Hadley Coats, son of Shawn and Nichole Coats, is the exhibitor of the 2022 Grand Champion Rabbit Meat Pen at the Missouri State Fair. Hadley is from Braymer and is a member of the Braymer FFA chapter. Hadley’s prize-winning rabbits weighed an average of 4.7 pounds.
The Reserve Grand Champion Rabbit Meat Pen honor went to Brayden Gast of Nevada. He is the son of Bryan Gast and Michelle Branham and is a member of the Country Clovers 4-H club. Brayden’s rabbits weighed an average of 5 pounds.
On Aug. 20, both Hadley and Brayden will sell their rabbits in two of 16 lots offered in the Missouri State Fair Sale of Champions. Proceeds from the annual sale benefit both the winning exhibitors and the Missouri State Fair Youth in Agriculture (YIA) Scholarship Program, administered by the Missouri State Fair Foundation.
Many livestock exhibitors will work toward earning a place in the ring at the time-honored Sale of Champions Auction. Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Steers, Barrows, Lambs, Meat Goats, Pens of Chickens, and Pens of Rabbits will be featured in the auction, along with the Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Hams and Bacons. The Sale will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 20, in the Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall.
