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COLUMBIA -- "Sold, down in front!," an auctioneer yelled.

Hundreds of farmers and food lovers got together Saturday for the 65th Boone County Country Ham Breakfast. The annual breakfast, which started around 7:30 a.m., usually brings out big crowds and this year was no different.

Prize-winning hams from across the area were sold to the highest bidders. The annual breakfast brings out the crowds and this year was no different. Several hundred hams were prepared for the event but only the top ones were sold at auction.

And getting it ready to be sold isn't an easy process.

"You have to put it in cure and put it in a brown paper bag and then put it in a sock and hang it up," said Morgan George, 15, "And you hang it up for like five months."

Morgan entered the youth competition and won fourth place, which meant she could sell her award-winning ham. She sold it for $20 a pound. "I think it's worth it, it's a lot of fun," she said.

The event helps promote agriculture in the region. Organizers say the economy didn't slow down the bidding tradition.

"Our livestock sales last night were up higher than they have been," said Jeff Cook , vice president of the Boone County Fair Board. "And this morning the ham sales have been up higher or holding the same."

Former Democratic Governor Roger Wilson was the master of ceremonies. Republicans Roy Blunt and Blaine Luetkemeyer also attended.

This year's top ham sold for $60 a pound. In previous years, it's reached into the thousands - especially in election years when politicians tried to outbid each other.