Fallbrook youngsters prepare for County Fair through practice at Youth Fair

Fallbrook youth will be traveling to the San Diego County Fair to show and auction livestock that they have been raising throughout the year through Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4H. One step in preparation for this event is the Fallbrook Ag Booster Youth Fair that took place on Saturday, May 16, at Fallbrook High School.

FFA director of beef, goat, and lamb projects Doug Sehnert said the goal of the Youth Fair is to make it a practice round that is as realistic as possible to the real thing. This includes weigh-in, market competitions based on animals' weight, to showmanship that demonstrates the handler’s experience.

"This is very similar to the [county] fair," said freshman

FFA member, Emma Christopherson who is raising a steer. "This is basically practice for us."

The Youth Fair is, for most of the participants, their first experience in a real ring competing against others in the two categories in which they will be judged at Del Mar: market and showmanship.

Market is based on the animals weight and ability to be auctioned for meat. Showmanship is categorized into novice for those who have no experience and advanced for those who have shown animals before and is judged based on the handlers’ composure and skill with the animal in the ring.

FFA and 4H participation is a long-term commitment that nearly 120 Fallbrook youth showed at this year's Youth Fair. To have an eligible steer, it must be owned and cared for by the exhibitor for 120 consecutive days, and for swine, sheep, and goats the minimum day requirement is 60.

High school junior Courtney Huff described the daily routine that goes into raising a Boer goat for market through FFA.

"You have to make sure they are fed twice a day, and you have to measure their feed and decide how much they should get," she explained. "You also need to work them everyday. You want to build muscle without burning a lot of calories."

Though the specific routine varies from animal to animal, the one thing all the farmers have in common is their dedication to their animals on a daily basis.

All this work goes in to making sure they can earn top dollar for their animals at Del Mar, and the Youth Fair provides them with a gauge to determine both what their animals need physically, and from a training perspective, how they interact with their handler in the ring.

"It gives me an idea of what judges look for," said high school freshman and FFA member Sydney Porter who is raising hogs. "They give you ideas how to improve your animal and improve yourself in showing.”

The Youth Fair also featured the aspect of FFA in which students can raise plants and sell them. Nursery advisor Scott Duffin estimated that some 45 to 50 projects from Fallbrook High School students were featured in the fair.

Fallbrook will be represented at the county level as well as they will have a team design and install a complete landscape plan for the competition at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The San Diego County Fair at Del Mar runs June 5 to July 5, with the auction and competition coming at the end of the fair. The market auction will take place on July 4, and master showmanship competition will be the following day.

According to coordinators, both FFA and 4H are dependent on community support. It is stated that the money that students make at the market auction will often pay for the cost of raising their animals in addition to (hopefully) a profit. This is not the only way to support the youth, however. The Ag Boosters of Fallbrook accept donations, memberships, and sponsorships. In Del Mar, if purchasing an animal is not a plausible donation, there are also add-ons where a supporter can donate any amount of money to the student.