned by Avery Wood, Montgomery 4-H

Southern AgCredit also donated to the scholarship fund.

“In recognition of the hard work and perseverance it takes to get to the Dixie National Junior Round-up, Southern AgCredit is pleased to once again support the Sale of Champions and the scholarship fund. We commend every 4-H and FFA exhibitor on the countless hours they spent preparing their animals for the event. And we hope the showmanship, sportsmanship and friendships they experienced will last a lifetime.”

Phillip Morgan, CEO of Southern AgCredit

This year, the sale of 46 winning animals grossed $404,395, breaking the Sale of Champions record.

Southern AgCredit is a full-service cooperative lender that specializes in financing rural land and agricultural operations in Mississippi and Louisiana. It is a member of the nationwide Farm Credit System, the nation’s largest source of loans for agriculture, agribusiness, rural real estate and country homes. For more information, visit southernagcredit.com.