Supporting 4-H Youth at the Thurston County Fair

The Thurston County Youth Market Animal Sale provides an outlet for 4-H and FFA youth to exhibit and sell locally-raised livestock, including steers, hogs, lambs, meat goats, market rabbits. For the first time this year, the sale will also include fryer chickens and turkeys.  

All year, kids have been raising, caring for, and training their animals for exhibit at the fair. Through their 4-H and FFA groups, they learn about animal husbandry, budgeting, and how to sell a finished product. With the money the kids earn from selling their animals, they cover their expenses for feed and supplies. Many of these kids invest any profits in purchasing animals for their next project, or save the funds for future college expenses. When I was in 4-H, the money I made from the market sale helped me pay for travel when I was in college, giving me opportunities I wouldn't have otherwise had.

I know first-hand how hard these kids have worked, how much time they have invested, and how much impact the proceeds from the market sale can have. That's why I'm happy this year to pay forward the generosity of those who supported me when I was a kid, by supporting these 4-H and FFA kids this year.

If you'd like to support our local youth in agriculture, here's how you can contribute. 

Participate in the auction on Saturday, August 3 at 6:00 p.m. 

This is your best option for purchasing high-quality, locally-raised meat for your family, while supporting local kids.

Register at the Hicks Lake Barn for an auction number before the auction, and get ready for the bidding action! When you bid on an animal, you're bidding an amount per pound based on the animal's weight. If you're bidding $3.00 for a 250-pound pig, the cost will be $750.

After the sale, the animals will be transported to the butcher for processing. You'll have a chance to talk directly with the butcher to specify how you'd like your meat cut and wrapped. All processing fees are paid directly to the butcher, and your order will be ready for pickup in 2-4 weeks. 

If you'd like to participate in the fun of the auction, but you don't want to keep the animal, you have the option to "turn" the animal. When you win a bid for an animal, you can choose to turn it back to the committee. A designated buyer will purchase the animal at a pre-determined floor price, and you pay the difference. So if you win a bid of $1.25/pound and the floor price is $0.50/pound, you will only pay $0.75/pound and the designated buyer will pay the remaining $0.50/pound. The youth will receive the full $1.25/pound, the floor buyer keeps the animal, and you will have contributed to supporting a local kid without needing to take home all the meat. 

For more details, see this brochure from the TCYAMS committee about buying a market animal and having it butchered for your own use.

Of course, if you'd like to purchase an animal and take it home yourself, that's an option, too. You will be responsible for transporting the animal after the fair, as well as any associated costs. The animals cannot be re-sold at another auction. 

Donate online

If you'd like to support local youth but auctions aren't your thing, you can also donate online. These add-on donations go directly to the kids, and help cover their feed and other expenses from raising the animal. See pictures of the 4-H and FFA kids with their animals and make your donation online through the TCYAMS website. 

About the Thurston County Youth Animal Market Sale

In October 1990, a group of local business people, farmers, and the agriculture community put together a little money and a lot of effort to establish the first Thurston County Youth Market Animal Sale. Their goal was to invest in the future of agriculture through youth, and provide educational experiences in selecting, feeding, training, and marketing the finished product.

For over 30 years, the sale has supported youth in agriculture through the generosity of the community. Learn more about the market sale and how it works.