FRYEBURG - Morgan Clauss, a 12-year-old from Lancaster, N.H., captured this year's 4-H Grand Champion Beef Steer at Fryeburg Fair while Cody Coutts of Chelsea was a repeat winner with the Grand Champion Market Lamb.

Clauss' Maine Anjou Cross weighed 1,241 pounds. For the past two years her steers have been awarded the commended honor or fourth place in the competition.

The steer and market lamb competition is the highlight of a busy week for 4-H youngsters from across Maine and New Hampshire. The annual auction that drew a huge crowd saw average lamb prices up 18 cents a pound from 2007 at $4.07 while beef prices were down 16 cents from last year.

"We had a tremendous sale," Livestock Chairman George Weston said. "This is a great program for these future farmers because it not only teaches them the business but they also get to experience the ups and downs of the market and the effect of the economy on meat production."

Fryeburg has the oldest continuous show and sale in New England, which began when Randolph Stacey had the first champion steer in 1938. There were 46 steers this year and 19 market lambs. The competition was judged by Robert Hough of Denton, Texas.

The Reserve Champion Steer again went to Sarah Carter, 16, of Canaan, N.H., with a 1,195-pound Charolais cross. Last year she was runner-up with a Maine Anjou, Simmental cross.

The highly commended steer was raised by Raymond Gushee-Frost, 18, of Fryeburg, with a 1,006-pound Maine Anjou. The Fryeburg Academy senior had raised last year's Grand Champion. The commended steer went to Kim Caverly, 17, of Clinton, with a 1,405-pound Shorthorn.

Coutts, 15, won with a 142-pound cross breed. He raised the Grand Champion last year and had the commended lamb in 2006.

Reserve Champion went to Gemma Young, 15, of South Paris with a 122-pound cross breed. The highly commended was awarded to Percey Lorette, 10, of Madison, with a 138-pound Hampshire-Suffolk cross while the commended went to Anna Lorette, 14, of Madison with a Suffolk-Hampshire cross.

The Beef Steer Senior Showman award went to Raymond Gushee-Frost while the Intermediate Showman honor was awarded to Gemma Young. The Junior Showman was Anna Fredrickson, 12, of Wolfboro, N.H.

Results of the Market Lamb Showmanship competition were Senior Showman, Marley Smith, 18, of Windsor; Intermediate Showman, Cody Coutts, 15, of Chelsea; and Junior Showman, Percy Lorette, 10, of Madison.

Eight youngsters have already started on next year's beef steer project through the Fryeburg Fair-sponsored calf scramble. The remaining participants have either bred a calf or purchased one to raise for the 2009 competition. Many of the youngsters show their animals throughout the fair season but do not sell them until Fryeburg, the last fair of the year in Maine.