Estill receives Zable Foundation 4-H Scholarship

Although Christian Estill did not participate in this year's San Diego County Fair he received a Zable Foundation 4-H Scholarship.

"I think it's a good way to go out. It's not what I was hoping for, but I'm satisfied that it ended that way as opposed to just ending with nothing," Estill said.

Two different quarantines prevented Estill from participating in the San Diego County Fair as an exhibitor. The virulent Newcastle disease quarantine canceled all poultry at the 2019 county fair, excluding processed meat, and that prohibition against chickens, turkeys and show birds continued into this year. The avian quarantine became irrelevant when the 2020 county fair itself was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Estill, who has been a member of 4-H Club for eight years, including five years when he lived in Escondido and Texas as well as three years in Fallbrook 4-H Club, and a member of Fallbrook High School's National FFA Organization chapter for two years, raised show and meat chickens, show and meat rabbits, meat cattle, meat pigs, show ducks, show guinea pigs and show dogs in 2020.

The Zable Foundation awarded four 4-H Club scholarships, and Estill received $1,000.

"I'm thrilled that I was able to participate," he said. "I'm happy that I will be able to pay for some of my tuition with that."

Estill will attend Southern Utah University, in Cedar City, Utah. He will study agriculture business and management.

"I am hoping to get a job as a ranch manager and run a ranch," Estill said.

The Don Diego Scholarship Foundation first awarded a scholarship for an outstanding 4-H Club student in 1986. Initially one scholarship was awarded annually, and in 2017 the program expanded to four scholarship recipients. Annual grants from the Walter J. and Betty C. Zable Foundation now fund the $10,000 annual total scholarship amount, so the scholarship was renamed to honor the Zable Foundation.

The Zable Foundation 4-H Club Scholarship eligibility requirements include being an active member of a 4-H Club chapter and having participated, although not necessarily that year, in a San Diego County Fair competitive exhibit. Estill applied for the Zable Foundation 4-H Club Scholarship in May. The application form asked him to provide biographical information including community involvement other than 4-H Club. The application also included an essay on what the applicant has done at the San Diego County Fair and how their fair activities affected them.

A 4-H Club or FFA project includes a business plan which involves both the financial expenses of raising the animals and the proceeds from selling the animal at auction or at a barn sale. Estill cited the fair auctions as the largest impact of the fair on his life.

"The auction allowed me to sell my animals, which is ultimately paying for my college tuition," he said.

An animal must receive a blue ribbon to be sold at the fair auction, and an exhibitor may only sell one large animal at auction – an exception is made if the same person raises more than one FFA or 4-H Club grand champion or reserve champion animal. If the animal is not sold at auction a barn sale is negotiated. Estill showed two hogs for the 2019 market livestock show, and while neither placed in the lightweight class 241-pound Hulk and 224-pound Iron Man both received blue ribbons. Hulk sold for $3 per pound at the auction. Iron Man was sold for $3.75 per pound in a barn sale.

After the 2020 San Diego County Fair was canceled, the county fair board approved a virtual market livestock show and an online auction. Estill did not participate in the virtual livestock show. He pre-sold three steers, two hogs, and 40 chickens he raised in 2020. The hogs weighed 275 and 300 pounds. Although the steers have been sold, he will show them at the Ramona Country Fair later this summer, and he is contemplating showing meat rabbits at the Ramona Country Fair.

His GPA was also a factor in the scholarship. Estill had a cumulative GPA of 3.7. He was a student at Fallbrook High School as a junior and senior and was home-schooled for his freshman and sophomore years as well as before high school. Estill joined Fallbrook's FFA chapter for his junior year.

Estill, who turned 18 in November, was 11 when he joined 4-H Club.

"My dad did it," Estill said. "He wanted me to try it out, and I did and I fell in love and I haven't stopped doing it."

His 4-H Club activities also included serving as the Fallbrook 4-H Club chapter president for three years and the youth director of the county 4-H Club organization for three years.

"I've gained a lot of experience from it," Estill said. "It's been a lot of fun. It's been a lot of stress, but we put on a bunch of activities."

San Diego County currently has 23 4-H Club chapters. Estill was not an officer with Fallbrook FFA.

Although Estill was not involved in any other school or community activities, he works full-time as a ranch hand at Stenerson Ranch in Bonsall. He did not compete in the California Junior Rodeo Association or California High School Rodeo Association competition, but he said he is considering National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association activity while at Southern Utah University.

Estill was selected to be interviewed for the Zable Foundation 4-H Club Scholarship. Because of the coronavirus quarantine, the interview was by Zoom teleconference.

"Interviewing them by Zoom was an interesting endeavor, and it worked out just great," Juanita Hayes, chair of the Don Diego Scholarship Foundation board of directors, said.

Normally the interviews are held in person. An eight-person panel teleconferenced with Estill for the June 14 interview.

"We didn't get to engage them in person," Hayes said.

Estill was asked about his 4-H Club and other activities. He was also asked what he had been doing during the quarantine.

"Just pretty much been working, working with my animals and working at my job," he said.

Estill was notified of his scholarship award June 26.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].