As another year lapses through the pages of history, another Santa Clara County Fair comes to a close, and this year, and our own Campbell FFA chapter returns brandishing their valiant National Blue and Corn Gold as they bring home a bounty of glistening awards! From ribbons to belt buckles, we’ve swept up the accolades this year thanks to the remarkable showmanship our future farmers demonstrated in this week’s long event.
The following are the accomplishing agriculturalists in their winning category:
Dairy Goats:
“Hannah Epling’s selection of Supreme Breeding Doe represents a particularly significant accomplishment and highlights the quality of both the animal and the student’s preparation and knowledge,” says the head of the Campbell FFA chapter and Westmont teacher David Duarte. Westmont students were no doubt milking as many top places as they could in the dairy goat showmanship competitions!
Karina Gupta won 1st Place in Novice Showmanship
Hannah Epling won 1st Place in Advanced Showmanship
Brie Toledo won 2nd Place in Advanced Showmanship
Hannah Epling won the title of Supreme Breeding Doe
.
Swine:
This category tests the capability of a showman to manage and present a pig. Due to the unpredictability of swine performances, an award in swine showmanship complements a student who has a strong dedication to an animal with the expertise of managing livestock. Knowing this, the wins for hogs this year were “sooooo-eeeeeey-t!”
Nico Winter won 1st Place in Novice Showmanship
Payton Duarte won 2nd Place in Advanced Showmanship
Payton Duarte won Reserve Champion FFA Market hog
.
Beef Cattle:
This category is especially impressive. Cows are huge not only in size but in their needs. A student who can meet and exceed in the care and presentation of their cow has gone above and beyond in their category. Duarte expresses his pride in the students of the sheep category, particularly, “Nicole Mendez Rodas’ recognition as Supreme Showman is an exceptional achievement, recognizing her ability to demonstrate advanced showmanship skills and effectively present her animal in competition.” They really took the bull by the horns and wrestled some impressive victories in the beef cattle category!
Izze Toledo won 1st Place in Novice Showmanship
Emily Lima won Advanced Beef Showmanship
Payton Duarte won Reserve Champion Steer
.
Sheep:
Sheep, as a show animal, can be easily startled and overstressed when put into chaotic environments like county fairs. It takes someone who understands their animal and has a strong hand in managing it, to receive their award in this category. Controlling the stress of sheep through dedicated training and conditioning means there is nothing sheepish about the winnings for the shepherds!
Krystal Chuang won 1st Place in Novice Showmanship
Trinity Lima 1st Place, Advanced Showmanship
Nicole Mendez Rodas won 2nd Place in Advanced Showmanship
Nicole Mendez Rodas won the title of Supreme Showman
Trinity Lima won Champion FFA Market Lamb
Logan Connor won Reserve Champion FFA Market Lamb
.
Market Goats:
Our Westmont students were the GOATS in Market Goats!
Hadassah Torres won 1st Place in Novice Showmanship
Payton Duarte won 1st Place in Advanced Showmanship
Hadassah Torres won Champion Market Goat
Ren Montoya won Reserve Champion Market Goat
Payton Duarte won Champion and Reserve Champion for registered Breeding Does
In total, the cumulative profit from the sale of Campbell FFA Livestock at the fair’s Junior Livestock Auction, totaled to an incredibly impressive sum of $57,736.63! “The students raise their animals (…) throughout the year, and create an entrepreneurship for each,” Duarte explains in his calculations, “They are able to sell their self funded projects and sell them at the conclusion of the fair.” From all the effort the Campbell FFA’s and Westmont Agriculture Department’s displayed this year, Duarte prompts us to remember, “their accomplishments reflect countless hours spent caring for animals, developing showmanship skills, preparing projects, and learning the responsibility that comes with raising and exhibiting livestock.” Although the farm said goodbye to so many prize-winning animals as they were auctioned off, the Campbell FFA and your fellow Westmont achievers will proudly carry their victories onward into the new school year.