The 38th annual Harford County Farm Fair is coming to an end, with the livestock auction signifying the finish line for many participants. Throughout the week, 4-H and Future Farmers of America kids have shown their animals to judges, winning various ribbons. They work tirelessly from spring through summer to feed, exercise and prepare their animals for the fair.
Aubrey Short, 14, has been showing animals with 4-H since she was 8 years old. This year she showed cattle, pigs and sheep, ultimately winning grand champion lamb, which she said was an exciting experience.
“It was amazing,” she said. “It’s like your hard work paid off … like you’ve been studying for a test and you get a 100%.”
Short describes selling her animals at the livestock sale as sad, but looks forward to the animals she’ll raise next year.
“I’m just excited for new beginnings, because I know selling them is really sad, but I know that I’m going to get new animals next year and it’s going to be worth it,” she said.
The auction begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday and is a symbol of the persistent effort the children have put in for the last 10 to 12 months, according to Mike Doran, co-chair on the fair’s Board of Directors and chairman of the livestock sale.
Doran said the livestock sale is the highlight of the fair and he hopes for a large turnout, not just to support the fair but to support the children and the fair’s efforts to help people learn more about Harford County agriculture.
This year there is an uptick in entries, Doran said. At last year’s fair roughly 100 pigs were in the auction, while he anticipates almost 140 this year. Lamb entries have experienced an increase as well, but the number of cattle and steer has stayed about the same.
“It’s constant growth in 4-H and I think this fair is the reason for that,” he said.
For Upper Chesapeake Diary Princess Madison Thomas, 15, educating others about her animals is her favorite part of the fair.
“There’s so many misconceptions about the dairy industry and I just really like to teach people about how the animals have personalities,” she said. “All the animals are loved so much by every 4-Her in this barn.”
Thomas, who’s been showing animals for seven years, said everyone at the fair has a purpose to be there — their love of animals and the agriculture industry. This year, she’s showing dairy heifers, dairy calves, pigs, and for the first time, sheep.
To prepare for sale night, Thomas said everyone works to spread awareness by sending out letters and sharing information on social media.
“The money goes to our future projects, helps us grow as people and goes into our college [funds],” she said.
The money entrants make during the auction goes toward funding their college tuition or purchasing new animals; a small portion goes back into the fair to cover expenses.
Thomas says after she graduates from North Harford High School she plans to study agricultural education in college.
“I want to teach people about the community and the industry,” she said. “Selling our animals and getting that money helps us become better people and grow in the future.”
Last year, the livestock auction generated nearly $600,000 in sales and served as the biggest auction in fair history with 226 livestock entries. The highest bidder was Klein’s Family Markets, which purchased a 1,322-pound steer from 12-year-old Ella Deford for $14,524. Deford used the money to purchase livestock for this year’s auction and to put some away for her education.
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