Finally something that gets kids outside!

As we approach the middle of July there is one place that kids of all ages come together. A place where you can wander around aimlessly for hours and spot creatures large and small. Some are prized more than others, but each valuable in its own right. This weekend looks to be no different as hundreds of trainers, teachers and enthusiasts gather to support these hardworking kids. It’s a rare phenomenon, a sight to see really, as it takes a lot to draw this many young adults out of their houses, away from video games, television and the glow of a computer screen.

This is not Pokemon GO. This is Fair Season. This is real.

If you have not seen the influx of news coverage on the Pokemon GO phenomenon, you probably are not reading this either as the new mobile game has set the internet and most traditional media ablaze in the recent weeks. A lot can, and has been said about the App, so instead we are here to remind our readers that while many will be out seeking adorable monsters this weekend there is a growing collective of young adults who have dedicated there time and energy into the cultivation – not of digital creatures – but of livestock. It is this weekend that many of these students will get to spend their final time with the animals they have raised from an early age. They have feed them, groomed them, worked them. They spent long nights with sick hogs, and sheered lambs. I know a few that butted heads with stubborn goats. This practice of animal husbandry is heralded as one of the oldest occupations in the United States. It’s not a job. It’s not a career. It’s a lifestyle choice that if fostered and encouraged by parents and teachers alike can lead to the formation of healthy, productive adults.

An app can’t teach compassion. An App can’t instill humility. An App can not engage our cognitive or emotional intelligence the way raising and caring for an animal does.

One day little Suzy is going to grow up. Susan will get married, or not. Have kids, or not. Live on a farm or not. But Susan will always look back on her years in school and never will she say “I should not have raised that lamb. I regret my time in FFA.” but rather; “it made me who I am.”

This is why we support these kids. Its a cause we stand behind.

So, join us this weekend at the Stanislaus County fair to whoop, holler, whistle and shout as each student presents their project animal one last time with pride.