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Last updated on Friday, August 26, 2016
(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) - Pork, politics and philanthropy came together for the 53rd Annual Kentucky Country Ham Breakfast and Auction.
Central Bank placed the winning bid on the Grand Champion Ham for $600,000. This year's prized ham weighed in at 17.38 lbs. and was produced by Broadbent B & B Foods of Kuttawa, Kentucky.
The proceeds from the winning bid will be donated to several charities and organizations including University of Kentucky Athletics, Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky, University of Kentucky Hospital, God's Pantry Food Bank, Sunrise Children's Services, and Kentucky Community and Technical College.
Before the auction started, the sellout crowd of 1,600 people were served a Kentucky Proud Breakfast as they listened to speeches from top elected officials, including Governor Matt Bevin, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Rand Paul, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. Miss Kentucky 2016, Laura Jones, displayed the prized ham for the breakfast guests.
Since the event began in 1964, the Kentucky Farm Bureau has raised nearly $10 million for charities across the state with the annual ham auction. The first ham purchased 1964 sold for $8.00 per pound, for a total of $124. But bidding wars from individuals and corporations have driven the price paid for the ham to an average of $745,000 over the past ten years.
The record was set in 2014 when Bank and Hermitage Farms with Bridgeman Foods, Inc. paid $2 million. In 2015, the winning ham sold for $400,000.
The money bid on the ham goes to the charity chosen by the winning bidder.
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