What happens after the show?

farmchick

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I am getting some lambs that I will show in a Market class at the county fair in August. I don't know much about how the show works. So in things like bull or pig shows, the animal is butchered afterwards, do you butcher a lamb after the show? If it is butchered, do you HAVE to? Or could you just take it back home, and keep raising it so you could show it in Breeding classes?
 

goodhors

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If you are in 4-H, the Fair usually offers you the option of selling your market lambs at the Fair Auction of market animals. These could include the big steers, goat kids, pigs, lambs, turkey, rabbits, geese, ducks, chickens, that are commonly eaten.

The folks buying are usually good payers, spend more for 4-H or FFA to support the kids than the local market would sell the animals for. We have terrific local buyers for our Fair Auction. And usually the animals are superior in condition, fitness, than the usual run of market animals, so the meat is better too! The Grand Champions, Reserve Champion animals often have photo of buyer, kid, animal in the paper for advertising.

Some laws can control what animals sell. In Michigan, any pigs taken to Fair are REQUIRED to go to be processed afterward. NO ONE is allowed to take them home to prevent spread of disease to home herds. This is the law, you can't get around it with pigs.

Other livestock usually allows exhibitor to take their animal home if they wish. However any rules are SPELLED OUT in the Fair Book of classes and how they are run, which rules will prevail. So READ your species rules BEFORE taking an animal to the Fair. Then fill out the appropriate paperwork to SELL or NOT sell, as needed. One local Fair requires market class cattle that win to be sold, has had problems with exhibitors not knowing the rule. Exhibitor lost all ribbons and money premiums because they refused to sell that animal.

So read the book, learn the rules clearly, before jumping in. Again, here in Michigan, if a pig is unloaded at the Fair grounds, he can't be put back in a personal trailer once his feet touch the ground. This is called a "Terminal Show" because after Fair ends, ALL PIGS go to be processed. State Law. And like the old saying, "Ignorance of the law is not going to excuse you from the results" so you have to live with those rules here.
 

20kidsonhill

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At our fair you have to run all 4H animals through the auction, but they don't have to go on the slaughter truck. The buyer has the option of taking the animal home. We can't buy back our own animal, but it doesn't take much to figure out you can get someone to buy it back for you, ofcourse then you don't make any money on the animal.
 

farmchick

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Okay, I looked it up. If your sheep places Champion or Reserve Champion in anything, you have to auction it. Darn.. Thanks anyway though
 

farmchick

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Now wait a minute? Sorry guys, I'm confused, and I want to have this right. This is what it says in my fairbook, does this mean I will have to sell it? Or its an option?

Market entries in Beef, Sheep and Swine are eligible for the auction.
Exhibitors have two options when selling the livestock:
1. Exhibitors can sell the premium only. Ownership does not change hands as the exhibitor
will retain ownership of the animal for future shows i.e. State Fair or Aksarben.
2. Exhibitors can sell the premium plus the animal. This option allows the buyer to
purchase the premium and the animal. The price of the animal will be determined by a
local packer price on the day of the sale. The animal price will be paid to the exhibitor
in addition to the premium that is auctioned at the sale.
Exhibitors can choose either option and will be noted in the sale catalog.
Exhibitors can sell one unit in the auction.
A unit is described as:
1 Market Beef (steer or heifer)
1 Sheep or Pen of Three
1 Swine or Pen of Three
In the event of an exhibitor having one or more qualifying exhibit the exhibitor
can elect to combine the units into one sellable lot/unit. (Example: champion swine and
champion sheep).
Eligible units are defined as follows:
Sheep: 15 units will participate in the auction.
Champion Market Sheep Reserve Champion Market Sheep
Champion Heavy Weight Division Reserve Heavy Weight Division
Champion Middle Weight Division Reserve Middle Weight Division
Champion Light Weight Division Reserve Light Weight Division
Champion Breeders Class Reserve Champion Breeders Class
Champion Rate of Gain Sheep Reserve Rate of Gain Sheep
Champion Pen of Three (market only) Reserve Pen of Three (market only)
Beyond these champions the judge will determine the balance of the sheep participating
in the auction by ribbon placing and selection up to 15 units.

Auction order is as follows for 2011: Sheep, Swine, Beef. Future auctions will be
in rotation of this order ie. 2012: Swine, Beef, Sheep. 2013: Beef, Sheep, Swine. etc
The grand and reserve overall champions (beef, sheep, and swine) will sell first.
Each species will sell all the remaining units in that species after the six champions are sold.
 

goodhors

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Haven't a clue. Never heard of selling the Premium or the livestock processor setting the price!!

Here selling Fair Market animals is is just an Auction. Any buyer can bid and pay for the animal, even family. Kid may keep or give ribbon to buyer, which is good politics for those buying the Grand or Reserve Champion animal for the BIG money. Buyer then displays ribbon all year showing Community Youth support, good publicity.

Our own Fair does limit kids to selling two large market animals, could be a steer and pig, steer and prospect beef calf, two lambs sold individually, couple pigs.

Goats and poultry are Small Animals, don't count in total sold with above animals.

Other Fairs allow kids to sell all their market animals, no limit. This is why reading the Fair Book should give you a clue. My daughter brought one lam home last year, sold the bigger lamb and her Prospect Beef calf at the Auction. Buyers bid as high as they want, kids pay a selling fee, then get all the money paid for each animal. Sure doesn't seem like you would make much if processor is charging "market price" on the animals!!

Some animals can sell VERY well, several dollars the pound for Grand and Reserve. Kids letting them go for market price would face a huge loss of cash!! Our kids anticipate that Sale money for college in the future, buying the next set of project animals for next year. Certainly no incentive to do things thru the Fair if buyer need only spend "market price" to get their good animals.

Do you have a Fair Office? I would call the Office, or Extension Service, whomever manages the 4-H program, to explain the rules to you in DETAIL. I am unwilling to even guess on the meaning of those rules because I am not familiar with the "Premium" as it is stated. Different State, different rules.

When we got Premiums, the Judge would rate the animal, A-B-C on condtion, preparedness, for your small money award from the State. ALL the kids got a money award for the Premium, in all classes except Showmanship. This money Premium was to encourage animal husbandry in the children and keep good stock showing. We still get the A-B-C ribbon to show how well we presented animal, plus your number place ribbon in class, but no money except the Auction price selling brings.
 

20kidsonhill

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I read it three times to make sure I was understanding it.

I think it is saying that you can sell as premium only and not sell the animal, therefore you can take the animal home.

I don't see anything that says you have to sell the animal because it placed, it talks about selling the animals in a particular order based on their championship status, but doesn't say you have to choose to sell the premium plus the animal because of the championship status.


Do you understand what they are saying about a premium with or without the animal?
 

farmchick

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I don't know what they mean when they say premium.

So they are saying the Grand Champion and Reserve Champion get the opportunity to sell first? If they pass, it moves down?
 

20kidsonhill

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Setting the price by the processor is referring to the price the packing plant has bid on the animals. Before the auction begins packing plants can bid on a per lb basis to buy all the animals that will be sent to processing.

The premium price is the price that the bidder is paying for the animal at the auction, family member or business person.

the child would get only the premium price if they choos to take the anmial home. referred to as premium only in #1.

The child would get the premum price plus the packers price if they choose to do option #2. They would be letting the animal go to the packer.

Say the packer bid 1 buck a lb for the lambs. And the child has a 100lb lamb, they will get 100 dollars from the packer for the animal.
then the animal is sold at auction and a bidder bids 2 bucks a lb for the lamb, the child would then get an additional $200 for the lamb so if they let the lamb go. They would get $300 for the lamb.


Did that make sense?
 

farmchick

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I feel so confused, hahaha.
I understand option 2,
but on option 1, they're getting paid to take it home? Thats what i dont understand.
Thanks for this help though! :)
 
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