Our county fair kicked off on Wednesday with a great farm/city breakfast, as it does every year. The Niagara County Fair is a Youth Fair that focuses on the members of the local 4-H program and their projects and accomplishments (being a youth show, the exhibitors are aged 8 to 18). Both my husband and I have participated in this fair for many years, in fact Jim is still an active volunteer leader for the Livestock Judging competition.
Friday night, the Niagara County Fair will have its annual Livestock Auction where the youngsters will auction off their prized animals. All animals are measured, weighed in, and have to earn a blue (first place) or red (second place) ribbon in their respective auction classes in their species show during the fair to be entered. This is a grand tradition at the fair and is exciting for not only the participants, but also the spectators and buyers, as well. We sell beef steers, market lambs, hogs, and meat goats. There are only a limited number of “spots” in the sale for each species.
Yesterday, exhibitors had an opportunity to show their animals in the pig show. The youth are responsible for purchasing, caring for, grooming, and showing the animals for themselves (of course some have a little help from their families). Most of the children who participate come from families that we know very well. We have witnessed these kids put many hours into getting ready for the big day of the show. An independent judge from another county was brought in to officiate the show. During the auction class, six of the twenty-two entries received a white ribbon. In giving out white ribbons to these six animals, they are now ineligible for participation in the auction on Friday.
I am no pig judging expert, so I can’t say why the judge made the decisions that he did. But, I can say, after looking at the animals, that none were malnourished or “damaged” or unfit for sale/consumption.
So, does every child deserve a blue ribbon? Will those who got the white ribbons try harder next year? Will they decide to show again? We didn’t hear any complaints from parents or from the breed leader or the participants themselves. This is the first time, in all of the years that I can remember, that an animal in an auction class received a white ribbon.