San Luis Obispo FFA
2015 Mid-State Fair Schedule of Events
**Beef exhibitors, remember to bring your bill of sale!
All Exhibitors: Make sure that you have white jeans, a white collared shirt, a belt (optional) and the FFA jacket and tie or scarf. DO NOT ask us at the fair to borrow a jacket- that is your responsibility and you need to take care of this before you get to the fair.
Beef: Sign up to clip Beef Animals with Mrs. Evans before fair!
Monday- Friday, July 20-24th:TBA; Clean tack, tack box inventories, organize supplies, etc. Sign up with Mrs. Bates for clipping swine all this week.
TBASee Evans for Shearing Schedule at farm. Sign up in shifts. See Mrs. Bates to finish clipping pigs!
*I-Record Books are due before receiving your fair checks. If you have not yet started, please make arrangements with Mrs. Bates or Mrs. Evans to get these completed before checks are available Mid-August. You must turn in a completed record book to receive your check from the fair! This means that you cannot use your 1 hour of farm clean up to work on your record book!
**ALL SHEEP exhibitors MUST have their lambs SHEAREDbefore the official weigh-in at the fair! DO NOT shear below the hocks or knees.
Sunday July 26th: SLO FFA’s Official animal drop off time is TBA. We will meet at the SLO H.S. school farm at TBAto start loading the animals. We will leave our farm at TBA. If you have an animal at home and you need us to transport it, you need to get it to the school farm beforehand. Make sure to give all your animals plenty of fluids as they will be stressed and it will be hot in Paso even at night when we get there. They can lose a lot of weight upon traveling to the fair. Pig owners…give your pigs lots of Gatorade right before we load them. Some pigs will go up on Saturday and the rest will follow on Sunday. Please check with Mrs. Bates to determine your day and time.
The Ag Truck and Trailer will be hauling the hogs that are making weight. Light weight hogs will be hauled separately. We will need to discuss hauling sheep and cattle to the fair. Please make sure that someone is in charge of getting your animal in the trailer, so that it isn’t left behind!
**Make sure to check with Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Bates before feeding and/or leaving for the day/evening!
Monday July 27th:
6:00 AM Feed Hogs and Sheep (Every minute you are late is $1 you will be charged)Check with Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Evans before you begin feeding. Some animals feed will be controlled/monitored.
7:00AMWeigh-in for all animals- check to see what order you go in. It is very important for you to be responsible and get where you need to go on time. We will not hold your hand! If you miss yourweigh-in then you will not show. (Steer needs Bill of Sale)
12:00PM Scales Close
6:00PM Ladies Lead Contest, All animals should be fed at this time. Check with instructors about possible showmanship practices tonight or later in the week!!
Turn in forms to Evans, Bateson Withdrawal/Medications to animals. You and your parents must sign these.
Tuesday July28th:
6:00AMFeed and clean pens ($1/minute late)
6:30AM Feed/check show schedule/prepare to wash
7:30AMWeigh-in and Preg Check for Heifers (Need Bill of Sale/Yellow Sheet)
8:00AMMarket Hog Show (4-H Followed by FFA)Hog participants should be preparing their pigs and be around the barn for the entire time until show time. Make sure your hogs are washed and ready,and that you know what class you are in. Make sure to bring your FFA Uniform with you in the morning. Make sure to check with Mrs. Bates for further information.
8:00AM Mkt Sheep show(FFAFOLLOWED by 4-H)(Make sure to have your official FFA uniform ready)Meat Goats will follow this show (4-H followed by FFA). Bring clothes down, but DO NOT be in Whites until your lamb is ready to go.PS.My son is showing in the 4-H sheep show, so I will be doing dbl duty which means YOU MUST LISTEN to my instructions!!You MUST WORK as a TEAM and HELP Each OTHER! NOBODY Changes until the Pen of 5 is Done…we will get a group picture!
5:30PMFeed (Early) Pig and Sheep Because of BBQ
6:00PM SLO FFA BBQ at the Adelaide- Everyone Welcome!!
Wednesday July 29th:
6:00AMFeed and clean beef
6:30AMFeed and clean pens ($1/minute late); sheep and hogs only!
8:00AMBreeding Beef Show followed FFA Market Steers then 4-HMarket steers – make sure you have your FFA uniform ready – the breeding show should be small. (I recommend washing at 1 or 2 to let them lay back down before getting up for show)
5:00PMReplacement Heifer Show FFA 1st followed by 4-H
6:00PMFeed Sheep and Hogs
*BEEF; Make sure to give yourself ample time to prepare, at least 1 ½ hours. Don’t get your animal ready too early or it will get tired! Practice how long it takes to prep your animals!
Thursday July 30th:
6:00AMFeed and Clean pens ($1/minute late)
7:00AMFeed and Clean Beef
8:00AMHog Showmanship – 4-H 1st Followed By FFA– (Make sure your uniform is clean and ready) Also, the judge will expect you to have a complete uniform, cane, rag, and small brush with you in the ring.
8:00AMMeat Goat Showmanship (FFA followed by 4-H) Sheep Showmanship follows the goat show- FFAFirst followed by 4-H. Be Ready- No telling how many goat showmen there are!
6:00PMAll animals Fed
Friday July31st:
6:00AMFeed and Clean Beef (bring whites to barn)
7:00AMFeed and Clean ($1/minute late) Sheep and hogs only!!
8:00AMBeef Showmanship- FFA Followed by 4-H
6:00PMReplacement Heifer Sale – All animals fed. (Must be in uniform)
Saturday August 1st:
7:00AMFeed and Clean ($1/minute late)
8:00AMJr. Livestock Auction begins- make sure you know what order your animal sales so you don’t miss it!!!
8:00-12:00We are runners during the auction this year. You will be given a time slot to help. You must be in uniform for this! Mrs. Bates and I will tell you who ishelping!
6:00PMFEED & Water
Sunday August 2nd:
7:00AMFeed and Clean
9:00AMRound Robin Showmanship
11:00AMPee Wee Showmanship
1:00PMLivestock Judging Contest (sign up by Wednesday, July 25th)
4:00PMMeet at livestock area to begin cleaning your tack and area!!! We NEED parents and additional trucks and trailers to move our displays out!
Tuesday, Aug. 4th
TBAClean up begins at the farm!!!
9AMMeet at School to Clean up and Put Livestock Stuff Away! All pens must be cleaned to their original or better state, manure dumped, equipment returned, etc.
*Record Books are to be completed prior to receiving money. We will be assisting with record books on Tuesday and Wednesday, but this does not account for your cleaning time. You must not only clean your pen, but assist in cleaning tack, putting equipment away, etc.
This is mandatory! Your check will be held until you put in at least 1 hour of work at the farm or OH unit and it will be at the leisure of Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Bates. You will not receive your check until all of the above is completed. You will also need to write thank you letters to each of your buyers and hand them to us with addressed and stamped envelopes. Buyers should be given a gift. Many choose a donation to the Heritage Foundation on their behalf or something else of your choosing. If the Foundation is back and purchases your animal they do not want you to give them a gift, so a donation on their behalf would be an appropriate gift.
Wednesday,August 19th: TBA
Checks Ready from the fair! Only if you have completed your requirements!
*** Sat. the 27thand Sunday the 28th, Mrs. Evans, her husband and kids will be competing at the Ranch Rodeo on the Fairgrounds. She will not be responsible for getting your children and their animals to the auction. That is their responsibility. She will be on the grounds and available by cell phone: #610-5768
Mrs. Bates will be in and out of the livestock barn to assist in the auction process, but is not responsible for getting your projects to the sale ring at the proper time. She can be reached at #801-2532 at all times.
Please be considerate of all exhibitors, adults and fairgoers. If we see you abusing your animal or anyone else’s animal in any way then you will be asked to leave the fair and you will not be allowed to show. Remember that all school rules apply – there is to be no profanity, drinking, tobacco, or other drug use at anytime. If you break these rules you and your animal will be sent home immediately.
We are all going to the fair under the title of San Luis Obispo FFA, so we expect all of you to act like a team and help each other out. It is up to you to make SLO FFA look good. There will be a person chosen for each species that will be in charge of helping us to keep track of those individuals who do not show up to feed on time. As a parent, it is your responsibility to help get your child where they need to be and to let them do the work. It is not okay for parents to be in the pens, handling or feeding the animals. It is the student’s project and their responsibility.Parents ARE NOT allowed to touch the animals or do any work on feeding or pen cleaning while the students are at the fair. We will enforce this!
Do not bring your shavings or straw to the fair. If you have a less expensive place for us to purchase the straw prior to going to the fair then we can discuss this as a group, but to avoid any problems of “splitting” costs, it would be easier for us to work as a chapter to share the expenses. Please let me know of any other ideas that you have, we are certainly open to other options! Thank you! We have an account set up with Farm Supply and you will be able to get straw and shavings. The cost of these supplies will be split amongst all of the exhibitors and will be paid prior to receiving their fair checks on Wednesday, August 19h.Remember; A Record Book, Thank You letter and payment of fees must be turned in before you are allowed to get your check. There will be additional charges for shavings, late fees, antibiotics, and other medical expenses, so please be prepared to pay these prior to receiving your checks for fair too.
The fair is meant to be fun and it is a vacation for most of you, so please try to enjoy yourselves.
Thank You
P.S. Don’t forget to write a thank you letter and to get a buyer’s gift for your buyer even if you don’t know who it is yet. We recommend a donation to the Heritage Foundation on behalf of your Buyer, so that the money goes back to exhibitors and the fair.
Reminders:
- If your animal gets sick during the fair, contact an advisor first and seek our advice. If we do not have an answer then we will help you find one. Do not let anyone touch your animals or give them anything until you have spoken with an advisor and your parent(s)/guardian.
- Do not make uneducated remarks to the public that could be taken out of context. There are people around who would love to close every fair and livestock exhibition, so your comments can make a huge impact on the FFA and the livestock industry.
- If your animal has been sick but has now recovered, do not tell Joe Q Public that your animal had a contagious disease that you were afraid would prevent you from exhibiting at the fair; this scares people who do not know anything about livestock.
- Keep your comments positive and discuss only the good things about caring for your animals and about all of the good care that your animals have received.