LA County Fair 2024: Livestock competition back in operation

In a return to its roots, the LA County Fair reintroduces livestock competitions for 2024 with an added wrinkle of oral presentations by exhibitors. (Photo by Will Lester / SCNG file)

In the years B.C. (that’s before Covid), something familiar was just missing at the LA County Fair.

For a decade, the Fair, which was founded a century ago to herald its agricultural roots, had turned away from holding livestock competitions, including those involving young people.

But after the pandemic closed the Fair for two years, there was a change of thinking that livestock competitions should again have a place at the annual event.

To that end, staffer Sasha Trumbull was assigned three years ago to revive the many competitions and encourage livestock ranchers, 4-H and FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) kids to enter the Fair again. And it’s working.

This year will reflect a full load of entries and categories ­­— for reference, just note the Livestock Competitions Showbook is 54 pages long.

The return of the livestock competitions also makes it possible for the members of the 11 FFA and 4-H programs in Southern California to showcase their animals at two fairs (Orange County being the other) each year.

“The show gives the students a perfect learning experience on how to prepare and showcase their animals,” said Angie Bacon, adviser for the FFA program at Covina High School.

“And the fact the LA County Fair has moved to May also lends itself to allowing the students to showcase their animals during the school year.”

Orange County remains the only fair locally in which animals are sold after their show. LA County Fair no longer has sales of its entered animals.

The last weeks before the opening of the Fair is a busy time for the Covina FFA program, preparing the animals for the first of two showcases. “It’s our busiest time of the year,” said Bacon.

The students are concentrating on their animals as well as continuing with their studies.  The FFA program at Covina, taught by Bacon and her former FFA student Ashley Vizcarra, includes classes on sustainable agricultural biology, soil chemistry, floriculture, animal science, veterinary science, and agricultural economics and government as part of their regular graduation requirements.

For the FFA and 4-H exhibitors as well as adults, this year’s edition of the Fair includes a new twist providing an educational bonus for those visiting the competition barns.

It’s called the Presentation Contest, in which entrants both young and old are handed a microphone while their animals are in the show ring. They get 30 minutes to talk about all aspects of the animals while working with them in front of spectators.

“We will use these Presentation Contests to educate the public and increase interest in raising all types of animals,” Turnbull explained.  “This is a teaching component that we think will be very popular.”

Exhibitors submit a lesson plan in advance for approval and then must follow it during their presentation. They must arrive on time with their animal and talk for the entire half-hour.  It’s $20 to enter with $100 going to the winner in each category.

The oral presentations involving pygmy goats and llamas are on May 4; angora goats and breeding sheep on May 8 and 9; beef cattle, goats and lambs on May 16 and 17; and dairy goats, May 23 through 26.

“Any exhibitors competing with their animals can present. It is not limited by age,” she said. “The third week will most likely be all students, but the other weekends it could be anyone.” The only animals on exhibit are not involved in the Presentation Contests are rabbits, cavies and poultry.

And she said the only “regular” animals from past competitions not in this year’s fair are swine.

But the porcine group will still be represented with the popular pig races on the old horse track in front of the Grandstand and with plenty of pictures of the familiar Fair mascot, Thummer the Pig.