Wash pigs, clip goats, and now it's time for the fair

''Fair time is fun time" is a phrase famous among the Junior Livestock exhibitors. Though in reality, fair time is work time.

For me, a 10-year member of the Forestville 4-H club and an exhibitor at the Sonoma County Fair, the two weeks prior to the fair are critical. I am up with the sun and immediately off to work -- not with a suit and briefcase, but with wranglers and a bucket of grain.

In my home, the animals always come first. Once I wake up, I go out to the barn and begin my chores. First I feed my hogs and my horses, then the dairy goats, the cattle and the pony. After everyone is fed, I start milking the five dairy goats and then pasteurize the milk. Once the milk is cooled, I feed the goat kids and clean the barn. The morning chores take at least an hour.

To get ready for the fair, I wash and condition my pigs in the morning so their hair and skin look soft and smooth. Then it's my steer's turn for a little TLC. I brush him and practice showmanship.

Once the outdoor chores are finished, my brother, sister and I make a mad dash to the computer. Not to play video games, but to work on our 4-H Record Books. Record Books are a detailed accumulation of your 4-H year and take a lot of hours and effort to complete. They are required before you can sell your market animals at the fair.

After working on the Record Book, I try to find buyers for my hog and steer, which are to be sold at the Junior Livestock Auction. I type up letters with a picture of myself and my animals to hand-deliver in my 4-H uniform to prospective buyers. Last week, I went to the offices of dentists Robert Grove and Darin Schettler, as well as Safeway, G & G Market and Raley's.

Then it is time to work on my educational displays, which are to be hung above my animals at the fair and need to be informative and interesting to the public.

Show animals also must be cleaned and clipped. About one week before the fair, I clip the bodies of my hogs, goats and cattle. It takes a full day to clip each animal and get it looking "show ready."

Now, about 6 p.m., it is time again to begin the feeding chores. In the evenings the chores take longer because I also clean the stalls and pens.

A common question I am asked is, "How could you possibly raise an animal to be sold for meat?" At first, raising a market animal was difficult for me. I sold my first market hog when I was 8 years old. After the auction, I was in complete tears and decided to become a vegetarian, which lasted about two days. Almost 10 years later, I have gained so much knowledge about the agriculture industry, about raising and selling animals, keeping accurate records and, most of all, responsibility.

For 4-H members to sell their market animals, they must attend their 4-H club project meetings. At the meetings we learn the breeds of animals, animal shows, the cuts of meat, what products come from the animals, and most important, where our food comes from: not from a grocery store, but from a farmer.

When I purchase my hogs in the spring, I know exactly what they will be raised for. I do not think of market projects as pets, although I have a great relationship with them. I see them as a learning experience and a pathway to my goal of becoming a large-animal veterinarian.

Selling my market animals at the Sonoma County Fair has taught me lifelong lessons about respect, responsibility, and the process of raising animals for food. It takes hard work and a lot of commitment from my parents, and I feel privileged to be a part of such a great program.

Cierra Warner, 17, lives with her family

in west Santa Rosa

and attends El Molino High School.