San Luis Obispo FFA
2015 Mid-State Fair Schedule of Events
**Beef exhibitors, remember to bring your bill of sale!
All Exhibitors: Make sure that you have white jeans, a white collared shirt, a belt (optional)
and the FFA jacket and tie or scarf. DO NOT ask us at the fair to borrow a jacket- that is
your responsibility and you need to take care of this before you get to the fair.
Beef: Sign up to clip Beef Animals with Mrs. Evans before fair!
Monday- Friday, July 20-24th:TBA; Clean tack, tack box inventories, organize supplies,
etc. Sign up with Mrs. Bates for clipping swine all this week.
TBA See Evans for Shearing Schedule at farm. Sign up in shifts. See Mrs. Bates to finish
clipping pigs!
*I-RECORD BOOKS ARE DUE BEFORE RECEIVING YOUR FAIR CHECKS. IF YOU HAVE
NOT YET STARTED, PLEASE MAKE ARRANGEMENTS WITH MRS. BATES OR MRS.
EVANS TO GET THESE COMPLETED BEFORE CHECKS ARE AVAILABLE MID-AUGUST.
YOU MUST TURN IN A COMPLETED RECORD BOOK TO RECEIVE YOUR CHECK FROM THE
FAIR! THIS MEANS THAT YOU CANNOT USE YOUR 1 HOUR OF FARM CLEAN UP TO
WORK ON YOUR RECORD BOOK!
**ALL SHEEP exhibitors MUST have their lambs SHEARED before the official
weigh-in at the fair! DO NOT shear below the hocks or knees.
Sunday July 26th: SLO FFA’s Official animal drop off time is TBA. We will meet at the
SLO H.S. school farm at TBA to start loading the animals. We will leave our farm at TBA.
If you have an animal at home and you need us to transport it, you need to get it to the
school farm beforehand. Make sure to give all your animals plenty of fluids as they will be
stressed and it will be hot in Paso even at night when we get there. They can lose a lot of
weight upon traveling to the fair. Pig owners…give your pigs lots of Gatorade right before
we load them. Some pigs will go up on Saturday and the rest will follow on Sunday. Please
check with Mrs. Bates to determine your day and time.
The Ag Truck and Trailer will be hauling the hogs that are making weight. Light weight
hogs will be hauled separately. We will need to discuss hauling sheep and cattle to the fair.
Please make sure that someone is in charge of getting your animal in the trailer, so that it
isn’t left behind!
**Make sure to check with Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Bates before feeding and/or leaving for the
day/evening!
Monday July 27th:
6:00 AM
Feed Hogs and Sheep (Every minute you are late is $1 you will be charged)
Check with Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Evans before you begin feeding. Some animals feed
will be controlled/monitored.
7:00AM
Weigh-in for all animals- check to see what order you go in. It is very
important for you to be responsible and get where you need to go on time. We will not hold
your hand! If you miss your weigh-in then you will not show. (Steer needs Bill of Sale)
12:00PM
Scales Close
6:00PM
Ladies Lead Contest, All animals should be fed at this time. Check with
instructors about possible showmanship practices tonight or later in the week!!
Turn in forms to Evans, Bates on Withdrawal/Medications to animals. You
and your parents must sign these.
Tuesday July 28th:
6:00AM
Feed and clean pens ($1/minute late)
6:30AM
Feed/check show schedule/prepare to wash
7:30AM
Weigh-in and Preg Check for Heifers (Need Bill of Sale/Yellow Sheet)
8:00AM
Market Hog Show (4-H Followed by FFA) Hog participants should be
preparing their pigs and be around the barn for the entire time until show time. Make sure
your hogs are washed and ready, and that you know what class you are in. Make sure to
bring your FFA Uniform with you in the morning. Make sure to check with Mrs. Bates for
further information.
8:00AM Mkt Sheep show (FFA FOLLOWED by 4-H) (Make sure to have your official
FFA uniform ready) Meat Goats will follow this show (4-H followed by FFA). Bring
clothes down, but DO NOT be in Whites until your lamb is ready to go. PS. My son is
showing in the 4-H sheep show, so I will be doing dbl duty which means YOU MUST
LISTEN to my instructions!! You MUST WORK as a TEAM and HELP Each OTHER!
NOBODY Changes until the Pen of 5 is Done…we will get a group picture!
5:30PM
6:00PM
Feed (Early) Pig and Sheep Because of BBQ
SLO FFA BBQ at the Adelaide- Everyone Welcome!!
Wednesday July 29th:
6:00AM
Feed and clean beef
6:30AM
Feed and clean pens ($1/minute late); sheep and hogs only!
8:00AM
Breeding Beef Show followed FFA Market Steers then 4-H Market steers
– make sure you have your FFA uniform ready – the breeding show should be small. (I
recommend washing at 1 or 2 to let them lay back down before getting up for show)
5:00PM
Replacement Heifer Show FFA 1st followed by 4-H
6:00PM
Feed Sheep and Hogs
*BEEF; Make sure to give yourself ample time to prepare, at least 1 ½ hours. Don’t get your
animal ready too early or it will get tired! Practice how long it takes to prep your animals!
Thursday July 30th:
6:00AM
Feed and Clean pens ($1/minute late)
7:00AM
Feed and Clean Beef
8:00AM
Hog Showmanship – 4-H 1st Followed By FFA– (Make sure your uniform is
clean and ready) Also, the judge will expect you to have a complete uniform,
cane, rag, and small brush with you in the ring.
8:00AM
Meat Goat Showmanship (FFA followed by 4-H) Sheep Showmanship
follows the goat show- FFA First followed by 4-H. Be Ready- No telling
how many goat showmen there are!
6:00PM
All animals Fed
Friday July
6:00AM
7:00AM
8:00AM
6:00PM
31st:
Feed and Clean Beef (bring whites to barn)
Feed and Clean ($1/minute late) Sheep and hogs only!!
Beef Showmanship- FFA Followed by 4-H
Replacement Heifer Sale – All animals fed. (Must be in uniform)
Saturday August 1st:
7:00AM
Feed and Clean ($1/minute late)
8:00AM
Jr. Livestock Auction begins- make sure you know what order your animal
sales so you don’t miss it!!!
8:00-12:00 We are runners during the auction this year. You will be given a time slot to
help. You must be in uniform for this! Mrs. Bates and I will tell you who is
helping!
6:00PM
FEED & Water
Sunday August 2nd:
7:00AM
Feed and Clean
9:00AM
Round Robin Showmanship
11:00AM
Pee Wee Showmanship
1:00PM
Livestock Judging Contest (sign up by Wednesday, July 25th)
4:00PM
Meet at livestock area to begin cleaning your tack and area!!! We NEED
parents and additional trucks and trailers to move our displays out!
Tuesday, Aug. 4th
TBA Clean up begins at the farm!!!
9AM Meet at School to Clean up and Put Livestock Stuff Away! All pens must be
cleaned to their original or better state, manure dumped, equipment returned, etc.
*Record Books are to be completed prior to receiving money. We will be assisting with
record books on Tuesday and Wednesday, but this does not account for your cleaning time.
You must not only clean your pen, but assist in cleaning tack, putting equipment away, etc.
This is mandatory! Your check will be held until you put in at least 1 hour of work at the
farm or OH unit and it will be at the leisure of Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Bates. You will not
receive your check until all of the above is completed. You will also need to write thank you
letters to each of your buyers and hand them to us with addressed and stamped envelopes.
Buyers should be given a gift. Many choose a donation to the Heritage Foundation on their
behalf or something else of your choosing. If the Foundation is back and purchases your
animal they do not want you to give them a gift, so a donation on their behalf would be an
appropriate gift.
Wednesday,August 19th: TBA
Checks Ready from the fair! Only if you have completed your requirements!
*** Sat. the 27th and Sunday the 28th, Mrs. Evans, her husband and kids will be competing
at the Ranch Rodeo on the Fairgrounds. She will not be responsible for getting your
children and their animals to the auction. That is their responsibility. She will be on the
grounds and available by cell phone: #610-5768
Mrs. Bates will be in and out of the livestock barn to assist in the auction process, but is
not responsible for getting your projects to the sale ring at the proper time. She can be
reached at #801-2532 at all times.
Please be considerate of all exhibitors, adults and fairgoers. If we see you abusing your
animal or anyone else’s animal in any way then you will be asked to leave the fair and you
will not be allowed to show. Remember that all school rules apply – there is to be no
profanity, drinking, tobacco, or other drug use at anytime. If you break these rules you
and your animal will be sent home immediately.
We are all going to the fair under the title of San Luis Obispo FFA, so we expect all of you
to act like a team and help each other out. It is up to you to make SLO FFA look good.
There will be a person chosen for each species that will be in charge of helping us to keep
track of those individuals who do not show up to feed on time. As a parent, it is your
responsibility to help get your child where they need to be and to let them do the work. It
is not okay for parents to be in the pens, handling or feeding the animals. It is the
student’s project and their responsibility. Parents ARE NOT allowed to touch the animals
or do any work on feeding or pen cleaning while the students are at the fair. We will
enforce this!
Do not bring your shavings or straw to the fair. If you have a less expensive place for us
to purchase the straw prior to going to the fair then we can discuss this as a group, but to
avoid any problems of “splitting” costs, it would be easier for us to work as a chapter to
share the expenses. Please let me know of any other ideas that you have, we are certainly
open to other options! Thank you! We have an account set up with Farm Supply and you will
be able to get straw and shavings. The cost of these supplies will be split amongst all of
the exhibitors and will be paid prior to receiving their fair checks on Wednesday,
August 19h. Remember; A Record Book, Thank You letter and payment of fees must
be turned in before you are allowed to get your check. There will be additional
charges for shavings, late fees, antibiotics, and other medical expenses, so please be
prepared to pay these prior to receiving your checks for fair too.
The fair is meant to be fun and it is a vacation for most of you, so please try to enjoy
yourselves.
Thank You
P.S. Don’t forget to write a thank you letter and to get a buyer’s gift for your buyer
even if you don’t know who it is yet. We recommend a donation to the Heritage
Foundation on behalf of your Buyer, so that the money goes back to exhibitors and
the fair.
Reminders:
1. If your animal gets sick during the fair, contact an advisor first and seek our advice.
If we do not have an answer then we will help you find one. Do not let anyone touch
your animals or give them anything until you have spoken with an advisor and your
parent(s)/guardian.
2. Do not make uneducated remarks to the public that could be taken out of context.
There are people around who would love to close every fair and livestock exhibition,
so your comments can make a huge impact on the FFA and the livestock industry.
3. If your animal has been sick but has now recovered, do not tell Joe Q Public that
your animal had a contagious disease that you were afraid would prevent you from
exhibiting at the fair; this scares people who do not know anything about livestock.
4. Keep your comments positive and discuss only the good things about caring for your
animals and about all of the good care that your animals have received.