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SY 4-H report: Hard work pays off at the fair

By Antonio Barret/For the Valley News

It takes everything you’ve got. Effort, training, knowledge, courage, experience, enthusiasm.

Santa Barbara County Fair is just around the corner and for many 4-H members, all the months of hard work is going to pay off.

This is the culmination of all the incredible efforts put into their animals to present them to the judges for them to decide who is the fattest, calmest, most successfully presented, the reasonably good looking and healthy. From the best breeders, to the farm land and agriculture, to the quality of their food, and to the water they drink.

These animals are spoiled rotten to the core and live the best life an animal can get, which is why some make grand champions or reserve champions. All this effort is put into one show that will get the animal sold to the highest bidder.

4-H members have invested in their animal with money and time hoping to get a profitable exchange. From 9- to 19-year-olds many write invitation letters to inform buyers to come and support them.

Chase Calhart, part of the Lucky Clover 4-H, is showcasing swine for the second time and he seems to have all of the holes filled in. His pig, Blu, is nice and plump for this year’s fair. When I interviewed him, he told me that his swine cost around $600 total. He hopes to get more money than he spent. But, he probably will double that amount, since according to a previous customer, “We paid 5 bucks a pound.”

Another great example of a hard worker would be Kayla Hutchenson, bringing her Hamp Suffolk Cross sheep. She is a junior leader who is taking both a market and a breeder for sale. When she gathered her sheep, it ran in between her legs, so for a second or two, she was riding the animal. But an important thing was the profit; she earned $772.00. Her fat sheep made her a bit richer by getting $8 a pound.

Miguelito Duran, from the Lucky Clover 4-H, is one of the most hard working little kids that I have ever seen. He has a kind heart and strong enthusiasm in work or play. His steer, an angus-cross called Romeo, was a little bronco, but Miguelito a 9-year-old, handled him like a man, tough and strong! So now Romeo is a big ol’ teddy bear.

You cannot miss Amanda Health’s showmanship at the fair. She herself is a grand champion. With nine years of experience her dairy and market goats are bound to win. Her passion and knowledge in raising goats will continue this fall at Cal Poly which she plans to take into a wonderful career.

Now in order to enforce ownership, there is a new rule of DNA fingerprinting. Each animal that is going to the fair must collect two hair samples with the roots included, one for the fair, and one for the lab. The Santa Barbara County Fair requires all livestock exhibitors entering their animals (beef, sheep, swine and meat goats) have to have it before the deadline.

No matter what, everyone who shared their experiences together is a winner. Honestly, you should come and see this memorable five days of complete excitement. One of the two events that you don’t want to miss is the Championship Drive held at the Auction Barn on Thursday, July 19 and the Junior Livestock Auction will be on Saturday July 12 at the Auction Barn. These are the days where all the hard work pays off and he or she will go home with a happy smile and a pocket full of cash, with his animal going to a new owner who will be just as happy.

The fair runs from July 9 through July 13 at the Santa Maria Fairpark, corner of Thornburg Street and Stowell Road.