KALISPELL — After months of preparation, the FFA and the 4-H club get to see their hard work pay off at the Northwest Montana Fair Livestock Sale.
In what's described as the cornerstone of the fair, the livestock sale is back for another year boasting an array of animals for auction.
“Weve got 161 hogs, 45 lambs, 35 steers were selling right now,” Flathead Livestock Sale Organization Chairman Mark Lalum said.
Don’t let the amount of animals fool you, the process to get to this point is lengthy.
“We weigh them on Sunday, and they have to be a certain weight specification… and then they start right away on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, they're judging them.”
The judges then give each animal different color ribbons, the higher the ribbon, the higher the price.
“They know a purple ribbon is top ten, they know that's a real far superior within our ring,” Lalum said.
The auction would not be possible without the FFA and The 4H club, two youth organizations that allow children to raise and learn about the farm animals sold.
“I spent time washing it, training it, I fed it morning and night for the last few months that I've had it. I put in time to develop a feeding regiment so that it can grow in the right way to get the right ribbon,” Kalispell FFA Chapter President Alexa Piseno told MTN.
With the judging and auction coming to an end, both organizations reflect on the take-aways.
“All of us learn and develop so many skills through these animals, it just makes my heart happy,” Piseno said.
The participants themselves benefit from the money raised.
“A total for the kids? Somewhere around $900,000, it's a big fundraiser to them,” Lalum said.
Between the victorious bidders, the FFA and 4H Club, many leave the auction as winners.
