Otsego County Fair livestock auction rewards youth for tending to animals

GAYLORD — One of the more popular events at the Otsego County Fair is the youth livestock auction where the public is invited to bid on the animals raised by children and teens.

Young people work all year tending to their chickens, feeder cattle, geese, goats, horses, lambs, pigs, rabbits and steers to showcase them at the fair. The livestock auction, which took place on Aug. 23, is a way for them to be reimbursed for all of their expenses.

Anna Zielinski, 16, who was also named the Otsego County Fair Queen, was placing her lamb named "Pablo" up for auction. Zielinski started taking care of the lamb in April when it was about 14 weeks old. She fed the lamb what is called sweet feed, which includes corn and oats.

"I had to feed it twice a day, every day in the morning and at night," she said.

Zielinski enjoys working with lambs.

"They are easier to handle. Pigs are kind of a little crazy and steers are like a thousand pounds. Last year I showed a lamb for the first time and did well. They are fun to walk and you can run with them," she said.

She understands what is going to happen to Pablo at the auction, as someone will purchase it and have it processed into food.

"It's kind of sad but that is why I have worked so hard to raise him the last few months," she said.

Merissa Ramsey was getting her steer called "Snoopy" ready for the auction.

"He was born (on) April 8 of last year so he is a little over a year old. He weighs 972 pounds right now," she said.

Ramsey was just minutes away from sending Snoopy into the auction.

"I am not really sad about it but it is kind of hard as she is my first steer that I have raised," she said. "Raising this steer I have learned a lot about farming and agriculture and that has been very beneficial for me as this is what I would like to do in the future. I have learned so much not only about steers, but lambs and hogs as well."

"When I got him as a little calf I fed him calf starter and he had about 12 pounds of that a day. It has slowly increased to about 25 pounds a day now and he also eats a farmer's mix of barley, oats and corn," Ramsey added. "He loves bananas and apples. He will literally come running up to you and follow you around like a dog if you have a banana or apple."

Ramsey, who is the first Queen runner up to Zielinski, describes herself as a horse girl.

"Raising a steer was a lot different for me and they truly have more of an attitude than horses do," she said.

Bowin Benaway, 17, is a senior at Gaylord High School and he was getting his hog, "Tilly," ready for the auction.

Benaway said Tilly was about five or six months old last March when he started taking care of it.

"If she is being good I will give her a treat like marshmallows and strawberries," he said.

"It's been fun" to raise Tilly, he added.

"It's been an adventure. She can be a little bugger sometimes but I do like her."

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Benaway is aware of what is going to eventually happen to Tilly after the auction.

"She has a good back and there is a lot of ham in there. I know that everything has a time to go," he said.

"I learned about responsibility taking care of her every day," Benaway added. "I love animals and I plan to stay in agriculture."

— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com .

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Otsego County Fair livestock auction rewards youth for tending to animals