PRHS FFA exhibits livestock projects at Salinas Valley Fair
The sound of boots on crunching gravel can be heard across the pavilion and the scent of fresh shavings lingers in the air. There is a constant creaking of stall gates opening and slamming shut again. It’s show day. Exhibitors scurry back and forth, each sporting the hope of presenting the next supreme champion. All the hours, blood, sweat, and tears poured into one 15-minute class. This is the adrenaline of the Salinas Valley Fair.
On May 11, the Paso Robles FFA livestock show team trucked nine sheep, six goat, and one heifer project to the Salinas Valley Fair in King City, California to showcase them and earn a considerable profit. This fair consists of a market show that judges the exhibitor’s project on structural conformation, muscle definition, and fat conditioning, a showmanship competition that focuses on the exhibitor’s ability to show his or her animal, and an auction for exhibitors to sell their projects for profit.
“I love showing,” said senior Wyatt Spencer, “I have always loved fair and I get to be more involved with it through showing.” Spencer has shown market lambs and market hogs through the FFA.
These projects require an intense time commitment that can range anywhere from three months to a year. Hours are given to feeding, training, and exercising the animals in order to become a strong competitor in the show ring.
“I love the competition and the aspect that it’s all on me. If I fail it is because of something I did,” recalled Spencer on his passion for showing animals.
