By FRED KRONER
It’s safe to say that Mahomet teen-ager Austin Ater knows what he is doing.
In less than eight weeks during his recent summer vacation, he started a project, made it show-worthy and then showed the Grand Champion in his division at the Illinois State Fair.
As if that’s not enough of a highlight, Ater’s Market Poultry Pen entry sold for a record-setting $8,500 in the Governor’s Sale of Champions on Wednesday (Aug. 13).
The 13-year-old Mahomet-Seymour eighth-grader wasn’t sure he would have ranked his class the same way that the judges saw it.
“I really thought the turkeys would be the champions,” Ater said. “They were nice. But they ended up being reserve (champion).”
Because of his respect for that entry, when that runner-up revelation was made, it eliminated some drama for Ater.
“When they were announced as reserve, I thought that meant I hadn’t place at all,” Ater said.
Moments later, he couldn’t believe his ears.
“I was really surprised that I won,” he said.
Ater is continuing a family tradition by showing chickens.
“My sister (Delaney Smith) started showing chickens in 4-H and that was what got my family and me started in showing about eight years ago,” Ater said.
Smith has aged out of the competitive 4-H showing, but the family’s interest continues.
“It has grown since then,” Ater said. “We use poultry shows as our mini family vacations.”
This year was Ater’s third time showing chickens at the State Fair in Springfield. He took reserve champion honors for his debut and, last year, placed fourth.
Earlier this month, his entry was the best of the 30 in the Market Poultry Pen. There were not 30 different competitors in the show ring, however.
“There were less exhibitors because some of us had multiple entries,” Ater said. “I did a pen of miscellaneous poultry, which were ducks. I know the reserve champion did roasters and turkeys.”
Due to the rules and restrictions, none of the competitors in these categories have much time to prepare.
The chickens are required to be between six- and eight-weeks old at the time of the show. All entries were born this year by mid-June.
Ater, who is a member of the Champaign County 4-H Livestock Club as well as the Mahomet-Seymour FFA, also shows ducks.
“Showing ducks is better,” Ater said, “but showing a meat pen at the State Fair is different because it is such a short period of time.
“It is a lot of work, but it is only for eight weeks so it makes it worth it. With the ducks, I breed them and raise them and then show them. With the meat chickens, we buy them as day old chicks and raise them until the show, then we process them and put them in the freezer.”
According to Ater’s mother, Jennifer Smith, “an ideal Poultry Market Pen is a set of three Cornish-cross chickens that appear as identical to each other as possible. They should be the same size, shape, leg color and weight, somewhere over five pounds and less than eight pounds.”
Ater’s entry met the criteria.
“My pen was seven and a half weeks old on show day, and they weighed 7.7 pounds, 7.7 pounds and 7.8 pounds,” Ater said. “For the meat pen we started with 25 chicks.”
After their birth, patience is the first key.
“We don’t really do much besides feed them for the first six weeks,” Ater said. “Then we start weighing them and deciding which ones will go to the fair.
“There were four that were all the same weight, color and shape, so those were the ones that started getting daily baths.”
Although exhibitors are limited to three chicks per entry at the State Fair, Ater said it is imperative to have at least one backup.
“Having an extra chicken is always a good idea because the meat chickens tend to be sensitive to heat and can die at any point,” he said.
The three he settled on were the closest in both looks and weight.
As the show date draws nearer, Ater follows a pre-determined routine.
“In preparation for show, the chickens are kept as a group in a clean area and are allowed to free-range during the day and be penned at night,” Ater said. “In the final week ahead of the show, they are weighed and separated based on weight.
“Four to five chickens are then selected for their similarities to each other, and those birds start receiving daily baths to get bright white and to help their feathers finish growing in.”
Ater was confident – but not over-confident – as he and his parents, Shane Ater and Jennifer Smith, headed to the State Fair.
“I knew that I had a good pen this year, but you never know what everyone else’s pens will look like,” he said, adding his evaluation. “Standing in the coliseum, I really thought it was going to be the turkeys (that won).”
Ater said his family has been instrumental in his success.
“My mom does all the planning and entering for shows and makes all the arrangements,” he said. “My dad helps with building pens and day-of stuff.
“My parents both encourage me to work hard and do my best. The junior show superintendent, Phil Bartz, also encouraged me to start showing the market pen. He has been a mentor to me and helped me learn about meat pens along the way.”
Winning the State Fair’s Grand Champion award meant an additional commitment for Ater.
“It took a little while for it to sink in and part of me was nervous for the week ahead, but the excitement was also building,” he said.
He was asked to spend 10 days at the Illinois State Fair in the Hall of Champions along with the other Champion Market animals and their exhibitors. The 4-H and FFA members devote time during the week interacting with fairgoers while talking about their animals, answering questions and promoting agriculture.
“Spending the week at the Illinois State Fair in the Hall of Champions was hot and exhausting, but was also very rewarding,” Ater said. “I met new people and talked about my chickens to a lot of people. I was excited to be the Champion this year.”
Ater is not a novice at having successful ventures at the state level, including a second top finish at the 2025 State Fair. He had the Champion Bantam Duck entry with his white call duck young female.
Ater shows call ducks all around the state as well as throughout the Midwest. He only prepares and shows market chickens for the State Fair.
“I do shooting sports in 4-H, shotgun to be specific,” he added. “I have participated in the State Shooting Sports competition and last year placed ninth in the Junior Division.”
He also enjoys fishing, hunting, trapping, and, he said, “playing football for fun.”
The prize money comes at an opportune time for Ater.
“I want to buy a new iPad because mine is broken,” he said.
That may be his only purchase for a while.
“But then my mom will make me put the rest in savings,” he added.
His group of buyers included Marty and Donna Davis (representing McDonalds), Illinois Farm Bureau, Bellflower Feed Mill and the Champaign County Farm Bureau.
“It was a surprise that I broke the record for the poultry sale price and I’m thankful to all the buyers,” Ater said.
According to a press release from the Illinois State Fair, “approximately 80 percent of the meat from award-winning animals will be processed by the University of Illinois’ meat science laboratory and donated to food banks through Feeding Illinois.”
Five total foodbanks will be recipients, including the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, which services 21 counties, including Champaign.
The press release stated that the other 20 percent of the meat will be used to support education, research and public outreach through the UI’s college of meat science program where students gain hands-on experience in meat processing, food safety and product development.
For the sixth consecutive year, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife, M.K., were the high bidders for the Grand Champion Steer (raised in Kankakee County) with their offer of $105,000.
As for Ater, he indicated his future endeavors could go in one of several directions.
“Not sure,” he said, “but I am interested in being a conservation officer or maybe going into the military.”
In the short-term, he would like to defend his State Fair title. With time to reflect, Ater is adjusting his future goals.
“At the beginning of the week, I wasn’t sure that I ever wanted to try to win again, but by the end of the week, I decided that I want to compete again next year and see if I can win a second time,” he said.
