In-person livestock show for agriculture students held in Santa Maria
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - This year, agriculture students are getting a modified version of the livestock show they did not get the chance to participate in last year at the Santa Barbara County fair.
Instead, last year's livestock show was held virtually, along with the auction.
“It was something that I was looking forward to so much last year and not having to do it was very sad, so being able to do it this year to make up for it was a lot of fun," said agriculture student Gillan Villa.
The missed out opportunity last summer was a point of emphasis to change this summer, and it was adjusted to get the students and community back into the show.
“We wanted to give kids an opportunity to get in the ring. There’s no greater feeling than to have a project and to take it out for show and be evaluated with your skills and time," said Central Coast Classic coordinator Gabriel Ponce.
The Central Coast Classic is an event created by agriculture teachers to at least have the showing of animals in-person.
“Kids spend a lot of time, money, and energy and it was important to us as agriculture teachers to come together and work with the county and the Santa Maria Fairpark to do something for them," said Ponce.
The Central Coast Classic is not a part of the Santa Barbara County Fair. It is only available for youth in 4-H, FFA, and other agriculture groups.
“It feels great. It feels like all of my hard work has paid off and if I wasn’t in FFA I wouldn’t have gotten able to do all these amazing things," said Jada Sanchez.
The auction will still take place virtually in mid-July, but the experience for students to physically show-off there animals is a step in a positive direction.
