Club reporter Aiden Foerst and fellow youth prepare market animals for showing, auction, and life lessons at the July showcase in Paso Robles
When the last school bell rings in June, signaling summer vacation for the kids and teachers, that’s when some get busy.
The California Mid-State Fair, set for Wednesday, July 16 through Sunday, July 27, in Paso Robles, is the annual showcase for many things — from arts and crafts to fine wines and home brews, live music, and, of course, livestock. Scores of school-aged children will be showing their animals after having learned the tricks of rearing healthy livestock and maybe picked up a few business tips and hints along the way.
A dozen local kids from the Morro Bay 4-H Club will be among the other 4-H’ers from across San Luis Obispo County — along with high school Future Farmers of America (FFA) students — at the fair showing animals they’ve cared for, groomed, and raised.
One Morro Bay 4-H kid is excited to be taking his hog to the fair and to market.
“This year, I will be showing my market hog Kyrone at the Mid-State Fair along with 11 other kids from Morro Bay 4-H,” 4-H Club Reporter Aiden Foerst said. “These kids have been working hard for the past few months to keep their animals healthy and well managed.”
Though one might think raising a hog has to be easy peasy — just dump a bucket of slop in the pen and keep ’em fat and happy. But there’s much more to managing these animals, Aiden said.
“This involves daily walking to improve muscle growth, feeding twice a day, and ensuring their pens are kept clean and safe for the animals,” Aiden said. “Through this responsibility we are learning how to be in business for ourselves, and providing quality meat for the community.”
That last part is what some folks have a hard time swallowing: All the animals being shown at the fair must ultimately end up on the dinner table; it’s the ultimate, final lesson to be learned from the experience.
(Readers shouldn’t think all the animals shown at the fair are for slaughter — there is also a Dog Show competition.)
Four-H will be involved in two shows at the fair, Aiden explained. On Tuesday, July 22, is the Market Class, wherein the animals are judged for their breed quality and soundness. This is “to determine the Grand Champion animal within each species,” Aiden said.
The second show is July 24. “This is the Showmanship Show,” Aiden said. “Showmanship is where the youth is judged on their ability to present their animals to the judge. This is an exciting time for the kids where all their hard work comes to fruition.”
The end of the fair brings the actual livestock auction and sale. “After all this excitement, at the end of the week on Saturday, July 26, at 8 a.m., the California Mid-State Fair will hold the Junior Livestock Auction,” Aiden said. “This is where you help come into play whether you want to fill your fridge with delicious meat, or simply give a donation [called a add-on] to help offset the cost of the project. All my proceeds will be reinvested into next year’s market hog.”
This year, on June 29, Morro Bay 4-H also hosted a pre-Fair buyer’s event, where they invited local folks to come see their pigs before they go to the fair. It was a chance to get an early look at the little piggies going to market and to support 4-H with a donation.
If readers would like to possibly participate in the Junior Livestock Auction, visit midstatefair.com/fair/livestock.php to find instructions on signing up to bid on the beef, sheep, and pig sales. And if anyone has questions for Aiden, you can email him at Haylo85@gmail.com
