Every year leading up to the last week of Fair, exhibitors are anxiously awaiting the Junior Livestock Auction and potential buyers are excited to see the animals available that year. 2020 had different plans. After the cancellation of the 2020 Alameda County Fair, we quickly moved to see how we could hold an auction for our 4-H and FFA exhibitors this year.
This year a completely Virtual Auction will take place from July 10 to July 12. Our team wanted to ensure that exhibitors who have been putting in the hard work since September were able to enjoy one of the events they look forward to most at the end of Fair. Most of the exhibitors had already purchased their show animals prior to the Shelter in Place or Fair being canceled. Beef exhibitors buy their project animals as early as September.
This year we had many kids who were able to raise their animals in the Marissa Hunt Youth Barn on the Fairgrounds and are excited to see their yearlong project through to the end. They have been able to raise these animals this year despite not having a place to raise them at their own homes. These kids came to the Youth Barn each day to care for their animals and create the best scenario for the annual auction.
The Virtual Junior Livestock Auction is anticipating 250 entries for steer, sheep, pigs and goats. Pre-bidding and add-ons begin Friday, July 10 at 5pm and go through Sunday, July 12 at 8:59am. Pre-bidding allows a bidder to place a minimum bid and receive a notification when they are outbid. Add-ons allow for a bidder to sponsor an animal for flat rate to add to the exhibitor’s overall sale.
On July 12, from 9am to 4pm, the Virtual Auction will take place by highlighting each lot for sale. Our virtual auction has been a huge hit; bidder registration is up by 40% over 2019.
We are excited to be able to bring an auction to our 4-H and FFA exhibitors this year, regardless of whether or not we can have the anxious butterflies in the days leading up to the event.
