The annual Washington County Youth Fair is rapidly approaching. Fair exhibits will be open to the public Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4. The youth fair takes place at the Washington County Agricultural Center on Hwy 90 in Chipley. Please make plans to come and show your support for all of the fine young people who have worked hard preparing their projects.
Youth from around Washington County will have projects in 17 different categories on display in in the main building. These projects range from needlework and baked goods to graphic design and horticulture. Additionally, Washington County 4-H members will have their rabbit and poultry projects on display in the West Wing Barn. Projects in the main building and West Wing Barn will be available for public viewing 8:00am-8:00pm Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4.
In the Livestock Barn Washington County 4-H and FFA members will have their large animal projects on display. These projects include market hogs, market steers, and beef heifers. There are three different events when the 4-H and FFA members will be exhibiting their project animals in the arena; the Showmanship Contest, the Livestock Show, and the Livestock Auction. The Showmanship Contest will take place at 6pm on Friday, March 3. During the Showmanship Contest the 4-H and FFA members “show” their animals to a judge who evaluates how well the presentation is made. In the Showmanship Contest, the 4-H and FFA members are evaluated; as opposed to the actual Livestock Show where the judge evaluates the quality of the animals. The Livestock Show will take place at 9am on Saturday, March 4. The Livestock barn will be open to the public from 10:30am – 5:00pm Friday, March 3 and 12noon – 5pm Saturday, March 4.
The Washington County Youth Fair concludes with the Livestock Auction. The Livestock Auction will begin at 6pm on Saturday, March 4. All large animal projects that receive at least a red ribbon in the Livestock Show are eligible to be sold in the auction. Exhibitors are not required to sell their projects. The total number of steers, heifers, and hogs that will be in the sale will be available to the public by Saturday, March 4 at noon. The auction will proceed like most typical livestock sales; market steers and hogs will be sold by the pound and heifers will be sold by the head, to the highest bidder, with payment in full expected at the conclusion of the sale. Transportation to a local processing facility, of the buyers choice, will be provided for all animals sold through the auction for no additional cost.
One notable difference in the WCYF Livestock Auction and other sales in the option to “re-sell” an animal. This option helps benevolent buyers, which are not looking to put meat in the freezer, make their investment go farther. For a complete explanation of Livestock Auction procedures, including the “re-sell” option contact Mark Mauldin at the Washington County Extension Office, 638-6180. Exhibitors have considerable investments in their projects. In most cases, the sale of their animal is their only means to recover their costs. Please consider supporting the youth by attending the auction and biding on an animal.
If you have any questions regarding the Washington County Youth Fair contact the Washington County Extension Office at 638-6180.
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2017 Washington County Youth Fair Schedule
Friday March 3
Inside Exhibits open to public 8:00am – 8:00pm
Livestock Barn open to public 10:30am – 5:00pm
Washington County Farm Bureau Spaghetti Dinner 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Livestock Showmanship Contest 6:00pm
Saturday March 4
Inside Exhibits open to public 8:00am – 8:00pm
Livestock Show 9:00am
Livestock Barn open to public 12noon – 5pm
Livestock Auction 6:00pm
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