UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- If you're looking to impress friends, business clients or dates with an expensive, gourmet dinner, what could top serving them steaks from a $15,000 beef steer?

You may be able to do just that if you are a successful bidder on steaks from the 2001 Pennsylvania Farm Show Grand Champion market steer. Cuts from the winning steer, as well as chops from the Grand Champion market swine and lamb, are being sold on http://www.eBay.com, the popular Internet auction service. Proceeds will benefit the Farm Show Scholarship Foundation, which each year provides college scholarships to deserving current or former 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors.

The Grand Champion steer sold at the 2001 Farm Show junior livestock auction on Jan. 11 for $15,000. The Grand Champion swine brought $4,500, and the sale price of the Grand Champion lamb was $3,300. Money from the sale is split between the youngsters exhibiting the animals and the scholarship foundation.

The steer and swine were purchased by Hoss's Steak and Sea House restaurant chain, based in Duncansville, and the lamb was bought by Fulton Bank of Lancaster, Lebanon Valley Farmers Bank of Lebanon and Kessler's Inc. of Lemoyne.

"The bidders agreed to donate cuts from the Grand Champion animals back to the scholarship foundation so that we can auction the meat," says William Henning, Penn State associate professor of dairy and animal science, who oversees the Farm Show junior livestock auction. "The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Penn State both place a high priority on education and we're always looking for innovative ways to raise money to support Farm Show scholarships."

Steaks and chops will be processed at the Penn State Meats Laboratory and shipped anywhere in the United States. The steaks -- fillet, ribeye and strip -- will be aged, vacuum-packed, frozen and shipped to the highest bidder. Pork loin chops and tenderloins, lamb racks, loin chops and legs will be handled in a similar manner. The meat will be offered in packages of various quantities.

To participate, bidders can log onto eBay.com and perform a search using the keywords "gourmet meat." For those new to this auction format, simply follow the directions given on the auction site. The auction will end on January 19, but depending on sales, additional cuts may be available until January 26. Any portion of the final sale price that exceeds the meat's market value will be tax deductible.

For more information, contact Bill Henning by phone at 814-863-3670 or by e-mail at Bhenning@das.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Bill Henning at 814-863-3670.

Contacts: Chuck Gill cdg5@psu.edu 814-863-2713 814-865-1068 fax