KSBY

Posted: Jul 31, 2010 5:07 PM
Updated: Jul 31, 2010 9:32 PM

The weather was perfect for a day at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles, and that is where dozens of kids spent their time showing off months of hard work.

The 2010 Junior Livestock Auction took place Saturday, and while the bidding fun only lasts a few minutes, 4-H members say the lessons last a lifetime.

Feeding, washing, and keeping cool, those are just a few of the responsibilities 4-H member Brianna Soto had to tackle to make it to the livestock auction.

"I had bought my pig in April, so from April to now that's about 3 or 4 months," said Soto.

It is a big responsibility, but one Brianna says she is proud to take on.

"It makes me feel good that I worked for something and I didn't ask for it, and I didn't have to like beg or anything, it just makes me feel good that I did it mostly on my own," said Soto.

She is applying what she learned raising a pig last year, to make sure this year is even more successful.

"I just tried working with her maybe a little bit more, and then give her more stuff just to be able to juice her up and make her just weigh more and look really good," she said.

Once the work is through it is time for the bidding rollercoaster to begin.

"They started around like $4 (a pound) and then it went a little bit lower, but then it came back up to $4.50 and the Chumash Casino Resort bought my pig," Soto said.

In the end all the hard work pays off.

"It makes me feel good because then the money I have I can use it towards the next year that I do 4-H, or I can just spend it the way I'd like," Soto said.

Most pigs weigh more than 250 pounds so that translates to a pretty big paycheck for 4-H members.

Most use the money to buy an animal to raise for next year's fair.