By The County Fair Podcast
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The podcast currently has 12 episodes available.
This week, your host is joined by Dr. Tara Urbano, DVM from UC Davis!
Dr. Tara Urbano is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from UC Davis. She has an extensive background in livestock practice, including reproductive health, preventive medicine, and food safety. She attended UC Davis, earning a BS in Animal Science (2011) and DVM (2016) as well as completing a clinical residency. She achieved Diplomacy in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine in 2019.
Originally from Reedley, CA, Dr. Urbano was involved in FFA with swine, caprine, poultry, and equine projects; and served as Resident Shepherd at the UC Davis Sheep Facility during her undergraduate studies. Currently, she is a Staff Veterinarian for the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine's Livestock Reproduction and Herd Health service, where she serves as a clinician for a diverse client base that includes youth showman, seedstock and show animal producers, backyard operations, large-scale commercial operations, and many fairs throughout Northern California. In her spare time, Dr. Urbano enjoys camping, yoga, reading, and hiking with her labrador.
Christina and Dr. Urbano discuss the work of veterinarians and their work at the fairs. Dr. Urbano shares her enthusiasm for working with the showmen and their animals and offers some tips to make sure you have your animal fit for public display and human consumption before you bring it to the fair.
Listen in to learn about the role of veterinarians at the county fair.
Topics of Discussion:
[:45] Christina McFarling welcomes you to this episode of The County Fair Podcast and introduces her guest, Dr. Tara Urbano, DVM from UC Davis. Christina shares Tara’s bio.
[2:01] Christina welcomes Dr. Urbano to the podcast.
[2:25] Dr. Urbano shares how she chose veterinary medicine. It started with agriculture and FFA. By college, she knew she wanted to be a livestock vet.
[3:23] Dr. Urbano joined FFA in her freshman year. She took AgEd courses in high school.
Swine
[4:35] High School Ag Ed gave her experience in learning by doing in labs and outdoor classes, not sitting in a classroom all the time. On day one, she learned to castrate pigs. There were plenty of hands-on activities to draw her in.
[5:10] Dr. Urbano continues with the learn-by-doing style as she teaches fourth-year senior clinical veterinary students.
[5:58] The Big Fresno Fair is the local fair for Dr. Urbano. Growing up, she brought market swine, breeding sows, and gelts. The equine projects were marketed through a horse trainer; she made a commission. For poultry, she sold eggs out of the Ag Science Department. There were early morning and late afternoon hours but it was a lot of fun and she wouldn’t change it.
[7:11] While raising animals, participants think about the future; making wholesome, safe food for our population, and being ambassadors of their industry for the general public.
[8:13] Dr. Urbano talks about her responsibilities at the fair. Health inspections at check-in at County. For the state fair, she does drug residue testing and reviews drug declaration forms, making sure the animals have followed appropriate withdrawal intervals on any medications they have been given to make sure they are suitable to be harvested at the end of the fair.
[8:49] Dr. Urbano often ends up doing some veterinary care, depending on what happens during the fair. Occasionally an animal will injure itself or get sick.
[9:19] Dr. Urbano sees client animals sometimes before the show. She advises showmen starting projects to connect with a veterinarian now in case there would be an issue along the way or at the fair that requires veterinary care. Also, to read through the fair board’s published health rules and requirements so they can monitor their animal daily and address issues on time.
Cattle, Swine, and Poultry
[12:14] When vets check beef, swine, and poultry for health requirements, they are looking for infectious diseases; anything that’s contagious, including zoonotic diseases that can pass between different species of animals and to humans. They do not want these coming into public display.
[13:00] Vets are also looking for unsightly conditions; anything that would cause a member of the public who isn’t around livestock very often to ask about the condition. It may be harmless to the animal, but we’re trying to put our best foot forward, such as a bad sunburn peeling on a pig. It is fit for human consumption, but not for public display.
[14:20] Any condition that may make the animal unfit for human consumption, such as an animal that is very sick. Dr. Urbano hasn’t had to address this, but it’s something she teaches her students to look for as they’re checking animals for the fair.
[14:51] Dr. Urbano barely needs to put her hands on swine. For all species, she prefers to look at them coming off the trailer, before they go into the showgrounds to make sure that they’re free of disease and fit for show and consumption. This is especially important at shows that have breeding animals.
[15:23] Animals that are going to be harvested after the fair will not return to their farm of origin where there are other animals. Breeding animals go to the fair for a week or two and then they go home. The vets want to make sure those breeding animals are not going to get infected at the fair and return home to other animals. They want your animals at home to be safe.
Swine Again
[16:12] Dr. Urbano gives a visual inspection. She doesn’t want to stress them in the heat, but to let them into their pen to cool off as soon as possible. She looks at the skin for a bad sunburn, bad fighting wounds, depending on how far they are healed; unsightly things like unhealed chewed ears and tails, unhealed castration sites, and big open scabs, even if not infected.
[17:43] Dr. Urbano rarely sees ringworm on pigs. Dr. Urbano looks at the swine’s eyes, nose, and mouth checking for major “crusties.” They make sure there is not a lot of coughing, no rectal prolapses hanging out, visible prolapse repairs, or burst veins.
[19:01] Christina talks about responsibility. For some people, this is their only interaction with these breeds. Putting the breed’s best foot forward and showing the public how wonderful and fit these animals are is important. Dr. Urbano says people have a steak at home and once a year they see a steer at the fair, and that’s their connection. It should be a good connection.
[20:03] Dr. Urbano also looks for severe lameness. That’s rare. Few animals come to the fair lame. She looks for anything odd or that could be infectious; she may send them to the wash rack to cool down. Once they’re relaxed she’ll give them a good hands-on exam.
Sheep and Goats
[20:34] Dr. Urbano says ringworm is the big one to look for. Ringworm is largely ignored for jackpot shows, which are not public. For the county fairs, the vets worry about zoonotic diseases. They want to make sure the public doesn’t carry disease back home to their family members, especially if they’re immunocompromised.
[21:29] Sore mouth, (orf) or scabs on the mouth, is another disease they watch for that is contagious to people. Diarrhea is also contagious. Rectal prolapse is sometimes seen. If it’s been repaired, it should be healed; no “pursestrings” of “bow.” They look at eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. They check for pinkeye that could be contagious to other animals.
[24:04] There should be no severe “crusties” on eyes, or nose. They check for Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) abscesses or cysts. If a cyst ruptures, other animals could bring CL home. So animals with cysts don’t get to stay at the fair. You or your veterinarian can see this ahead of time. If it is treated, healed, and scarred over before the fair, it is OK.
[26:22] Dr. Urbano hates sending animals home because of the chance of contagion. She hopes this advice will help you check the health of your animals weeks ahead of the fair and figure out a plan for any problems to be treated and healed before the fair. She advises all her clients and students to think ahead and do this.
How Dr. Urbano Works With Showmen
[27:28] Dr. Urbano is trying to work with UC extension agents to put together information for 4H and FFA clubs and range organizations to have ahead of time. Dr. Urbano contacted County Fair Podcast to get the word out. Dr. Urbano doesn’t want to send anyone home from the fair. Showmen should know who to call beforehand or who to ask if there are questions.
[29:14] FFA advisors can call Dr. Urbano. She can’t give medical advice over the phone without having a client-veterinarian relationship so they can visit in person or bring the animal in, but she is happy to answer questions by phone about things and help them interpret fair rules if they need it over the phone, to know what to look for.
[29:48] Christina visualizes the kids bringing a list of fair rules home, asking their mom to translate it for them, and the mom realizing she needs help interpreting the rules. Dr. Urbano wants to take the rules document and make it digestible for different ages.
[30:24] Dr. Urbano is the only veterinarian on the board of Youth for the Quality Care of Animals for junior showmen. They are doing a curriculum review and she is trying to make sure that health information is digestible for all ages. The junior showman can be from under eight to high school seniors. The curriculum gets adjusted as they move through the years.
[31:24] Dr. Urbano is not doing anything secret at the fair. She wants everyone to know what she’s looking for and why it’s important. Christina notes how important the veterinarian health inspection is for the showmen at the fair, and also, that it must be rewarding for Dr. Urbana, to invest in future veterinarians as she practices and teaches.
[32:42] Dr. Urbano gets to teach everyone from vet students to undergrads, to junior showmen and clients. The teaching and outreach part of her job is a lot of fun.
Cattle
[33:09] Dr. Urbano checks for unsightly things like very large warts or multiple warts. One or two warts on the face or neck are not a problem. When they become unsightly, it is a problem.
Poultry and Small Animals
[33:42] The state inspector usually comes in for these. It’s usually the same person who does processing plant inspections. They’re looking for bumblefoot and other foot diseases, They’re looking for contagious diseases like avian influenza, which has a big outbreak now. They look for facial swellings and nose and eye discharges.
[34:27] They look for symptoms like coughing and mucous in the mouth. These diseases are very contagious. They don’t want infectious diseases like avian influenza or Newcastle disease at the fair. They look for keel wounds.
[35:14] For rabbits and cavies, they look for bumblefoot lesions, discharges, hemorrhagic diarrhea, or snuffles coming from the nose.
The Inspection
[35:49] Dr. Urbano explains how the inspections work with various fair schedules. Multiple veterinarians and vet students come in for a big inspection at the unloading space. In some fairs, Dr. Urbano inspects the animals one by one over the scale, usually spending less than a minute per animal.
[37:36] Dr. Urbano often gets a stack of health records to review after the visual inspection and if there is anything she needs to address, she will go find them and chat.
[38:28] The veterinarians are there to support the showmen, the show, the public health, and food safety. Dr. Urbano wants the showmen to have healthy animals to sell, to enjoy themselves, and to have a good experience.
Conclusion
[39:41] Dr. Urbano shares a favorite fair memory. It was her first pig, her freshman year of high school. On day one, she has her pig out, around the softball field trying to practice and the pig runs off. She’s chasing it with her stick held high. Her advisor’s husband told her, ‘You need to calm down or you’re going to kill your pig!’ She was high-strung, but she learned to hold it in.
[41:09] That’s the biggest lesson she learned from showing, calm down! She learned it the first day. It’s helped her with so many things!
[41:48] Christina thanks Urbano for sharing her wisdom with The County Fair Podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
FFA
The Big Fresno Fair
Zoonotic diseases
Ringworm in sheep
Orf in Sheep
Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL)
4H
UC Extension
Youth for the Quality Care of Animals
Bumblefoot
Avian Influenza in birds
Newcastle disease in birds
Snuffles in rabbits
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
Dr. Tara Urbano
Email: [email protected]
This week, your host is joined by the Manager at the Placer County Fair, Carrie Fankhauser!
The Placer County Fair Association ran the Placer County Fair for 80 years. With an economic downturn, the fair was failing and Placer County considered repurposing the fairgrounds for housing. In 2017, the county approached David Attaway, who stepped up with a vision for a revitalized exhibit building and new event center to be used year-round for the home of the fair as well as sporting events, meetings, and more. This began the organization @TheGrounds, which operates the fair on the fourth weekend of June.
Carrie shares the history of the project and the success it is experiencing as she goes into her fourth year of operations with the fair.
Listen in for more info about The Placer County Fair and @TheGrounds.
Topics of Discussion:
[:45] Christina Rudolph welcomes you to this episode of The County Fair Podcast and introduces her guest, Carrie Fankhauser, Manager at The Placer County Fair and HR Manager at @TheGrounds.
[1:05] Christina welcomes Carrie Fankhauser to the podcast!
[1:21] The Placer County Fair is located on the old fairgrounds and was operated by the Placer County Fair Association for 80 years. With an economic downturn, the fair needed help. In 2017, @TheGrounds revitalized and expanded the fairgrounds into an event center with a 160,000 square foot indoor sports facility. Some funding came from Placer Valley Tourism.
[3:27] There are 25 hotels in the County, with more to come. Placer County is a great area. They wanted a facility to be used in the winter months to keep the hotels busy. In 2019, they broke ground on the Roebbelen Sports Center, named after the construction company. It’s a beautiful, high-tech facility. It’s pretty full for 2022.
[6:08] Placer County is northeast of Sacramento, California, on the way to Reno, Nevada. The weather is great with no humidity. It gets hot in the summer. With the fair being held the fourth weekend of June, they always seem to hit the first 100-degree weather!
[7:01] The new indoor facility will be used for the fair, providing some protection from the heat. Inside the Roebbelen Center, there will be a cornhole tournament, an acrobatics troupe, and other entertainment, with room for about 20 indoor vendors in the atrium.
[8:00] While this is the fifth year that @TheGrounds will run the Placer County Fair, it is the 85th year the fair has been in existence.
[8:23] Surrounding the area of @TheGrounds, Placer County has wineries, craft breweries, and agriculture. @TheGrounds is situated in the City of Roseville with museums and arts councils close by. Visitors may not be aware of all the area has to offer. The livestock community is fantastic!
[10:18] Exhibitors will bring steer, pigs, goats, sheep, pygmy goats, rabbits, and chickens.
[10:59] Carrie tells how COVID-19 influenced the fair. They worked with the county to make testing and vaccinations available, allowing many people to come through the fairgrounds who might not have, otherwise. 2021 was very successful. They were the first fair in the area to open after restrictions were lifted before California closed again! So they were inundated.
[16:39] The Placer County Fair’s goal for 2022 is to have 75% of the attendance it had in 2021.
[17:03] There is also a fair “right up the road” in a rural area of Placer County, in September, and the State Fair in July is in nearby Sacramento. The county residents support the Placer County Fair.
[18:17] Carrie talks about the marketing and branding efforts and the website. They put a lot of effort into marketing in 2021. They have a designated marketing person five days a week in the @TheGrounds office plus the support of Placer Valley Tourism. The Placer County Fair website is also about to be updated. The website can be used to register animals, buy tickets, and more.
[20:41] Carrie reveals the marketing focus for 2022. They will have a “Meet the Exhibitor” feature on their Facebook page with bios, pictures, and even short videos. Exhibitors can contribute their information through ShoWorks when they register for the fair. Carrie has been very happy with the simplicity of ShoWorks.
[23:26] Carrie gives credit to the staff of @TheGrounds. She shares how the staff has grown from four in 2017 to the large crew of full-time office staff and part-time event workers in 2022.
[25:40] @TheGrounds recently lost its CEO, David Attaway, who started @TheGrounds in 2017 and was CEO of Placer Valley Tourism since 2010. Carrie discusses David’s vision for @TheGrounds and how Carrie became both the Fair Manager and the HR Manager for @TheGrounds. The 2022 fair will be Carrie’s first one as the official Fair Manager.
[28:24] Christina and Carrie talk about how The Placer County Fair uses all the capabilities of ShoWorks. What would Carrie’s advice be to a brand new user of ShoWorks on how to use it? Use it, from beginning to end! Use the Auction Playbook!
[30:49] What about advice for the seasoned user? Multi-purpose the exhibitors’ pictures and bios. Use them to market the air, and to market the exhibitors on Facebook. Use all the reports ShoWorks offers. Carrie is still amazed in her third year of using it by what she can pull up out of the data. Use the marketing tools in ShoWorks.
[32:43] Carrie tells about her love of fairs. It’s the community and the people! Carrie shares some of her history with @TheGrounds from 2017. She started with no knowledge of fairs. She couldn’t have grown as she has done without the livestock community and the fair community!
[35:46] Fair time is always exhausting but you feel like a family when you’re working that fair!
[36:10] Christina encourages listeners to visit the links for the Placer County Fair and @TheGrounds.
[36:39] Christina thanks Carrie for joining The County Fair Podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
PlacerCounty Fair
@TheGrounds
Placer County Fair on Facebook
Placer Valley Tourism
Roebbelen Sports Center
Roseville, California
Reach Carrie Fankhauser on LinkedIn at Carrie Fankhauser
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
This week, your host is joined by the Assistant General Manager at the Oakland County Fair, Sara Ressler!
Sara Ressler is responsible for handling the marketing and finances for the Oakland County Fair. The Oakland County Fair is a 501c(3) organization with a mission to provide a public educational showcase of our youth through hands-on experience with exhibits, demonstrations, and presentations, as young people develop life skills in a family atmosphere. Before working for the Oakland County Fairs, Sara served on the fair board and was a twenty-year fair volunteer. Outside of the fair, Sara and her family raise and show American Saddlebred horses. They are very involved in the horse community.
In this episode, Sara shares her history both with horses and at The Oakland County Fair. Sara has raised her family around the fair. She shares family stories and her experiences with her family and her fair family! Sara talks about the effects of technology and the pandemic on the fair and what changes are planned, especially around marketing to Millennials and internet access in the county park. She shares her enthusiasm for the youth exhibitors and how they grow in experience and confidence that will last for their lifetimes.
Listen in for more info about The Oakland County Fair.
Topics of Discussion:
[:45] Christina Rudolph welcomes you to this episode of The County Fair Podcast and introduces her guest, Sara Ressler, Assistant General Manager at The Oakland County Fair.
[1:32] Christina welcomes Sara Ressler to the podcast!
[1:51] Sara started with horses when she was four! She has had horses her entire life until she was in college. When her children were young, she took her daughter to the fair, where she saw an American Saddlebred horse. She really liked that horse! That was 20 years ago.
[2:55] Sara’s family got their first Saddlebred shortly after that. They currently have nine Saddlebred on their farm. The daughter was 10 when they got the first horse. She is still all-in! She trains the horses and is active in the American Saddlebred show circuit.
[3:30] Three years ago the American Saddlebred Association held a raffle for a breeding from the retiring World Grand Five-Gaited Champion Horse. Next year, the resulting horse will be far enough along in his training to start competition. The horse looks just like his “daddy”!
[4:42] Alongside her work at the fair, Sara worked for years in Show Office Services, retiring last year. She managed the entries for 21 horse shows a year from Michigan to Georgia and Missouri. The Oakland County Fair is in Oakland County Michigan.
[7:09] Sara talks about the wonderful experience she had at the IAFE Convention this year. One session, Marketing to Millennials, presented by college students, was very effective in explaining what Millennials want to see, such as photo opportunities, digital maps, and unique vendors.
[13:55] Sara went to the IAFE Convention to pick up ideas to implement at The Oakland County Fair. She decided to work on an integrated interactive map and QR codes for short fair event surveys. The use of technology is now a necessity more than a luxury.
[15:49] Sara talks about Wi-Fi availability on a fairground in Northern Oakland County, which is a rural area. They are looking into bringing in fiber optics, but the infrastructure is not there yet. The fair is in a county park. They are looking to partner with the county and also apply for grants and sponsorships.
[18:47] Sara encourages fairs to reach out to surrounding fairs for fundraising ideas, such as golden tickets to achieve a goal.
[20:39] Sara describes some of the aspects of The Oakland County Fair. It is an opportunity to reconnect to our agricultural roots and see what our kids are doing in their projects with their animals. Sara has a story about a young man in his first year of raising turkeys.
[23:04] The younger exhibitors look up to the graduating exhibitors who help and teach them. Children attend the fair and see other children exhibiting and they want to do that too, so they transition to exhibitors and they shine and grow.
[25:06] Sara talks about the confidence kids get from their accomplishments. They take that confidence forward in life and apply it to other things. It gives them a leg up for their future. Sara’s children got their first jobs from people who knew their work ethic from exhibiting at the fair.
[27:18] Sara’s kids learned when they didn’t place as well as they wanted to, that maybe they hadn’t spent as much time on their project as they should have and they planned to do better the next year.
[28:53] Sara tells about the wonderful team around her, both her personal family and the fair family. Her husband is on the board of directors. All three of her kids come back to help her before, during, and after the fair. Her son-in-law participates as a judge.
[30:11] The Oakland County Fair will typically have about 2,500 entries. The pandemic decreased the number of exhibitors. At the last fair, there were in the mid-300 exhibitors as opposed to their usual 500 to 600 exhibitors.
[31:22] In 2020 The Oakland County Fair had an exhibitors-only competition. There could be 100 people in the facility at a time, including exhibitors, judges, and any volunteers. They held every exhibitor event, including livestock auctions.
[32:15] In 2021, they were preparing for a limited-access fair but five weeks before the fair, the governor lifted all restrictions, so they went from limited access to fully open in five weeks. They broke every attendance record they have had — with a worker shortage! Their patrons were very supportive and patient.
[35:09] The Oakland County Fair can trace its roots to the 1800s but people are still discovering it and asking if it is new. They just celebrated 50 years in the county park. Before then, the fair was held in Pontiac, less than 15 miles away. The best advertisement is just to get somebody to the fair the first time. They tell their friends and bring them!
[36:31] Sara shares her favorite fair memory! It’s about her daughter showing horses.
[37:36] The Oakland County Fair is always the first Friday after the Fourth of July! This year, ir is July 8th through 17, 2022.
[38:40] Christina thanks Sara for joining The County Fair Podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
Oakland County Fair
American Saddlebred Horses
IAFE
Reach Sara Ressler at [email protected]
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
This week, your hosts are joined by two members of the Tillamook County Junior Livestock Auction Committee, Dakota Lager and Teri Fladstol!
Dakota Lager is the 4-H Program Coordinator at the Tillamook County Oregon State University Extension Service. He has been with the Tillamook County Program for 2 years but has been around 4-H and County Fairs for most of his life. Dakota also attended ShoWorks training in March of 2020 and jumped in to help get the JLAC Auction online for the 2020 and 2021 Tillamook County Fairs, as well as the 4-H and FFA Youth.
Teri Fladstol is from Jigsaw Consulting Services. She attended ShoWorks training in March of 2020 to help several of her clients with their events when the pandemic threw a curveball into many events across the country. Teri was able to work with Dakota and the ShoWorks team to keep things moving along as much as possible for both the 2020 and 2021 Tillamook County Fair.
The Tillamook County Fair is held annually in August. Though the 2021 fair recently passed, you can look forward to 2022 where the fair will run from August 10th-13th. Key features include courtyard entertainment, carnival rides and games, Pari-Mutual Horse Racing, exhibits such as 4H and FFA animal projects, local fair food, nightly concerts, their world-famous Pig N’ Ford races, and much, much more!
In this episode, Teri and Dakota discuss the Tillamook County Fair, how they pivoted for COVID, their record-breaking year for sales in 2021, the change they’ll be making headed into 2022, the key pieces that they believe made their fair and auction a success, and their advice for families looking to show at next year’s auction!
Topics of Discussion:
[:43] Today’s scripture.
[1:09] About today’s episode with Teri and Dakota of the Tillamook County Junior Livestock Auction Committee!
[2:09] Jeffrey Palermo introduces today’s host, Christina Rudolph, and welcomes Teri and Dakota to the podcast!
[2:15] Christina also welcomes Teri and Dakota to the show and shares how she originally met the two.
[2:35] Where Tillamook is, what makes it so special, all about their County Fair, and their Junior Livestock Auction.
[5:19] How do they decide who makes the sale in Tillamook?
[6:52] About the extraordinary sales that they made in 2021.
[11:58] How Teri and Dakota worked together to pivot during COVID and made 2021 their best year yet.
[14:11] Teri and Dakota share how they were able to communicate with their buyers what to expect in 2021 in terms of how the auction has changed.
[17:53] What did they learn from their 2021 hybrid event that they will be taking with them in future events?
[20:20] Teri and Dakota share what they’re looking to improve for 2022.
[21:49] Key players and roles leading up to the sale that help make the fair and auction a success.
[25:57] Teri speaks about their fantastic team dynamic.
[26:28] Dakota shares advice for the families whose animals make the auction this year on how to ensure that their animal/s will meet the requirements for next year’s auction.
[28:13] How to get involved in the show or get started with showing.
[29:33] Dakota and Teri each share their favorite fair memories.
[32:00] Jeffrey and Christina thank Dakota and Teri for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
Tillamook County Fair
Tillamook Cheese Factory
Teri Fladstol’s LinkedIn
Dakota Lager’s LinkedIn
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
God Moment
“Fill your minds with those things that are good and deserve praise; things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you.” — Philippians 4:8-9
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
This week, your host Christina Rudolph is joined by a special guest (and an old friend), Sherri Hooper!
Sherri wears a lot of different hats and has her foot in many county fairs! Since 1993-2018, Sherri has been involved with Chilifest, earning herself the title, “Chilifest Mom.” She also runs her own traveling vendor with her daughter, has worked on the Area Go Texan fundraiser, and much, much more!
Conducting today’s interview sitting in the historic Catalena Hatters store in Bryan, Texas, Christina and Sherri watched as their famous hats were getting made. Sherri speaks about what she loves about volunteering and working with various county fairs; her involvement with Area Go Texan; her favorite memories traveling county to county, helping to craft incredible events; the key components of what makes a fundraiser successful; her traveling vendor business, the Texas Rose Boutique; and all about the incredible Chilifest fair!
Topics of Discussion:
[:40] About today’s episode with Sherri Hooper.
[1:17] Christina welcomes Sherri to the podcast!
[1:23] Sherri shares some background on who she is and what she does!
[1:47] Sherri shares how she first got involved with the Gonzales community in Texas working on their local show and helping the youth.
[2:19] What Sherri loved the most about working in the various counties with Area Go Texan.
[3:00] Sherri’s favorite memories of traveling county to county, helping craft incredible events.
[3:38] What Sherri was most proud to be a part of with Area Go Texan.
[4:36] The key components of what makes a successful fundraiser.
[7:10] How to make a silent auction successful.
[7:54] The most unique auction items that Sherri has ever seen.
[9:24] About Chilifest and why Sherri loves it!
[12:49] The challenges of communicating with, recruiting, and managing volunteers.
[17:01] About ShoWorks.
[17:19] The power of a positive attitude.
[19:28] How Chilifest will be different this year, coming out of the COVID pandemic.
[22:33] Sherri shares what her life looks like as a traveling vendor with her daughter.
[25:30] What Sherri looks for as a vendor to determine if she’s going to attend a fair or event.
[27:39] Christina thanks Sherri for joining the podcast and Sherri shares some final words of wisdom for listeners!
Mentioned in this Episode:
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Area Go Texan | Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Catalena Hatters
Chilifest
Texas Rose Boutique
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
Welcome to the County Fair Podcast! This is the podcast where fair influencers share their valuable insights, strengthening and growing the long-lived tradition of the county fair.
This week, Ricky Brown from the California Mid-State Fair joins the podcast! Ricky is one of the exhibit’s directors for the large west coast fair. In his role, he primarily oversees the entry, registration, and judging of competitive exhibits, beverage competitions, and commercial competitions.
What makes the California Mid-State Fair so unique is that they have grown well beyond the core aspects of many other similarly-sized county fairs. They go beyond agriculture and livestock entries into beverage, fine arts, crafts, food, floriculture, and more.
In this conversation, Ricky speaks about the fair and shares how they persevered during the pandemic, moved to a hybrid online model, and hosted their unique exhibits and competitions. He also shares marketing advice, tips, and strategies for fair managers looking to maximize their entry numbers in any category, advice and lessons learned over the course of the pandemic, and other key takeaways from his involvement in the fair.
Topics of Discussion:
[:00] About the County Fair Podcast.
[:19] This show is brought to you by ShoWorks.
[:40] Today’s scripture.
[:59] About today’s episode with Ricky Brown.
[1:12] Jeffrey welcomes Ricky to the podcast!
[1:22] Ricky reflects on the vast size of the California Mid-State Fair.
[2:07] The divisions of the fair that Ricky primarily focuses on in his role as a director.
[3:33] About the more unique exhibits and competitions at the California Mid-State Fair such as the beverage competitions.
[6:39] Lessons that the California Mid-State Fair has learned over the course of this tumultuous year and what they will be taking with them going forward.
[10:34] What goes into the judging of these unique competition entries (such as beverages, olive oil, etc)?
[16:08] How have the competition entry volumes been impacted during COVID vs. now?
[21:22] About ShoWorks.
[21:41] Ricky shares marketing tips, advice, and techniques for fair managers looking to maximize their entry numbers in any category.
[26:14] Ricky shares about his involvement with the prizes and awards for each competition division, and what these awards look like.
[32:05] Ricky shares lessons that he and those who are a part of the California Mid-State Fair have learned over 2020-2021 that they will carry with them through 2022 and beyond.
[36:49] Jeffrey thanks Ricky for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
California Mid-State Fair
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
God Moment
Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be.” – Acts 1:7
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
Welcome to the County Fair Podcast! This is the podcast where fair influencers share their valuable insights, strengthening and growing the long-lived tradition of the county fair.
This week, Christina and Jeffrey are joined by Laura Moore, a long-time fair consultant! Laura helps fairs plan and run their operations smoothly across California.
Recently, Laura retired from the Stanislaus County Fair after working with them for the last 28 years. Now, she’s focusing on the fairs that need help getting up and running after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this conversation, Laura shares her incredible wisdom and experience around what it takes to get a fair started and the operations behind the scenes. She speaks about what it takes to put on a good fair, how to get started as an exhibitor, and what you can do to reboot your fair after the tumultuous year that we’ve all experienced.
Topics of Discussion:
[:00] About the County Fair Podcast.
[:19] This show is brought to you by ShoWorks.
[:40] Today’s scripture.
[:59] About today’s episode with Laura Moore.
[1:20] Christina and Jeffrey welcome Laura to the podcast!
[1:34] How many fairs is Laura currently working with? What role does she play in helping fairs plan and run their operations smoothly?
[3:13] How is Christina helping fairs get their feet back on the ground after such a tumultuous year?
[5:40] How important is it to provide opportunities to exhibitors with respect to their futures in agriculture?
[6:43] Laura shares why fairs are so important and have so much to offer.
[8:29] Why agriculture education is such an important part of county fairs and how it helps children.
[10:24] Why educating how everyone is impacted by agriculture matters when we’re talking to the leaders of tomorrow.
[11:45] At what size does a fair need to begin thinking about having a staff?
[14:50] Laura’s advice on how to get involved with your local fair.
[17:49] Laura shares a once-and-a-lifetime fair story!
[21:18] About the County Fair Podcast’s sponsor: ShoWorks.
[21:36] Whether it’s a parent or a child that has never entered a fair as an exhibitor or attended a fair period, what advice would Laura give them to get involved?
[22:44] Laura’s new advice to those looking to start up a new fair.
[31:32] What did Laura learn over the course of this year? What lessons will she implement moving forward?
[33:23] Jeffrey and Christina thank Laura for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
Laura Moore’s LinkedIn
Stanislaus County Fair
Tehama District Fair
The County Fair Podcast Ep. 4: “Key Insights from the 2021 Katy ISD FFA Livestock Show with Ashlee Laird”
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
God Moment
“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.” — Jeremiah 29:11
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
Welcome to the County Fair Podcast! This is the podcast where fair influencers share their valuable insights, strengthening and growing the long-lived tradition of the county fair.
In this episode, your hosts, Christina and Jeffrey, are joined by Lauri King! Lauri is the Deputy Manager of the Big Fresno Fair and has been leading the fair since 2003.
In their conversation, Lauri shares about her role as Deputy Manager of the Big Fresno Fair, the history and traditions of the fair, and how the fair has adapted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond her role as Deputy Manager, Lauri also shares her family’s longstanding traditions with raising cattle and goats, her advice to other parents on how to help their children prep for their first show, and why attending county fairs are a valuable experience for youth.
Topics of Discussion:
[:00] About the County Fair Podcast.
[:19] This show is brought to you by ShoWorks.
[:39] Today’s scripture.
[:59] About today’s episode with Lauri King!
[1:20] Lauri gives an introduction on the Big Fresno Fair.
[2:25] How long has Lauri been working at the Big Fresno Fair?
[2:41] How Lauri’s role at the fair has developed over the years.
[3:56] How soon after concluding a fair do they begin planning for the next year’s fair?
[5:20] Lauri shares about the changes they had to put in place so that the Big Fresno Fair could happen this year during the pandemic.
[8:22] Lauri shares why county fairs are so special to her and so many other people.
[9:47] Was the Big Fresno Fair Lauri’s home county fair?
[11:30] Does Lauri continue the livestock tradition with her family?
[12:13] What other livestock do Lauri and her family raise?
[12:55] In running Big Fresno Fair, what are some tips and tricks Lauri has learned with regards to prepping to show at a fair?
[14:22] Are they keeping any of the new practices from this year’s fair going forward?
[16:57] About the County Fair Podcast’s sponsor, ShoWorks.
[17:15] The key community players that are helping the Big Fresno Fair be possible this year.
[19:17[ How many people are on the staff for the Big Fresno Fair currently?
[20:00] How many volunteers do they regularly pull in for the fair? And how many temporary positions do they hire?
[20:54] Lauri shares about one of the major pieces that they learned having persevered through a pandemic.
[24:20] Lauri’s favorite county fair memory.
[27:18] Taking off her fair director hat, Lauri shares advice for other parents looking to get started in helping their children show at fairs.
[30:23] Jeffrey and Christina thank Lauri for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
The Big Fresno Fair
Lauri King
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
God Moment
“The threshing places will be full of grain; the pits beside the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil. I will give you back what you lost in the years when swarms of locusts ate your crops.” Joel 2:24-25
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
Welcome to the County Fair Podcast! This is the podcast where fair influencers share their valuable insights, strengthening and growing the long-lived tradition of the county fair.
This week, your hosts Jeffrey Palermo and Christina Rudolph, are hearing from Ashlee Laird; the CT Instructional Specialist of Ag Sciences at Katy ISD in Katy, Texas.
Recently, Katy ISD just wrapped up their 2021 Katy ISD FFA Livestock Show. This year was their 78th year running and they had over 500 children that showed.
In this episode, Ashlee shares about how the Katy ISD Livestock Show teaches so much more than just the responsibility of raising the animals and teaching showmanship — they also teach their kids to be members of the broader community. She shares how and why their show is set up for live sales and barn sales, how they adapted their show this year to the pandemic, how ShoWorks has streamlined their process, key lessons they have learned over the years of running the show, and advice on how to successfully run a fair of your own.
Ashlee is doing an amazing job representing Katy ISD, Katy Texas, and Harris County. She has so much to share in today’s conversation — you won’t want to miss out!
Topics of Discussion:
[:00] About the County Fair Podcast.
[:19] This show is brought to you by ShoWorks.
[:40] Today’s scripture.
[:54] Jeffrey Palermo and Christina introduce and welcome their guest, Ashlee Laird.
[1:18] Ashlee shares the origin story of Katy ISD FFA Livestock Show and how it has become a long standing tradition.
[3:15] Do most kids show because they have a family history of it? Or do they have a lot of first-time showers?
[3:57] How many AG teachers do they have in their school district?
[4:59] How and why Katy ISD FFA Livestock Show is set up for live sales, barn sales, and add-ons.
[9:17] What they newly implemented this year due to the pandemic and what they learned from it.
[11:02] How ShoWorks aided Katy ISD’s Livestock Show.
[12:47] The challenges Katy ISD faced in planning their Livestock Show and how they overcame them.
[15:38] How ShoWorks helped Katy ISD save money.
[16:50] About ShoWorks.
[17:28] Ashlee speaks about buyer communication and the key pieces they put in place at their livestock show to get buyer’s to show up and be excited.
[20:00] Unique aspects and traditions of the Katy ISD Livestock Show.
[21:05] What does it take to effectively run an FFA fair? Ashlee shares some of the key characteristics and pieces you should put in place in order to be successful.
[22:51] The minimal physical staff need to put on the fair.
[23:40] How many different roles are needed to conduct the sales at the fair?
[24:42] How many animals did they have this year?
[25:47] How many animals could they expect a meat market or a butcher to take?
[26:16] How you can donate your animal purchase and decide where you want the market value to go.
[27:30] Ashley shares about the exciting facilities they have in place for the Livestock Show.
[31:32] Jeffrey and Christina thank Ashlee Laird for joining the County Fair Podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
Katy ISD
Katy ISD FFA Livestock Show
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Career and Leadership Development Events | FFA.org
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
God Moment
“May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness — an abundance of grain and new wine.” Genesis 27:28
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
Welcome to the County Fair Podcast! This is the podcast where fair influencers share their valuable insights, strengthening and growing the long-lived tradition of the county fair.
This week, your hosts Jeffrey Palermo and Christina Rudolph, are joined by Blake Edwards — a longtime friend of Christina’s!
Blake Edwards is an Operations Manager at Vision Diary Services and a member of Edwards Family Genetics. Blake lives and breathes agriculture and has a rich history of involvement and giving back.
Through Edwards Family Genetics, Blake and his family strive to provide learning experiences for the youth of their county. Their top priority at EFG is to present youth with a positive experience in the livestock industry as well as maintain lifelong friends and customers. They have a passion for kids, cattle, pigs and people — and strive to continually improve their genetics.
In this episode, Blake speaks about why agriculture is a calling (not a profession), his personal history in agriculture, where his career in agriculture has taken him, how agriculture impacts him and his family, and how he is giving back to his community. Blake also shares some fascinating insights on the challenges of teaching agriculture, his advice for children and families looking to get started with showing animals at livestock fairs, and why it is so important for youth to get involved with local agriculture projects.
Topics of Discussion:
[:00] About the County Fair Podcast.
[:19] This show is brought to you by ShoWorks.
[:42] Today’s bible verse.
[:59] Jeffrey Palermo and Christina introduce and welcome their guest, Blake Edwards.
[1:19] Blake shares about his background in agriculture.
[3:14] Blake discusses his recent experience with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
[4:17] Blake shares how he got started in breeding, why he has stuck with it, and some of his proudest accomplishments.
[6:40] Why Blake thinks it’s so important for youth to get involved with agriculture projects.
[9:06] Blake’s advice to families and children that want to get started in raising animals to show.
[10:20] The challenges of agriculture teaching (and why passion is a pre-requisite if you want to begin teaching it.)
[12:08] Blake speaks about the current role he plays when attending livestock shows.
[13:21] Blake shares some of the key advice he gives to children prior to attending the show they’re showing at.
[14:50] Does nutrition and diet vary per pig? How calculated is it?
[16:45] What is the typical cost of first getting started in raising and preparing a pig for show. What can you expect to make back at your local county fair?
[18:35] A word from County Fair Podcast’s sponsor: ShoWorks.
[18:54] How are kids helped out with the expenses that come along with raising an animal for showing?
[21:09] What interested Blake in getting involved with Vision Dairy Services, Inc.?
[25:24] With three children of his own, does Blake see his passion for agriculture being passed on?
[27:40] Blake shares a few of his all-time favorite livestock fair experiences.
[30:50] How to get in contact with Blake.
[32:58] Jeffrey and Christina thank Blake Edwards for joining the County Fair Podcast!
Mentioned in this Episode:
Blake Edwards
Edwards Family Genetics (Facebook)
Purple Pursuit Show Feeds
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Vision Dairy Services, Inc.
The County Fair is Brought to You By ShoWorks
ShoWorks’ fair entry software has set the gold standard for fairs across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years, serving more than 75% of the country’s fairs. ShoWorks is in place to handle fair entries, billing, payouts, and the incorporation of virtual elements into your show and auction. Visit www.FairSoftware.com to learn more!
God Moment
“The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” Deuteronomy 28:12
Want to Learn More?
Visit CountyFairPodcast.com for show notes and additional episodes.
The podcast currently has 12 episodes available.