Cal Poly kicked off its 36th annual Western Bonanza Junior Livestock Show on Friday at the Paso Robles Event Center.
The free event, which goes until Sunday, brings in thousands of visitors from different states and more than 5,000 livestock entries.
Students participating in the event showcase their animals in four categories: beef, swine, sheep and goats. The show judges analyze the animals' movement, body condition, bone structure and breed characteristics.
The animals in the livestock show are divided into three categories: junior (ages 9-12), intermediate (ages 13-15) and senior (ages 16-19 for sheep, goat and swine, and ages 16-21 for beef).
More than 100 Cal Poly students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences helped plan, market and operate the show.
Western Bonanza Swine Chair, Marley Sollecito, says livestock shows such as these are "people's passion."
"A lot of people do sports, so this is basically their version of a travel sport. They just love showing livestock, the competitiveness, the bond they have with their animals," said Sollecito.
According to the event website, the Western Bonanza Junior Livestock Show began as a senior project in 1985.
To see the full schedule of the show, click here.
