The history of the Junior Market Lamb Auction dates back to 1938, when the first Grand Champion Lamb was sold to a local grocery store for $6.50 a pound. Although times have changed since then, the Lamb Auction Committee is still making history. The Lamb Auction Committee was officially formed in 1955 to guarantee the sale of lambs entered by youth exhibitors and to ensure a fair-market value for the animals. The first committee totaled about 20 members and consisted only of men. Although women didn't join the committee until 1987, their presence on the committee has grown considerably since then. Another first for women occurred for the 1999 Show when Janet Heard became the first woman chairman in the committee's history. Currently, the committee's mission is to presell all lambs at a preset guaranteed premium price, which is considerably higher than the current market price on the day of the sale. Other main functions include soliciting contributions from donors, hosting the buyers' appreciation party, assisting in the sift and the judging, and conducting the auction reception party and the auction itself. Just as the mission and composition of the committee have changed and expanded, so too has its size. The committee presently has more than 110 members. Today, the committee assists not only the students bringing lambs to the judging and to the auction, but the students' families as well. Heard said, "It is a total family effort to show the lambs. Showing promotes family; that's one of the things I love about working on this committee." The judging begins one week before the auction at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds in Rosenberg, Texas. Around 1,400 lambs are brought to the fairgrounds, and a judge sifts those lambs down to the best 324, which get to move on to Houston and advance to the auction.
Exhibitors whose lambs are selected for the Junior Market Lamb Auction are guaranteed a minimum bid price of $1,000 for their lambs. The Grand Champion Lamb exhibitor is guaranteed $25,000, and the Reserve Grand Champion Lamb exhibitor receives $17,500. Show Vice President and officer in charge Ray Hinsley stated, "This committee does an outstanding job. My responsibility as officer in charge is to provide support to the chairman and do anything necessary to help the committee be successful. I help in any way I can, which isn't often because Janet and her management team are very organized and goal oriented." Although many aspects of the committee have changed through the years, there has been one constant -- the dedication of the committee volunteers. Heard cites the dedication of the committee members as the reason for its success. "Everything we do is truly an entire committee effort. We have so many dedicated people. Some individuals have been on this committee for many years," said Heard. The dedication and hard work have paid off. In 1999, the Junior Market Lamb Auction made history, when it broke two world records. The Grand Champion Lamb sold for $160,000, which topped the previous record of $140,000 set in 1998. The Reserve Grand Champion Lamb sold for $104,000, which broke the former record of $100,000. Don't expect the Lamb Auction Committee to rest on its accomplishments. The committee hopes the 2000 auction will be even more successful than last year's record-setting year. With the dedicated individuals who are on this committee, those hopes should become reality.
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