Louisville, KY (August 23, 2012) – An astonishing $300,000 was raised for local charities this morning as Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) hosted its 49th annual Country Ham.

PHOTOS: 2012 KENTUCKY FARM BUREAU COUNTRY HAM BREAKFAST

Auction during the Kentucky State Fair. Nearly 1,600 people gathered for the breakfast, several elected officials offered their assessments of current agricultural and political conditions, and everyone looked on with wonder as the state fair’s grand champion ham was auctioned live for a six-figure sum. Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates of Louisville, offered up $300,000 for the 17.62-pound ham produced by Scott Hams of Greenville, Kentucky. That is the equivalent of approximately $17,026 per pound of ham.“Supporting anything that goes on in this state is critical,” said Dr. Lynn after the auction’s conclusion. “We have been very, very fortunate in our life, we have been blessed, and it is time to give back. That’s what we chose to do here today.”

While the auction’s enormous bids draw great attention from even the casual passerby, a greater cause is served when the money raised is donated to the charity of the winning bidder’s choice. Dr. Lynn announced at the Ham Breakfast that the charitable donation would be given to the University of Louisville, Visually Impaired Preschool Services and Eastern Area Community Ministries. He also indicated that the grand champion ham would go to Wayside Christian Mission.

While no goal is set for the ham’s top bid each year, Kentucky Farm Bureau has now helped raise more than $6.5 million for local charities, educational and philanthropic groups through the 49-year history of the auction.“There are few events in Kentucky that can rival the excitement of the grand champion ham auction,” said Mike Tobin, Kentucky Farm Bureau’s commodity director and ham breakfast event coordinator. “The fact that we get to do all this to the benefit of local charities only makes it that much better.”

The auction’s humble beginnings – a respectable $124 winning bid at the first event in 1964 – have grown exponentially in recent years.

The average price of the auctioned ham over the last 10 years is now nearly $535,000.

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