![\"Aubrey](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AEG-L-4HFAIRLIVESTOCKSALE-04.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1\")
The auction begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday and is a symbol of the persistent effort the children have put in for the last 10 to 12 months, according to Mike Doran, co-chair on the fair\u2019s Board of Directors and chairman of the livestock sale.<\/p>\n
Doran said the livestock sale is the highlight of the fair and he hopes for a large turnout, not just to support the fair but to support the children and the fair’s efforts to help people learn more about Harford County agriculture.<\/p>\n
This year there is an uptick in entries, Doran said. At last year’s fair roughly 100 pigs were in the auction, while he anticipates almost 140 this year. Lamb entries have experienced an increase as well, but the number of cattle and steer has stayed about the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s constant growth in 4-H and I think this fair is the reason for that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For Upper Chesapeake Diary Princess Madison Thomas, 15, educating others about her animals is her favorite part of the fair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many misconceptions about the dairy industry and I just really like to teach people about how the animals have personalities,\u201d she said. \u201cAll the animals are loved so much by every 4-Her in this barn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas, who\u2019s been showing animals for seven years, said everyone at the fair has a purpose to be there \u2014 their love of animals and the agriculture industry. This year, she\u2019s showing dairy heifers, dairy calves, pigs, and for the first time, sheep.<\/p>\n
To prepare for sale night, Thomas said everyone works to spread awareness by sending out letters and sharing information on social media.<\/p>\n “The money goes to our future projects, helps us grow as people and goes into our college [funds],\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The money entrants make during the auction goes toward funding their college tuition or purchasing new animals; a small portion goes back into the fair to cover expenses.<\/p>\n Thomas says after she graduates from North Harford High School she plans to study agricultural education in college.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to teach people about the community and the industry,\u201d she said. \u201cSelling our animals and getting that money helps us become better people and grow in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, the livestock auction generated nearly $600,000 in sales and served as the biggest auction in fair history with 226 livestock entries. The highest bidder was Klein\u2019s Family Markets, which purchased a 1,322-pound steer from 12-year-old Ella Deford for $14,524. Deford used the money to purchase livestock for this year\u2019s auction and to put some away for her education.<\/p>\n Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 38th annual Harford County Farm Fair is coming to an end, with the livestock auction signifying the finish line for a lot of participants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":263,"featured_media":10192013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-07-25T09:00:18Z","apple_news_api_id":"b88b711f-105a-429b-b112-95fb83a634a8","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-07-25T09:00:18Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AuItxHxBaQpuxEpX7g6Y0qA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"subheadline":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[503,84],"tags":[],"feature":[],"location":[325,223],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[25811],"class_list":["post-11577142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aegis","category-local-news","location-harford-county","location-maryland"],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"503","primary_tag":0,"print_workflow_body":{"deck_headline":"","print_title":"Harford Farm Fair 4-Hers anticipate livestock sale Saturday","print_subheadline":"","print_priority":"","print_placement":"cover","print_planned_ready":"","print_pub_date":"","print_slug":"AEG-L-FAIRLIVESTOCKPRE-0724","print_content":" The 38th annual Harford County Farm Fair is coming to an end, with the livestock auction signifying the finish line for many participants. Throughout the week, 4-H and Future Farmers of America kids have shown their animals to judges, winning various ribbons. They work tirelessly from spring through summer to feed, exercise and prepare their animals for the fair.<\/p>\n Aubrey Short, 14, has been showing animals with 4-H since she was 8 years old. This year she showed cattle, pigs and sheep, ultimately winning grand champion lamb, which she said was an exciting experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was amazing,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like your hard work paid off \u2026 like you\u2019ve been studying for a test and you get a 100%.\u201d<\/p>\n Short describes selling her animals at the livestock sale as sad, but looks forward to the animals she\u2019ll raise next year.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just excited for new beginnings, because I know selling them is really sad, but I know that I\u2019m going to get new animals next year and it\u2019s going to be worth it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The auction begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday and is a symbol of the persistent effort the children have put in for the last 10 to 12 months, according to Mike Doran, co-chair on the fair\u2019s Board of Directors and chairman of the livestock sale.<\/p>\n Doran said the livestock sale is the highlight of the fair and he hopes for a large turnout, not just to support the fair but to support the children and the fair's efforts to help people learn more about Harford County agriculture.<\/p>\n This year there is an uptick in entries, Doran said. At last year's fair roughly 100 pigs were in the auction, while he anticipates almost 140 this year. Lamb entries have experienced an increase as well, but the number of cattle and steer has stayed about the same.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s constant growth in 4-H and I think this fair is the reason for that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n For Upper Chesapeake Diary Princess Madison Thomas, 15, educating others about her animals is her favorite part of the fair.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so many misconceptions about the dairy industry and I just really like to teach people about how the animals have personalities,\u201d she said. \u201cAll the animals are loved so much by every 4-Her in this barn.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas, who\u2019s been showing animals for seven years, said everyone at the fair has a purpose to be there \u2014 their love of animals and the agriculture industry. This year, she\u2019s showing dairy heifers, dairy calves, pigs, and for the first time, sheep.<\/p>\n To prepare for sale night, Thomas said everyone works to spread awareness by sending out letters and sharing information on social media.<\/p>\n \"The money goes to our future projects, helps us grow as people and goes into our college [funds],\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The money entrants make during the auction goes toward funding their college tuition or purchasing new animals; a small portion goes back into the fair to cover expenses.<\/p>\n Thomas says after she graduates from North Harford High School she plans to study agricultural education in college.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to teach people about the community and the industry,\u201d she said. \u201cSelling our animals and getting that money helps us become better people and grow in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, the livestock auction generated nearly $600,000 in sales and served as the biggest auction in fair history with 226 livestock entries. The highest bidder was Klein\u2019s Family Markets, which purchased a 1,322-pound steer from 12-year-old Ella Deford for $14,524. Deford used the money to purchase livestock for this year\u2019s auction and to put some away for her education.<\/p>\n Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.<\/em><\/p>\n","print_budget_line":"","print_excerpt":"The 38th annual Harford County Farm Fair is coming to an end, with the livestock auction signifying the finish line for a lot of participants.","print_notes":"","photo_limits":"Photo limits are: 1 featured image, 5 featured gallery images, 5 embedded gallery images and 5 in-article embedded images. Articles that exceed these limits will not export. Please adjust images to reflect these limits.","print_featured_gallery_richtext":"","print_inline_galleries_richtext":"","print_inline_images_richtext":" [cq comment=\"a lot of \" <\/span>]<\/p>\n [caption id=\"attachment_10191985\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"6048\"] [cq comment=\",\" <\/span>][cq comment=\", Mike Doran\" <\/span>][cq comment=\"agriculture in \" <\/span>]<\/p>\n [caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"1200\"] [cq comment=\"\"It's great for businesses and it's great to show that you're involved in the community and that you really care about the kids,\" she said. \"Because\" <\/span> <\/span>][cq comment=\"In addition to her duties as dairy princess, Thomas also serves as a board member for the 4-H club and the FFA at her school, North Harford High School. After high schoo\" <\/span> <\/span>][cq comment=\",\" <\/span>][cq comment=\"Ella\" <\/span>]<\/p>\n"},"print_workflow_exported_ts":"1753388161","print_workflow_exported_username":"Molly Fellin Spence","print_workflow_shapes":"","print_workflow_side":{"print_section":24280,"print_status":24232,"print_endpoint":"tribune","add_export_buttons":""},"really_short_title":"","short_title":"","syndication_source":"","market_neutral_title":"","social_title":"","dfm_hub_post_id":0,"paywall_level":"premium","featured_media_content":{"content_type":"image","content":{"id":10192013,"title":"AEG-L-4HFAIRLIVESTOCKSALE-13.jpg","filename":"AEG-THUMB-4HFAIRLIVESTOCKSALE-13_200546984.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AEG-THUMB-4HFAIRLIVESTOCKSALE-13_200546984.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/aeg-l-4hfairlivestocksale-13-jpg\/","alt":"","author":"36","description":"","caption":"Dorothy Deford, of Jarrettsville, shows her emotions as she nuzzles with her champion Hereford before selling the animal in the 4-H Livestock Sale at the Harford County Farm Fair on July 27, 2024. 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Aubrey Short and her reserve grand champion swine walk around the show ring during the 4-H Livestock Sale at the Harford County Farm Fair in 2024. (Brian Krista\/Staff)[\/caption]<\/p>\n Madison Thomas spends some time helping her Holstein cows Star, left, and Dixie get settled in shortly after arriving in the cow pavilion as they wait for the 4-H dairy cattle show at the Harford County Farm Fair in 2022.[\/caption]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AEG-THUMB-4HFAIRLIVESTOCKSALE-13_200546984.jpg\")
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