Salas receives Junior Livestock Auction Scholarship

Marisol Salas graduated from Fallbrook High School last month and will pursue a degree in animal science at Chico State University when the 2019-2020 academic year starts. Some of her college expenses will be paid from the Junior Livestock Auction Scholarship which is part of the San Diego County Fair.

“I’m really thankful for the scholarship that I got because I know it will really help my family,” Salas said.

The Junior Livestock Auction Scholarship program works with the San Diego County Fair but is a separate organization with nonprofit status. Most of the money for the scholarships is from livestock auction buyers who then donate their animals back to the fair for resale with those proceeds being used for scholarships while a small amount is from direct donations. The total scholarship amount varies from year to year depending on the amount of donations.

Applications for the Junior Livestock Auction Scholarship are available online, and the students must return their applications by mid-March. Scholastic grades, extracurricular activities and fair activity are among the criteria.

Salas, who attended Bonsall Elementary School and Sullivan Middle School before her four years at Fallbrook High School, had not participated in 4-H Club before joining Fallbrook’s Future Farmers of America chapter. For Salas, FFA was a path to her desired career.

“I’ve been wanting to be a veterinarian since I was little,” she said.

Salas discovered that FFA was about more than just caring for animals.

“I started getting more involved in not just the animals but the public speaking,” she said.

Salas was an officer of Fallbrook’s FFA chapter for all four years. She was the greenhand secretary as a freshman and sophomore, the chapter secretary as a junior and the chapter vice president for her senior year. Salas also served as the San Diego section secretary during her final high school year.

In addition to her FFA activity, Salas was a Girl Scout, a cheerleader at Fallbrook High School, and a gymnast for the Warriors’ team. She was also active with Fallbrook High School’s Associated Student Body, although she was not an officer.

Salas was notified in April that she was selected for an interview for the Junior Livestock Auction Scholarship. That interview took place in early May. Salas was queried about her fair experience, and she was also asked about her favorite part of the fair.

“It’s show days,” she said.

Salas said the market livestock show entailed more than showing animals, receiving ribbons and selling her animals at auction.

“Everyone kind of comes together,” she said.

Salas raised and showed goats during all four of her high school years and raised and showed swine during her final three years. She explained that other animal groups assist an FFA or 4-H Club member with various tasks during the week.

“It shows how your other schoolmates come together and they kind of help you,” she said.

The students are ranked, a bar chart with scores but not names is shown to a selection committee, and the committee uses that chart to allocate the scholarship money for each position. Salas was awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

“I was super excited that I got the scholarship,” Salas said.

A student must also enter an animal at the county fair and the animal must place high enough to qualify for the fair auction, although an auctioned animal in a previous year qualifies a student for the Junior Livestock Auction Scholarship.

Salas had animals in the fair auction for all four of her high school years. The 2016 auction included her 94-pound goat, her 225-pound hog was part of the 2017 auction, and her pig which was sold at the 2018 auction weighed 244 pounds. Unless a 4-H Club or FFA member raises multiple animals who achieve FFA or 4-H Club grand champion or reserve champion status, an exhibitor can only sell one large animal at auction each year.

This year Salas raised two Hampshire cross hogs and one Boer goat. The hogs were both obtained from Small Town Genetics, which is in the Stanislaus County town of Denair. Both pigs were six-month-old females when brought to the fair June 24. Chanel weighed 224 pounds on the fair’s scales, and Prada was 275 pounds. Chanel was the FFA lightweight champion, which sent her to the competition for FFA grand champion and reserve champion, although she did not place at that level.

Salas named her goat Gigi. The goat Salas obtained from Fallbrook High School was six months old when she was taken to the fair and weighed 55 pounds, which placed her in the feeder class. Gigi took second place in the feeder class.

All three of Salas’ animals received blue ribbons which made them eligible for auction. Salas chose Chanel for the auction, and Tank Specialists of California paid $4 per pound. Prada was purchased through a barn sale by Fallbrook’s Schmutz family, who paid $3 per pound. Custom Touch Electric paid $600 for Gigi at the barn sale.

Chico State University has a collegiate Future Farmers of America chapter, and Salas may be involved in that group, she said.

“I would like to thank everyone who supported me the past four years,” Salas said.