LAKEPORT— Unlike the sinister intent of the Piper of Hamelin, the County Fair at Lakeport each year nurtures its youth in order to provide the means for the county adolescents to help themselves to enhance their knowledge and skills that will maximize their potential.
But similar to the Brothers Grimm tale, the auction is a teachable moment and perhaps the one who can best get the point across is veteran auctioneer Tim Gomes. “This fair is a chance for kids to sell animals they’ve raised all year, to buy another animal next year and to support themselves in college,” said Gomes. I always remind buyers; they are supporting kids in higher education.”
The Fair draws in about 30 to 40 thousand people a year according to Fair CEO Sheli Wright, depending on weather. And while early Saturday drizzle was a foreboding sign by the noon auction start saw sunshine break through and filled the arena bleachers to near capacity. The animals at the County Fair fetch a much better premium price than an open livestock market, explained Gomes.
“Cattle (price) has gone up in the last year,” said Gomes. “I expect steer will average over $7 a pound. And a lot of people buy steer to provide meat for their families.”
And he pointed out the price of pork is up in 2023 too. Part of that has to do with people of California supporting the passage of Proposition 12 in 2018.Going into effect 1/1/2022, Prop 12 requires livestock such as hogs, cattle and chickens to be raised in cage and range-free environments (animals supplied adequate room to turn around). Yet according to CNN Business online only about 5 percent of producers have complied, while critics of the law maintain it will lead to price hikes of $50 annually. However, California regulations are not happening in a vacuum. The European Union, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and nearly a dozen states have passed laws to ban gestation crates for mother pigs, and some big-name food businesses — McDonald’s, Whole Foods and Chipotle, to cite three, have made similar pledges, according to UC Davis.
Gomes learned his craft at the Western College of Auctioneers in Billings, Montana. “It’s important to know the product and your market,” he said. “You go to school and you get to sell and you have to learn. I started out in Roseville Livestock. I’ve probably worked in several western states. This is a prime opportunity for kids. So, it creates a good working structure and teaches kid responsibility.”
CEO Sheli Wright grew up on her family farm in Kelseyville and still lives on the ranch her parents bought. Wright has raised animals at this fair and so has her daughters and granddaughters. “The Fair is really about tradition,” she said. “It started off so growers could show off their agricultural products. But my favorite part is the animals. And I can still remember taking kids to the (San Francisco) Cow Palace with the Kelseyville FFA.
Meghan Renfro of Scotts Valley 4-H, won Reserve Grand Champion with her steer, Little Man, an Angus Cross steer who weighs 1,249 pounds, which has a long and thick neck that the judges happen to like. “He’s good and chunky with good hindquarters, so he’ll be fresh to eat,” said Renfro. “I won Grand Champion last year. But I was not expecting it this year. But it turned out to be really, really good.”
Back again this year as a buyer was Tara Hall of Middletown. Her two adult sons formerly sold livestock at the Fair. Midway through the hog auction she purchased a 238-pound pig for her family’s needs. It will be sent to Willowside Meats in Santa Rosa for processing and then stored frozen in a variety of pork products.
“The advantage of buying at the auction is to help out the FFA and 4-Hstudents,” she said. “And you know the meat is locally grown and you can absolutely taste the difference; it’s a whole lot fresher.”
