4-H Club Looks to County Fair Auction on Aug. 20

4-H Market Goats Fattening Up. Photo Courtesy of Jan Sanburg.

By Brigid Ehrmantraut

The County Fair, with all the months of preparation leading up to it has been called “The Highlight of Our Year” by 4-Hers and their parents. It’s an event to look forward to for more than cotton-candy and gut-wrenching rides.

The Fair doesn’t begin until August 17 and won’t end till August 20, but now is the time that activity reaches fever-pitch for the 4-H (Head, Heart, Hands, and Health) Clubs of San Juan County.

The Orcas Island Fur & Feathers 4-H Club encompasses kids from five or six-year-old “Primaries” to 18-  and 19-year-old “Seniors” preparing to finish their last years in the program. Together with leader, Kathy Morris, the club has been filling out forms, meeting deadlines, and conducting last-minute health checks on animals.  (refer to fair website for schedule: sanjuancountyfair.org).

The pressure only builds if you are going to auction off your market animal on Aug. 20. This is an investment you’ve spent more money and time on than you want to admit. If you can’t get at least $3.00 per pound on that hog you won’t break even on the costs of raising it: the original cost of the creature, feed, shelter, vet bills, hay, penicillin and de-wormer, for starters. To say nothing of left-over profit for your college fund…. Plus is it conceivable that you’ve actually grown attached to that fuzzy little lamb, those pens of pullets? Do you really want your steer to grace a well-meaning-someone’s dinner table? Or do you desperately need those funds (assuming you can pay off your debt) for a new computer or to go towards buying that truck?

I know of no one to withdraw their animal from the auction once signed up. These creatures, while cute and engaging, are not exactly pets. They cost quite a bit to maintain, chances are they would be eaten anyway, and they take a lot of work!

The work started at least three months ago when you acquired your animal. Sources vary, though some individuals bred their already owned creatures to produce this year’s market animal. From then on out you’ve been fretting over whether or nor your critter will make weight at the fair–if it’s too scrawny, you cannot auction and your investment goes down the drain.

To ensure they can pay off expenses, a few 4-Hers send out advertisements to various buyers from past years to drum up support. But the costs inherent in this scheme add up too; color copies can cost 20 cents per page and the Livestock Committee hasn’t quite moved into the digital age so emailing auction invitations is out.

The auction includes lambs, swine, steers, trios of pullets, dozens of eggs, the occasional pen of meat rabbits, and, new this year, meat goats too. While this important part of the fair is held in the afternoon on the last day, most 4-Hers have been there since the day before the Fair commenced.

Late in the morning on August 16 all county 4-H members (and their parents) pile chickens, artwork, sheep, jams, guinea pigs, vegetables, swine, table decorations, the odd calf, container gardens, etc. (in fact everything other than horses who are already at the fair and early entries like posters and photos) into trailers, backseats, and trunks and catches the  11:00 or 12:00-something ferry to Friday Harbor.

The mooing of the bovines started back in the parking lot on Orcas, but as the ferry crosses to Shaw, the clucking of hens and cock-a-doo-dal-dooing of roosters is added to the mix. A stop at Lopez brings grunting and bawling from lambs and sheep as well as the occasional parental grumble over a mug of spilled coffee. By the time the boat (or jocularly termed “Ark” by local commuters) arrives at San Juan, the cacophony has risen to a roar.

From there it’s up the hill to the fair grounds for a rousing afternoon and evening of tent pitching, entry tag filling out, decoration hanging, animal feeding, and wistful glances thrown towards the elephant ear booth, not quite yet open for business. There is still work to be done before showing starts up the next morning.

The 4-H livestock auction (held at 2:00 p.m. August 20 in the 4-H arena) is always a great opportunity for private individuals and businesses alike to bid on 4-H animals and eggs and support 4-H kids. Even if you don’t really want that goat you bought, you can turn it back to be re-sold a the end of the auction to benefit 4-H. Support for 4-H is always welcome!