An agriculture fair is more than just a competition; it’s a commitment of dedication, a showcase of skill, and a way for students to connect with the farming community. But behind every ribbon is a mountain of careful preparation. Whether you’re an exhibitor or stepping onto the show ring for the first time, proper planning is what transforms hard work into success. This preparation involves a checklist that includes selecting the right animal, providing the appropriate nutrition, training, and grooming. FFA’s guide is designed to ensure each of these phases, helping to minimize stress and maximize their chances of impressing the judges.
With that being said, FFA is currently busy preparing for the Big Fresno Fair. Last weekend, exhibitors showcased their poultry and chicken projects at the Fresno Fair. They had a total of 16 students raise and exhibit their meat chickens, which will all be auctioned off and sold at the Fresno Fair. Hannah Fransen was awarded the Champion for Leghorn breed and seventh for Bantam Chicken.
The Poultry Exhibition took place on September 21st and exhibitors included: Vanessa Vasquez, Sara Ceballos Cardenas, Emily Hernandez, Christian Ruiz Reyes, Yuritzy Dominguez, Andrew Rivera, Addison Anderson, Michelle Vang, Hannah Fransen, Gianna Maciel, Orelia Jimenez Contreras, Jeshua Segoviano, Alyssa Campos, Gabriella Fabela, Christopher Cruz, and Juan Rivera.
“The poultry students received their chickens the second week of school in August and had been working to feed, water, and practice getting their chickens to walk correctly,” FFA Adviser Mrs. Chambers said.
From September 30th to October 5th, students will be exhibiting goats, and that includes: Vanessa Vaquez, Jordan Monge, Jeshua Segoviano, Hailey Simons, and Abigail Cabezas. These students will enter the fair and will participate in both Market and Showmanship classes.
The following week on October 6th to the 13th students will be exhibiting sheep and that includes: Abigail Cabezas, Kacie Berry, Camila Bribiesca, Hannah Fransen, Rezme Trevino, Julia Raya, Zailey Tinajero, Hailey Simons and swine will be David Garcia, Joaquin Aranda Lucatero, Sebastian Valadez, Jacob Monge, Jesus Zerapio, Sergio Guerrero, Cassius Sesate, Liam Celaya, and Aidan Celaya. Their projects will show their species in both Market and Showmanship classes.
“The students exhibiting goats, sheep, or swine purchased their animals the week after school got out last year and have been working all summer long to prepare their animals for the upcoming competition,” Mrs. Chambers added.
From waking up early in the mornings and staying late nights at the farm, this extensive project truly highlights the dedication that these FFA students embody and the commitment that is required to do so.
“It is hard to predict how I think students will do at the fair, because they all have worked incredibly hard to meet the needs of their animals and to try and prepare them to the best of their abilities for competition,” Mrs. Chambers said. “It all comes down to the judge on that particular day. We are hopefully able to bring home some banners or ribbons, but either way, I am extremely proud of all my student exhibitors.”
Floral design is also exhibited at the Fresno Fair, which is led by Mrs. Mendes. They have prepared over 90 floral arrangements that are headed to the Fresno Fair on October 10th. And 25 floral arrangements are heading their way to Carruthers Fair this upcoming week.
At the Fresno Fair, Selma FFA provides a Feature Booth that provides members an opportunity to showcase to the public with specific attributes of their program. The booth can show what they have learned, the activities in which they have participated, or the contributions of their organization to the community.
“This year the booth was created around the theme ‘Round up the Fun,’ in which we created a booth based on a rodeo concept and included facts about the history of California agriculture and rodeos,” Chambers said.
The FFA team will be looking forward to it being judged and hopefully winning a first-place win. The feature booth is student-run, and the concept was created and decided upon by the Chapter FFA officer team.
“As advisors, we could only watch and give verbal help,” Chambers said. “We could not construct or put together any element of the design.”
After the fair is over, the Selma Agriculture Department has plans for continued improvements and updates to its farm.
“It is our hope to plant 15 rows of table grape varieties this fall and then plant the stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums) orchard this coming spring,” Chambers added.
During the summer, over 300 mandarin trees were planted, and the freshman students recently finished planting their hydroponic lettuce seeds last week into the grow towers on the farm.
“It is our hope that we are able to continue expanding and can further develop the Ornamental Horticulture unit to include a brand new greenhouse as well,” Chambers added.
