On Saturday, several local FFA high school students and 4-H club members had their hard work pay off when they exhibited and auctioned off animals they had spent months raising.
They spend hours each week caring for and selling their animals, which range from small animals like turkeys and rabbits to larger animals like pigs and cows, at the OC Fair’s annual Junior Livestock Auction.
Victoria Castellanos is comforted by her mother, Bianca Castellanos, after Yoshi, a goat they raised in the Fullerton High School FFA program, was auctioned off at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. “Yoshi is a real goofball. He’s like a dog in a goat’s body,” Bianca Castellanos said. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Brixley Takjian, 19 months old, tries on cowboy boots during the Junior Livestock Auction at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. She was with her parents cheering on her friends attending the auction. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bryson Mendoza holds his runner-up turkey, “Peanut,” during the Junior Livestock Auction at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. Mendoza is a student at Meadow Green Elementary School in Whittier. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Melissa Sala of Orange Acres Back Breakers 4-H reacts after a member’s cow sold for $14,500 during the Junior Livestock Auction at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Aria Summers, a student at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, holds a bushel of rabbits during the Junior Livestock Auction at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Children watch the Junior Livestock Auction at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Alex Hernandez helps his daughter Victoria and her lamb, Sean, style Victoria’s hair before they head to the auction stand during the Junior Livestock Auction at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. Victoria is a student at Mission Viejo High School. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Students are recognized with champion animals during the Junior Livestock Auction at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Seven-month-old Mia Orozco meets her cousin, the goat Sergio, during the Junior Livestock Auction at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. Her father, Sergio Orozco, holds Mia. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Scarlett Sanchez holds a Lady Gaga turkey that she grew attached to while raising for the Junior Livestock Auction at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. Sanchez participates in Buena Park High School’s FFA program. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Victoria Castellanos is comforted by her mother, Bianca Castellanos, after Yoshi, a goat they raised in the Fullerton High School FFA program, was auctioned off at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Saturday, July 27, 2024. “Yoshi is a real goofball. He’s like a dog in a goat’s body,” Bianca Castellanos said. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Expanding
Several Orange County high schools have FFA programs, formerly called Future Farmers of America, where students learn about careers in agriculture and livestock, and the area also has several 4-H clubs that offer similar experiences to kids of a wide age range.
A variety of livestock are on display at the OC Fair, and exhibitors are usually on hand to answer questions. Livestock competitions will continue through the remainder of the fair, with shows for breeding sheep, Angora goats and miniature donkeys scheduled for next week.
First published: July 27, 2024, 4:52 PM
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