The Santa Barbara County Fair is underway, with hundreds of local agriculture students participating in the annual Junior Livestock Show and Auction. The event, which began on Monday, features nearly 4,000 animals and 1,111 exhibitors from Northern Santa Barbara County and South San Luis Obispo County.
Supporting Local Agricultural Education
The junior livestock show is a cornerstone of the county fair, providing students with the opportunity to showcase their hard work and dedication to raising animals. The event allows students to sell their animals, with last year’s auction bringing in nearly $2 million, which goes directly back to the students to support their future education.
According to Hailey Rose Switzer, Santa Barbara County Fair Livestock Superintendent, the junior livestock show is the heartbeat of the county fair. ‘It’s what keeps us energized and excited to be here,’ she said. ‘The kids are really excited to be here, and yes, all the other stuff is so fun. The carnival rides and the hot dogs and everything, but we love the exhibitors. They look forward to this all year and they work really hard to be here, so we’re very excited for them to get to show off that work this week.’
The auction will take place on Friday and Saturday, with a small animal auction on Friday at noon, followed by the replacement heifer auction at 6:30 p.m., and all other market animals on Saturday starting at 8 a.m.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
