Santa Barbara County Fair livestock auction begins with buyers organization ready to support local agriculture students
Dave Alley
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – As the Santa Barbara County Fair Junior Livestock Auction begins its Friday, a Central Coast non-profit organization is ready to help out local agriculture students during the two-long sale.
Since its formation in 2023, the 37th District Buyers Coalition has been financially supporting some of the exhibitors during the all-important auction that ends the week-long event at the fair.
“We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3),” said Renli Pope, 37th District Buyers Coalition President. “We raise money throughout the year to purchase animals from kids at auction. We require that they apply to our program and send five buyers letters out into the community, hopefully to encourage new buyer participation at the auction, and if the the exhibitor doesn’t have support from a buyer at the auction, and our funds allow, we are able to purchase that animal and process the meat and donate it to local charities here in the community.”
Through community donations, funds will be directed towards the purchase of animal projects during the fair auction, helping ensure that students who apply for coalition help will potentially have their animal bought.
“That’s the goal,” said Pope. “We want these kids to be able to make a profit and we want these kids to be able to continue participating. A lot of these exhibitors had to take out a loan to buy their animal, and since Covid, prices and participation have been very low at auction. A lot of people think that there’s not a need for support and there is a tremendous need, so part of our program is we’re trying to build back that option and that support and get people to come in and fill the seats (in the auction barn) and help these kids out.”
Over the first two years, the 37th District Buyers Coalition purchased 181 animals, helping out local agriculture students.
“These kids are the hardest working kids out there,” said Pope. “Some of these kids who have cattle have had their cattle for almost a year, and there’s a lot of times that are tough, and it’s just very hard for them to make a profit, and any type of support that they can get, whether it’s somebody that comes in from a business that their mom and dad goes, to or whether it’s somebody like us that can come in, it’s important.”
Another important component of the Buyers Coalition takes place once the animals are purchased. The animals are later than processed and then donated to local charitable organizations, which will distribute the meat to people in need throughout the community.
“The kids often times will come and help us hand out the meat,” said Pope. “We have to pick up the meat from the butcher and take it and deliver it to churches and food pantries and feeding organizations. Everybody really tells us what good, high quality meat is and how, they’re not able to get that from from other sources. This is a huge, a huge thing for the community, to be able to see these kids that are working really hard on their projects, and to support them and support their neighbors in need.”
The Junior Livestock Auction began Friday at 9 a.m. with smaller animals up for bid and will start on Saturday at 8 a.m. with larger livestock on the block.
The Santa Barbara County Fair runs through Sunday, July 13.
For more information about the 37th District Buyers Coalition, click here to visit the official website.
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