LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Records were shattered once again at the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s 60th annual country ham breakfast and auction.
This year, the Kentucky State Fair’s Grand Champion Ham was auctioned off for $10.5 million to billionaire Joe Craft and his wife, Kelly Craft, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The Crafts' bid was the largest single bid in the event’s history. To date, the breakfast has raised more than $44 million, according to the KFB.
It was the fourth consecutive year the Craft duo had won the country ham but has placed bids alongside other parties. It broke the previous record with a $10 million bid in 2023.
“We have given our charity to the Boys & Girls Club and to building homes in eastern Kentucky because of the flooding,” Kelly Craft said after the auction. "We are in the process of building, I believe, 36 homes in the eastern part of the state.”
The auction itself lasted about three-and-a-half minutes. It came after the packed room of 1,600 attendees heard speeches from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, R-Ky.
Kelly Craft said spending a lot at the annual auction wasn't a hard choice.
“It's so important for all of our state," she said. "To be able to elevate Kentucky, the Kentucky Farm Bureau and our agribusiness and the family farms (is) vitally important to the state of Kentucky."
Kelly Craft said her family plans to prepare and cook the winning ham before serving it on Christmas.