Chase Jensen
Chase Jensen has been raising animals for a long time, so long that he can’t remember when he first started. The 11-year-old Middletown 4-H member headed out to the Lake County Fair in Lakeport over the weekend to auction off his two goats, which he’s been raising for the past three months. To get the animals ready for the weekend, Jensen had to feed them a seemingly endless amount of goat feed to make sure they were above 60 pounds (a requirement for auction), train them and shave off their hair. So why does Jensen like raising the animals? “They’re funny,” he said. “They sneeze and then boogers come out of their nose.”
Emma Farrell
Emma Farrell, 15, of Scotts Valley 4-H, likes diversity. For the past three years with 4-H, she’s raised cows, dogs, chickens, guinea pigs and rabbits. For almost a year she had to walk, clean, feed and halter break her cow, which she auctioned off Saturday. Fortunately, it wasn’t a bittersweet moment for her — she hadn’t let herself get too attached to the animal.
Farrell joined 4-H at the suggestion of her mom, and though it wasn’t originally her idea, she’s enjoyed gaining valuable experience. “It’s just fun,” she said.
Robin Adams
For the seventh year in a row Robin Adams, 12, of the Blue Heron 4-H club in Lakeport, along with her brother, turned out to the fair with her rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens. They raise animals for showmanship only, which means they don’t auction the animals off. “They really love the fair,” said their mother, Sue Adams. “They love coming here.”
Despite never being involved in 4-H before, Sue Adams was filled with excitement when her children came home one day and decided they wanted to raise chickens.
“We thought it would be a great way to learn leadership and responsibility,” said Robin Adams.
Turns out, she’s pretty good at the 4-H thing too. At the fair this weekend, Adams won her age division and the senior division (ages 14 and up) for her small animals. On Saturday night she headed to Round Robin where she was required to show a dog, turkey, chicken, rabbit and guinea pig. Her friend taught her how to handle a turkey just hours before Round Robin.
For Adams, the fair is all about friends, furry or otherwise. “All my friends are here and I feel so supported,” she said.
Julia Wilson
Seven years ago Julia Wilson’s cousin’s dairy goats gave birth. Wilson was allowed to keep the only female and she’s been raising animals ever since.
Wilson, 15, of the Kelseyville FFA chapter, has brought her dairy goats to to the Lake County Fair for seven years and her market lambs for four. This year was somewhat of a tough one for her. Though she keeps her goats until they grow old, she auctions off her lambs each year. She spent months working with the agreeable animals so they could walk without a halter and she could handle their legs, Letting them go was difficult. “Basically I get super attached,” Wilson said. “This is the first year I’ve gotten really attached to my lambs.”
Saturday night, Wilson, too, headed to Round Robin.
Katey Brown
“It’s been a blur,” said Michelle Brown, the mother of Katy Brown, a 10-year-old Big Valley 4-H member and first time Lake County Fair participant. Katy Brown was inspired to raise her own goat after visiting the fair last year and seeing the dozens of goats milling about their stalls. Though she was a member of the Girl Scouts, Brown was antsy to try her hand at something new. And because she had an older sister who raised animals in her youth, entering the fair was a natural decision.
“I like to be their [the goat’s] friend, play with them,” Brown said. She’s been feeding, walking and grooming her goat for six months in anticipation of the weekend and she plans to do it all again next year, with a cow or a turkey next time.
Brown said turkeys are smaller and easier to control. And as for the cow, well she has some ideas about that. “I was thinking that I could ride the cow,” she said, giggling.
Pedro Diaz
Before May, 16-year-old Pedro Diaz of the Kelseyville FFA chapter had never raised a turkey for auction. To gain some new experience for his future, he joined FFA through a friend. “I was told I would enjoy doing turkeys my first year and I did enjoy it,” he said. “I enjoyed the satisfaction.”
Diaz plans to continue on next year with a couple of pigs.
