Junior Livestock Auction

What is a Junior Livestock Auction?

The County Fair is typically the culmination of many months of hard work and dedication by the youth raising livestock projects. Junior Livestock Auctions like the Santa Clara County Fair Lonnie Toensfeldt Memorial Junior Livestock Auction are the final marketplace for ribbon winning livestock such as steers, lambs, hogs, and goats, as well as, chickens, rabbits, and turkeys. These animals have all been raised by junior exhibitors in 4H, FFA or independence youth organizations ranging in age from 9 to 19. While raising these market animals, youth learn life skills such as responsibility, time management, problem solving and animal husbandry all which will last a lifetime. Junior livestock auctions are the place for these youth exhibitors to sell those projects that they have worked so hard on and invested so much time and money into.

Become a Buyer

To participate at the auction, you first need to register as a Buyer. After registering you will be provided with a buyer number. That buyer’s number is used to identify you throughout the auction when you hold up your number to bid.

Bidding will be live and in person. If you do not think you can be at the auction but still want to participate. Sign up to have a proxy bidder to place bids on your behalf. Simply fill out the proxy bidder form which authorizes someone else to bid on your behalf or you can log in and bid online.

Buyer Coalition

This year the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Management Corporation is proud to announce that we will be starting a Buyer’s Coalition!

Why Donate?
The Santa Clara County Fair Buyer’s Coalition supports local 4-H and FFA youth while helping feed our community. The Santa Clara Buyer’s Coalition is one of the few ways to support a variety of community groups at once. The Buyer’s Coalition understands the importance of fostering a connection with the youth who will feed our nation and the community that depends on it.

Who Can Donate?
Local corporations and families donate to the SCCF Buyer’s Coalition, a separate fund within the Santa Clara County Fair Management Corporation a 501 C3.

Who Does it Help?
The Santa Clara County Fair Buyer’s Coalition supports local 4-H and FFA youth while helping feed our community. The Buyer’s Coalition uses the collected funds to buy 4-H and FFA meat projects through the Santa Clara County Fair’s Junior Livestock Auction and then donates the meat to local soup kitchens and food banks. The Santa Clara Buyer’s Coalition is one of the few ways to support a variety of community groups at once. We understands the importance of fostering a connection with the youth who will feed our nation and the community that depends on it.

For more information about how you can donate to the Buyer Coalition please email us at buyerscoalition@thefair.org

What is sold?

At the 2023 Junior Livestock auction we will be selling the following:

Steer lots = 1 steer sold by the pound
Hogs lots = 1 hog sold by the pound
Lamb lots = 1 lamb sold by the pound
Goat lots = 1 goat sold by the pound
Market Rabbit lots = 3 rabbits sold as a lot
Meat Pen Chicken lots = 2 chickens sold as a lot
Turkey lots = 1 turkey sold by the pound
Egg lots = 1 dozen eggs sold as a lot

What should I expect to pay?

The cost of a 4-H or FFA animal is higher than a commercially raised animal because of the individual attention given to the animal’s development. The youth exhibitors spend countless hours feeding, cleaning, exercising, and raising these animals. This special attention delivers an exceptional product and deserves a premium price above the market price. While many factors can affect this, the “Break Even Price” noted below is the cost that should allow the exhibitor to break even. We like to suggest this “Break Even Price” as the minimum auction bid amount. Often this is the price the Auctioneer will start the bidding at for each animal as it comes across the auction block.

Please remember exhibitors are looking to earn a profit, which can then be reinvested into next year’s project, college, or future investments. So please consider bidding more to help them achieve this goal. Remember – your auction purchase is tax-deductible to the extent permissible by law.

The Santa Clara County Fair is a registered 501c3 charitable organization. For further information contact your tax professional.

Steer

Animal weight: 1200lbs.

Feeder project animal: $2000
Feed: $1500
Misellaneus cost: $100

Total project cost:$ 3600
Break even price: $3.00/LB OR $3,600

Hog

Animal weight: 250lbs.

Feeder project animal: $500
Feed: $400
Misellaneus cost: $100

Total project cost:$ 900
Break even price: $4.00/LB OR $900

Lamb / Goat

Animal weight: 125lbs.

Feeder project animal: $450
Feed: $150
Misellaneus cost: $100

Total project cost:$ 700
Break even price: $5.50/LB OR $700

When the auction starts?

The Lonnie Tosenfeldt Memorial Junior Livestock Auction is typically held in a live setting with youth showing off their animals while the auctioneer is calling off the bids. Prior to the auction all the animals are judged to confirm they are market ready. What market ready you might ask? Just as it sounds – it means each animal has been evaluated by a veterinary to ensure it is healthy, certified it is free of any drug residues and it has also been judged for adequate fat to safely enter into the food chain or go to market. The animals are then grouped together by specie and auctioned. Those animals that have “won” their classes are placed at the top of the list for their respective species. As the auction begins typically the exhibitor brings the animal into the auction ring and the Auctioneer begins to take bids.

Live auctions tend to be a dance of sorts lead by the Auctioneer calling bids. The bidding can go back on forth between bidders and sometime the Auctioneer tries to get individual buyers to up their bids or compete against each other. The Auctioneer is the life of the party- it is his/her job to get everyone excited, and they set the pace of the whole dance. All of this is in an effort to get the best possible price for each animal. When the gavel finally drops on the animal, the highest bidder (or bidders) wins.