LYNDEN - A couple hundred steers, hogs and other livestock that were raised by local youths will be up for auction at the Northwest Washington Fair next week.
More than 200 kids, all third- through 12th-graders, have signed up to auction off their animals at the Lynden Junior Livestock Sale. That's about 40 more kids than last year, when $70,000 in meat was sold, said Tanya Dostal, a local 4-H leader.
About a year's worth of work goes into getting a steer ready for auction, Dostal said, and that teaches kids how to manage their animals: feeding them, caring for them and keeping detailed records.
"We tell the kids they need to go out and market themselves," Dostal said, "so they're doing a lot of the legwork."
A nonprofit group made up of 4-H and FFA leaders helps organize the event.
Emily Harting, 13, has been raising goats for auction for five years. Last year her blue-ribbon, 124-pound market goat sold for $140. This year she plans to sell another goat, Chuck, at the auction.
"It's kind of sad," she said, "but rewarding. It's a lot of responsibility."
With the money, she plans to set a little aside for college and spend the rest on buying another goat for next year.
Dostal's own twin daughters - recent high school graduates in their last year of participating in the auction - are selling a pair of steers to help take the sting out of tuition costs for their first year at Washington State University.
All blue ribbon steers sold for more than $1,000 in 2010, while hogs and goats sold for from $89 to $150. Lambs, chickens and rabbits are also for sale at the event.
Anybody in attendance can bid on the animals. Winning bidders can choose to "take-out" or "turn" the animals.
With a take-out, the animal is either taken home by the winning bidder or sent to a meat processer. Buyers cover the costs of butchering the meat.
A turn, on the other hand, is essentially a donation to support the kids. The winning bidder pays for most of the price, and the animal is given to a meat processor to be distributed around the county and country.
"But our goal," Dostal said, "is to have more animals sold locally."
To do that, she's hoping to see more people from the area bid on the animals to enjoy for themselves.
The event will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, in the Henry Jansen Barn at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds.
