UKIAH, Calif. – On Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds in Ukiah, parents, leaders, and youth gathered for one of the most educational ag events around.

4-H clubs and FFA chapters from counties including Lake, Mendocino and Del Norte brought more than 400 children between the ages of 5 and 18.

Each one got the chance to learn about interesting subjects concerning livestock.

What is this wonderful event? It's called the "Hands-On Junior Livestock Expo."

Each of those 400+ kids was given a choice on which type of livestock session they would attend.

These included beef, swine, goats, sheep, rabbits and poultry. At each of these hands-on breakout sessions, topics ranged from cuts of meat to animal selection to nutrition facts.

Learning labs included dissection by the UC Davis Vet Center, biosecurity, tractor safety, horseshoeing and more.

Lake County 4-H All Star candidate Asia Jones designed a quiz bowl called "Wheel of Livestock" with questions specific to six different species covering knowledge from how to show an animal to how many people die annually from cow attacks (20).

Everyone had a great time both spinning the wheel and playing the game.

In addition to this, there was an ethics training – mandatory to attend some fairs including the California State Fair – which covered proper ways to treat animals both at shows and at home.

Local vendors offered special sales on feeds, show sticks, brushes, even jewelry; you name it, they had it.

These vendors also gave out tickets for a drawing at the end of the day. Some of the prizes included Carhart jackets, feed buckets, and a wheelbarrow! Nonprofit groups provided a food court with many tasty options.

All and all this was a wonderful event. Each person left with a smile on their face; many left with a great door prize as well.

“All of our presenters were so professional and helpful to the attendees. We truly have a wonderful network of industry professionals at our fingertips here in north coastal California,” said Shanna Braught, chairperson of the expo steering committee.