Junior livestock show raises over $500,000 at fair

The Junior Livestock Show and Sale, held Saturday, June 20, at the Shasta District Fair, saw a total of 60 steers sold for an average of $2.67 per pound, 238 hogs sold for an average of $3.76 per pound, 77 lambs sold for an average of $6.52 per pound, 18 goats sold for an average of $6.77 per pound, three replacement heifers sold for an average of $3,000 per animal, two pens of chickens sold for $600 each, and a pen of rabbits sold for $1,200, said Chris Workman, chief executive officer of the 27th Agricultural District which operates the fair.

"We had a nice group of buyers. They really came out to support the kids. The buyers were really good," Workman noted.

Unofficially, and before any upgrades - some buyers will offer to raise all animals sold to a certain floor price, or may augment the bid price for selected animals - the livestock auction raised a total of $525,428.55 for the participating youth, Workman said Monday.

"We also had a silent auction for 35 agriculture mechanics projects that raised $5,570," she added.

Additionally, the Friends of the Fair, a nonprofit group recently started to promote fundraisers and community volunteer work projects to maintain and improve the fairgrounds, netted $900 for animal pens and stalls from a dunk tank attraction that featured various celebrities waiting to be dunked by the pitching prowess of members of the public who donated to the fundraiser, Workman said.

"After we paid Anderson Kiwanis back $400 for using their dunk tanks, $900 is the amount we had left over," Workman said.