GOWANDA — Members of 4-H clubs across Cattaraugus County anxiously await the upcoming online auction Aug. 7-8 when they will have the opportunity to sell their Market Class Animals.
Under normal circumstances, these animals would have been sold at a live auction at the conclusion of the county fair.
When this year’s county fair was canceled in June due to coronavirus concerns, members of the board of directors of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Cattaraugus County put a backup plan into action, giving 4-H members a chance to auction off their Market Class Animals online.
“It was definitely a heartbreaking announcement for everyone involved,” said Abby Luzier, 4-H youth development educator at CCE. “However, I think this presents a good learning opportunity for the kids.”
Luzier said the kids have learned that things in life aren’t certain, that there can be setbacks and they may have to take a step back and re-evaluate to move forward in a positive direction.
“4-H is all about helping youth develop life skills,” she continued. “So while our circumstances may have altered our plans for the 2020 Cattaraugus County Fair and Youth Market Sale, it just means we have to find a different approach to make the best out of our situation.”
Although would prefer to participate in a live auction on the fairgrounds, Hayley and Daniel Stang of Gowanda say they are ready and excited for the online auction to begin. With the support of their parents, Dan and Nicole, the brother and sister duo have been working hard with their animals all year at their family farm.
Hayley, 16, and Daniel, 14, are members of the Perrysburg Barn Buddies 4-H club. This year, they each have one sheep and two chickens to put in the auction.
When the siblings were young Cloverbuds, they started raising sheep for 4-H. With the help of their cousins, they learned how to set up the sheep to show in the arena. They have been raising this year’s lambs since February.
The Stang kids began raising and showing chickens four years ago. Daniel said they got their Cornish Cross chickens for this year in early June. The hybrid cross of a Cornish and White Rock chicken is easy to raise and grows quickly. He said they are broiler chickens and will weigh about 10 pounds by the first week in August.
Daniel said each 4-H member is allowed to sell a pair of chickens at the online auction. Hayley will sell her chickens, Tater and Tot, and he will sell his two chickens, Bread and Butter.
Hayley has been showing horses at the fair since the age of 4. She currently shows Major and Dakota in Western Pleasure, English, and Barrel Racing. Frankie is her pleasure horse.
Hayley also shows through the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) in Attica and Batavia. She’s already competed twice this year and has qualified for Worlds in Georgia the past two years, but the event always takes place at fair time and auction weekend.
4-H runs in the Stang family. Hayley said all of the children and their cousins have been members. She said their Grandma Stang started the Perrysburg Barn Boys 4-H club years ago, which was all five of her boys including her father, Dan. The club was eventually renamed the Perrysburg Barn Buddies when some girls joined.
Hayley turns 17 in August and will be a high school senior this fall. She has two more years to show at the fair. Daniel has five more years to show his animals. They are disappointed to not be able to physically attend the fair this year, especially when they have worked so hard all these months.
“When they announced there would be no fair this year, I wondered what I was going to do with my summer because I always focus toward the fair in August,” Hayley said. “I also have a lot of friends there who are from different schools from around Cattaraugus County, and I already miss them.”
Hayley said they will be watching the online auction from home, but they will miss the thrill of the live auction. She said they will be able to see the bidding and price go up, but they won’t know who is bidding.
“I’m hoping at the end, there will be a way that I can figure out who bought my animal because I’d like to call them and thank them for purchasing it,” she said.
Daniel said they normally get to meet the bidders and buyers in person. He will miss the person-to-person interaction when they get to talk to the buyers about their auction animals.
Luzier said the auction will include approximately 75 lots from 48 kids with seven beef steers, three dairy steers, four goats, nine lambs, 25 hogs, 17 chicken pairs and 10 turkeys.
“In addition to the online auction, we gave our 4-H members the option to sell their animals through private treaty and have about 51 animals from 38 kids,” she said. “Many of them have been approaching previous buyers and there has been overwhelming support from the communities in and surrounding Cattaraugus County to help make this a fun, positive experience.”
Peterson Auctions of Frewsburg will host the online-only auction from Friday, Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. to Saturday, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. Photos and videos of the auction animals, as well as their owners, will be on Peterson’s website before bidding opens. The most current bid will be displayed on the website in real time.
To become a bidder, register online at petersonauction.hibid.com and find Cattaraugus County 4-H Meat Animal Auction where more details are available. For additional information, contact Luzier at 699-2377, ext. 130 or email ajl387@cornell.edu.
Luzier said other 4-H exhibits will be highlighted daily with photos during fair week on the Cattaraugus County 4-H Facebook page. To learn more about 4-H, visit online at 4-h.org.
(Contact press reporter Deb Everts at salpressdeb@gmail.com)
