Market Lambs

Lambs are sold for market at the Sonoma County Fair. Showing a lamb is a big responsibility, but it is a more financially friendly project option. A lamb is purchased in April/May prior to the fair. Once you purchase your animal you will have to regularly feed and water it. After you and the animal get used to each other, you will begin to practice showing your animal, and exercise it daily. When it gets close to the fair, you will start washing and preparing to slick shear the lamb.

Estimated Expenses: $900

Estimated Profit: $1,000

Market Hogs

A hog project is a great experience. Hogs can be sold for market at either Marin County or Sonoma County Fair (you would buy your market pig based on the fair in which you intend to sell at). Market hogs are purchased about 4 months prior to fair time. When you begin your project, you must practice walking your pig every day. You are also responsible for their daily care such as feeding, providing clean water, and keeping their pen clean. As your project progresses, you begin to wash the animal often. As you approach fair time you wash your animal every day. Before you go to the fair you may need to shave your hog.

Estimated Expenses: $1,000

Estimated Profit: $1,300

Market Goats

A market goat project is a fun project that does not require as much time as larger animals. It's very similar to a market lamb project. Basically you provide daily care, and practice working with your animal. In preparation for the fair you have to wash, feed, and shave your animal. Market goats are also sold at the Sonoma County Fair.

Estimated Expenses: $600

Estimated Profit: $900

Market Steers

Steers are sold for market at the Sonoma County Fair. Showing a steer is a lot of hard work and you have to be willing to take on a lot of responsibilities (physically and financially). A steer is an 11 month project. Halter breaking your steer and practicing walking it daily is very important. You also want to practice setting its legs and using your show stick. You also have to rinse and comb the animal’s hair constantly because you are trying to make it grow. Fitting your steer can also be a great skill to learn! For the Sonoma County Fair, you slick shear your steer. Per Tomales FFA exhibitor guidelines, if you are a first time showman, you will not allowed to exhibit a steer for your first livestock project.

Estimated Expenses: $3,200

Estimated Profit: $3,300

All the above market projects require specialty feeds and daily handling of your animal!

Meat Pen/Poultry

The poultry project does not require as much maintenance, as compared to other projects simply because they are much smaller animals. For meat pens, you will take ownership and care for the animals for two months prior to the Sonoma County Fair. When you get your animals you have to feed them and practice showmanship. For a meat pen, you weigh your chickens regularly and select the two most closest in weight to exhibit as your pen. For a non-meat pen poultry project, you care for your poultry year round. Non-meat pen poultry includes chickens, ducks, geese, game birds, pigeons, and turkeys. All poultry projects must be washed before going to the fair.

Estimated Expenses: $50

Estimated Profit: $500

Meat Pen/Rabbits

Raising and showing rabbits can be a lot of fun. If you are the type of person who doesn’t like to work with larger animals then this is the animal for you! There are a lot of responsibilities when you show rabbits. You have to feed and water them every day and make sure you groom them every day also. You can either show a meat pen, which consists of three meat rabbits that are sold at the Sonoma County Fair, or you can also show non-meat rabbits, which are used strictly for showing and are kept as your pets or used for breeding.

Estimated Expenses: $100

Estimated Profit: $500

Dairy Cattle/Goats

A dairy project is a year round commitment. It does not only require a lot of hard work and effort, but also the correct facilities for caring for the animals. You must feed and water your animal daily, and lactating animals must be milked twice a day. In order for you to have and show a dairy project, you must have a milking unit, or be able to keep it at a local cattle/goat dairy. You must also work with your animals continuously in order to train them for the fairs.

Breeding Beef, Sheep, Swine and non-Dairy Goats

A breeding project (like dairy) is a year round project. Like the other projects, you must provide regular care for your animals, but also their offspring. Breeding selection is an important part of a breeding project. You also must train and practice often with these animals, often with multiple at a time. A breeding project is a large time commitment, but can be very rewarding.

Horses & Dogs

Horses and dogs have respective divisions in the livestock department. These shows are skills based.