Photograph by Robert Scheer
Shane Winovich, 12, holds his lamb, Radar, during judging at the Santa Clara County Fair.
By Ryan Ozimek
It's 6 a.m. on a warm summer morning. While most 14-year-olds are busy catching up on lost sleep, Terry Buckley and Anne McNiff are hard at work, preparing for what will be a long day.
Waking up after a short night in a trailer parked outside the noisy Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, the two soon begin grooming their 200-pound pigs. That's right, 200-pound pigs.
These teens are members of the El Sereno 4-H Club's livestock group. They and 20 others have come to compete against other 4-H clubs and Future Farmers of America members from across the Bay Area in the 1996 Santa Clara County Fair.
El Sereno 4-H's group is made up of kids 6 to 17 years old from Saratoga, Los Gatos, Cupertino and surrounding towns. Twenty of El Sereno's members took part in the four-month-long livestock project.
"These days, there're not many resources available for kids to do these kinds of projects, but 4-H makes it possible," said community leader Vicki Bosworth.
Although the 4-H organization is known for its work in agriculture and livestock, the club is almost limitless in what it can do, Bosworth said.
"4-H is much more than just working with animals," she said. "Kids can do anything, from working with computers, cooking, sewing and much more."
The livestock project members have spent much of the past four months preparing their pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, dogs and other animals for the annual fairground show. Although they purchase their livestock in March, most members don't have a chance to work with their animals on a daily basis until the summer begins, leaving them a short month and a half to prepare for the fair, Bosworth said.
The 4-H livestock projects all follow a similar plan. First, each of the members decide which animals they want to raise. Then, they purchase the animals, and from that point, it's their responsibility to make sure that the animals are fed, cleaned and kept healthy.
Keeping these animals healthy was hard work.
"Each day, the kids needed to feed their lambs twice a day, making sure to keep them healthy and clean," said Susan Winovich, head of El Sereno's sheep project and a 4-H leader for five years. "These animals are a big responsibility."
Many a day was spent at one of the three farm locations, including the Garrod Ranch above Saratoga and the Los Gatos High School and Westmont High School vocational farming areas.
"My pig was really stubborn and hard to feed, but I still enjoyed working with it," said Andrew Bosworth, a six-year 4-H veteran.
Four months of hard work culminated into the final 20 minutes that 4-H members spent with their animals during the competition. Fifteen competitors from across the Bay Area brought their animals into the arena for the showmanship event.
Youngsters attempted to display their animals to the judges as elegantly as possible. This included making good eye contact with the judge, constantly keeping the animal between the competitor and judge, and having the animal stay poised and in control during judging. Judges also checked for the amount of fat and muscle on the animals.
On the morning of July 24, young Shane Winovich took to the arena with his young lamb. He and fellow El Sereno member Stuart Pusich walked their lambs around the arena as the judge took a close look at each animal.
"This is all about show," Susan Winovich said. "I told them that the minute they get in the ring, it's time to turn on the jazz."
After the showmanship competition, the 4-H members prepared for the next event, called market. Here, the animals are judged on their own merit, instead of how well the 4-H members can make them look.
Four months of preparation and the two days of competition suddenly ends, leaving the 4-H members with blue ribbons and hopes of receiving the best spot on the auction list. The higher the animal places in the competitions, the earlier in the auction it will be presented to the bidders.
"You usually make the most money with pigs," said 4-H member Rita Bosworth. "Sheep are much harder to keep, and you usually have to put more money into keeping them healthy."
After the auction, the animals are given to the highest bidders and the inevitable path to the slaughterhouse begins. Although they've raised the animals for four months, the 4-H members usually try not to emotionally tie themselves with their animals.
"This is what they're raised for," McNiff said. "Maybe it's tougher for the younger kids, but for me, I'm kind of looking forward to letting my pig go. It's been tough raising it for the last four months."
Months of raising their animals ended abruptly after the end of competitions, and in the eyes of some 4-H members, the project was a complete success.
"I did better than I've ever done before," Buckley said. "I got $540 for my pig!"
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, August 7, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved