MONROE - The Green County Fair's Cheese Auction brought in a record-breaking total of $49,222.50 Sunday, according to a press release from the Foreign Type Cheesemaker's Association.
With 474 pounds of cheese on auction in 96 lots, a single pound of cheese sold for an average of almost $104.
The grand champion cheese from Tuesday's judging, a 40-pound block of Baby Swiss by Mike Nelson of the Chalet Cheese Co-op, was won by Faith Engineering with a $165 bid. Faith Engineering's bid for eight pounds was worth $1,320.
The buyers of the other four eight-pound sections of the champion cheese were Ruchti Stainless Inc. ($150 per pound), Precision Drive and Control ($150 per pound), Colony Brands ($150 per pound) and Sugar River Bank ($140 per pound). The total value of the cheese reached $6,040.
The highest bid of the auction was for a 12-pound Muenster by Steve Stettler of Decatur Dairy Inc. for $205 per pound. The bid was placed by Colony Brands and totalled $1,230 for one half of the cheese.
The other piece of Stettler's Muenster brought in $180 per pound from R. Mueller Service and Equipment. In all, the cheese brought in $5,025.
An Odyssey Tomato and Basil Feta by Ron Buholzer of Klondike Cheese Inc. received the second-highest bid, $200 per pound, from Quest Industries. A second block of the same cheese saw a bid of $190 per pound from Dairy Directions.
A Jalapeno Havarti, in the pepper-flavored natural cheese category, by Matt Henze of Decatur Dairy Inc. brought in $160 a pound from Klitzke Tanker Sales LLP.
Nelson's cheese made Swiss the best-performing category of the auction at $10,290, aided by a 20-pound Wheel Swiss by Silvan Blum of Chalet Cheese Co-Op, which brought in four bids ranging from $100 to $140.
The Cheddar cheese category brought in $8,425, led by a one-year cheddar from Maple Leaf Cheese Co-op that totalled $4,225.
Regez Cheese Supply was the top bidder of the auction, followed by Quest Industrial LLC, Ruchti Stainless Inc. and Precision Drive and Control. In total, 32 different bidders participated in the auction.
The Foreign Type Cheese-maker's Association will use the proceeds to support local organizations including United Way, the Campion Fund, the National Historic Cheesemak-ing Center, the Green County Fair and Cheese Days.
With 474 pounds of cheese on auction in 96 lots, a single pound of cheese sold for an average of almost $104.
The grand champion cheese from Tuesday's judging, a 40-pound block of Baby Swiss by Mike Nelson of the Chalet Cheese Co-op, was won by Faith Engineering with a $165 bid. Faith Engineering's bid for eight pounds was worth $1,320.
The buyers of the other four eight-pound sections of the champion cheese were Ruchti Stainless Inc. ($150 per pound), Precision Drive and Control ($150 per pound), Colony Brands ($150 per pound) and Sugar River Bank ($140 per pound). The total value of the cheese reached $6,040.
The highest bid of the auction was for a 12-pound Muenster by Steve Stettler of Decatur Dairy Inc. for $205 per pound. The bid was placed by Colony Brands and totalled $1,230 for one half of the cheese.
The other piece of Stettler's Muenster brought in $180 per pound from R. Mueller Service and Equipment. In all, the cheese brought in $5,025.
An Odyssey Tomato and Basil Feta by Ron Buholzer of Klondike Cheese Inc. received the second-highest bid, $200 per pound, from Quest Industries. A second block of the same cheese saw a bid of $190 per pound from Dairy Directions.
A Jalapeno Havarti, in the pepper-flavored natural cheese category, by Matt Henze of Decatur Dairy Inc. brought in $160 a pound from Klitzke Tanker Sales LLP.
Nelson's cheese made Swiss the best-performing category of the auction at $10,290, aided by a 20-pound Wheel Swiss by Silvan Blum of Chalet Cheese Co-Op, which brought in four bids ranging from $100 to $140.
The Cheddar cheese category brought in $8,425, led by a one-year cheddar from Maple Leaf Cheese Co-op that totalled $4,225.
Regez Cheese Supply was the top bidder of the auction, followed by Quest Industrial LLC, Ruchti Stainless Inc. and Precision Drive and Control. In total, 32 different bidders participated in the auction.
The Foreign Type Cheese-maker's Association will use the proceeds to support local organizations including United Way, the Campion Fund, the National Historic Cheesemak-ing Center, the Green County Fair and Cheese Days.