LAKEPORT>> The theme for the 2024 Lake County Fair was “Barn in the USA”, a fitting title for a county fair with such a strong anchor in agriculture. Every year the FFA and 4H youth farmers work tirelessly for several months raising their market animals for the Junior Farm Auction, ultimately raising funds for their futures. This year’s auction began at 9 a.m. Saturday with a buyer’s breakfast that gives the auction participants a final chance to pitch their animals and secure a good price. By noon the auctioneering is in full swing.
The Farm Auction is a large part of the fair, bringing all of Lake County’s agricultural youth together. This year there were a total of 308 entries which included steer, lambs, goats, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and rabbits. There are also Agricultural Mechanics projects auctioned, which are hand made goods that generally require skills like welding and carpentry to complete. This year there were 17 Ag. mechanic entries ranging from a custom grill and glider style bench to a garden bench complete with CNC machine cut grapes and tree designs as well as a rack to hang tools and shelving. That bench was made by 17-year-old Tillie Grant from the Upper Lake FFA and sold for $4,000.
The auction also allows for the animals to be judged, awarding participants and their animals everything from “Best in Show” to “Grand Champion.” These awards help to ensure a good market price at the auction as winning animals generally bring in a higher per pound bid. Some of this year’s winners were Alyssa Judson from the Middletown 4H with her market goats taking the Grand Champion award, weighing in at 105 pounds. Judson shared that she had started at age 5 raising chickens, continuing through her current role in high school.
Both Kiera Murray from the Anderson Valley 4H and Lily Solis President of the Middletown 4H won during Sunday’s Round Robin awards, which Solis shared “It’s like a best of the best competition.” Murray won with her goats, weighing 65 and 84 pounds and Solis won with her turkey which also received the “Reserve Grand Champion Award” weighing in at 17 pounds. Solis shared that she also began 4H at 5 years old, raising chickens.
Desarae Chiffolean from the Middletown FFA said that she too started at a young age raising ducks. Chiffolean was preparing her animal this year, a turkey weighing 28 pounds, for the Round Robin judging. She said, “It’s more about showmanship and how well you handle your animal.”
Every year a foundation animal is raised where according to the auction program all of the proceeds go to the Fair Foundation for “Projects like the new electrical for the Pavilion Building, picnic tables, and cement work in the tractor barn.” This year Kolby Medina from the Kelseyville FFA raised “Fair-Ah”, a 220-pound hog donated by Dennis Grove Concrete Pumping while the feed and other supplies were donated by the Lakeport Rainbow Ag.
