Record set as group buys champion steer at Illinois fair

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Gov. Bruce Rauner was among a group of buyers making a record bid the champion steer at the Illinois State Fair.

Rauner and a group calling itself Friends of the Exhibitor on Tuesday paid $104,000 for the 1,324-pound cross-breed Grand Champion Steer named "David L." The bid bested the previous Illinois State Fair record of $100,000 in 2014.

The steer was shown by 18-year-old Lucas Wisnefski of Wyoming, Illinois.

Rauner says the steer will be slaughtered and its meat donated to the University of Illinois.

Champion rabbits, chickens, goats, hogs and commodities such as cheese, processed beef, wine, honey and goat's milk were also auctioned to the highest bidder during the Governor's Sale of Champions at the fair.

The auction benefits 4-H clubs and the Illinois Future Farmers of America.