Louisville, KY (August 16, 2012) – Soon to be filling the halls of the Kentucky Exposition Center’s South Wing with the welcoming aroma of fresh biscuits and seasoned country ham, the 49th annual Kentucky Country Ham Breakfast will kick off Kentucky Farm Bureau Day at the Kentucky State Fair. This ticketed event begins at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 23, and features a country-style breakfast followed by a live auction of the state’s 2012 Grand Champion Country Ham.

Kentucky Farm Bureau President Mark Haney will emcee the event that features speakers Governor Steve Beshear, Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Rand Paul, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, and will be accompanied in attendance by several other local, state and national elected officials.

Anticipating another sellout crowd of 1,600 attendees, Kentucky Farm Bureau is preparing huge quantities of food. More than 5,400 eggs, 1,600 half-pints of milk, 30 gallons of sorghum, 20 gallons of honey, 6,400 oranges and 450 pounds of country ham will be served by the end of the meal.

In addition to all the great food at the breakfast, the event is highlighted by a live auction of the Grand Champion Ham. 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 $515,000. Last year’s event also produced the highest offer ever from a single bidder, and was the third-highest bid and in the auction’s history. Steve Trager, CEO of Republic Bank & Trust, bid on and won for the 16.95-pound ham produced by Broadbent B&B Foods of Kuttawa, Kentucky, with a $600,000 winning offer.

Such high prices come with good intentions, too, as all the money raised from the ham auction is donated to the charity of the winning bidder’s choice. Though no goal is set for the ham’s top bid each year, Kentucky Farm Bureau has helped raise more than $6.2 million for local charities, educational and philanthropic groups through the auction.

Video from last years auction: