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Ledesma raises supreme grand champion lamb

In his first year as a Fallbrook 4-H member, Oscar Ledesma raised the lamb which earned supreme grand champion honors at the San Diego County Fair's livestock market show.

"Pretty exciting for showing my first time at Del Mar," Ledesma said.

Ledesma was a Potter Junior High School seventh-grader during the 2016-17 school year. The Ledesma family moved from Orange County to Fallbrook in 2016 and Ledesma had previously been a member of the Trabuco Trailblazers 4-H chapter and had shown at the Orange County Fair during his two years with Trabuco Trailblazers 4-H.

The livestock market show which opened to the public June 27 wasn't truly Ledesma's first activity at the San Diego County Fair. The June 14-18 livestock poultry show was open to adults as well as youth exhibitors, and Ledesma showed seven chickens. One of those, a white rock bantam hen named Baby who was 1 1/2 years old at the time, won best of show.

Ledesma did not show chickens during the junior livestock exhibit, but he showed two lambs and a steer. His two lambs both won their weight classes.

Grand Theft, who eventually earned supreme grand champion designation, was a Hampshire/Suffolk cross. Ledesma acquired him in January from Nebraska breeder Mark Hassebrook, and he was eight months old and weighed 127 pounds when he was brought to the county fair June 26.

"He is a very well structured lamb," Ledesma said.

The judges had similar sentiments, and Grand Theft was designated as the 4-H mediumweight champion lamb. Auto, also a Hampshire/Suffolk cross, weighed 138 pounds on the fair scales and placed first in the heavyweight class.

"I knew they were going to be good," Ledesma said.

The champion and reserve champion in each 4-H weight class then competed for 4-H grand champion and 4-H reserve champion distinction. Grand Theft won the 4-H grand champion award. "It was really exciting," Ledesma said.

The 144-pound lamb raised by Conner Bast of Sagebrush 4-H was the 4-H reserve champion.

The 4-H or Grange grand champion, the 4-H or Grange reserve champion, the Future Farmers of America grand champion, and the FFA reserve champion animals then compete for supreme grand champion and supreme reserve champion honors. Grand Theft was proclaimed the supreme grand champion and the 137-pound lamb raised by Haley Attig of El Capitan FFA was the supreme reserve champion.

Ledesma's steer, Bubba, was a black angus cross bred by M Lazy Heart Ranch in Wyoming and acquired by Ledesma in mid-March. Bubba weighed 1,242 pounds on June 26 and placed third in the medium weight market beef competition.

The junior livestock auction took place July 1. Grand Theft was purchased by Southern Contracting Company for $33 a pound. "Sad to lose him," Ledesma said.

A student may only sell one large animal at the auction. Bubba was purchased at a barn sale for $5,000 by Horizon Sales Grocery Broker based in Costa Mesa, Fallbrook's Murray family, Michael Rindt of San Juan Capistrano, and Everest Building Company in Fallbrook. Auto was retained by Ledesma rather than sold at a barn sale and will be shown at the Aug. 24-27 Ramona Country Fair. Ledesma will also show his chickens at the Ramona Country Fair.

Ledesma and Grand Theft also placed first in the 4-H intermediate lamb showmanship competition July 3, which advanced them to the July 4 master showmanship competition for all large animals. Ledesma and Grand Theft placed fifth at the master showmanship level. The 4-H intermediate beef showmanship took place July 2, and Ledesma and Bubba were given third place.

 

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