Kids raise livestock for county fair
Gavin Lucas, 10, shows his hog, Arnold, at the 4-H market hog show at the Washington County Agricultural Fair.
Grace Hutchin leads her cow around the arena at the Washington County Fairgrounds on Wednesday during the junior dairy showmanship compeition.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the 4-H members buy their animals.
Gavin Lucas spent the past six months raising his Hampshire hog, Arnold.
But now it’s time to say goodbye.
As part of Penn State Extension’s 4-H program, kids spend months raising livestock to eventually be auctioned off at the Washington County Agricultural Fair market livestock sale.
The sale is held in two parts, the first for goats and rabbits at 6 p.m. Friday and another auction at 10 a.m. Saturday for steers, hogs and lambs. The kids or their parents pay to buy the animals, and then the participants are responsible for raising them and having them healthy for the fair.
“The livestock projects are very intense,” said Walt Bumgarner, the livestock educator for the extension.
Bumgarner said there is a lot of time and money that must be invested into raising the livestock. Gavin, a 10-year-old from Burgettstown, can attest to this.
“You have to make sure (Arnold) has food and water,” Gavin said.
Bumgarner pointed out participants will often wake up early in the morning before school to care for their animals.
“It builds up a lot of responsibility for the kids,” Bumgarner said, adding it also often becomes a family project, as parents or siblings might step in to help when the child raising the animal is at extracurricular activities. This is true for Gavin, who said his parents and neighbors pitched in.
Before the auctions on Friday and Saturday, all the animals get shown at various shows throughout the week. Lucas and Arnold got their chance Monday during the market hog show.
Bumgarner said that all the participants realize, ultimately, they are raising a food product, but many of the animals still become friends and pets during the time they have with them.
According to Gavin, Arnold was just like a “puppy dog,”
“He plays with the dogs and catches tennis balls,” Gavin said.