The Kern County Fair is a huge part of Bakersfield College freshman Lauren Taylor’s life. Taylor, 18, has been raising lambs her entire life.?
“We have pictures of me as a baby washing lambs.? I grew up like this.? It was kind of meant to be,” said Taylor.
Taylor’s father has been raising lambs for over 30 years, so growing up around lambs is normal to her.?Taylor can always be found in the backyard working with her lambs.? She began showing lambs in the fair at nine years old.
Showing at the fair takes year round preparation, according to Taylor.?
“We spend all year round in that backyard.?I’m really, really excited to participate in the fair again this year.” Taylor dedicates at least an hour and a half each day working with her lambs. ?
She discussed how her only worries about the fair do not have to do with showing or the competition, but with the people attending the fair.?
“Sometimes people don’t understand how to behave around animals,” she said. “They just don’t know.? I’ve had people try to feed my lambs a corn dog before.? People have mistaken my lambs for goats or llamas.”?
Taylor believes attending the animal exhibits at the fair is a good educational experience for people.?
“Most people don’t understand or even know what agriculture is and what a huge part of the United States it is,” she said.
Her family raises lambs for livestock purposes.?Taylor’s father visits breeders across the U.S., purchases the lambs as babies, and raises the lambs until it’s time to sell them as livestock.?
“I don’t get attached to the animals.?They’re market animals.?They get better attention than most humans do, trust me!?We raise them for livestock purpose, not as pets,”?she said.
According to Taylor, lambs are graded on various criteria such as how well they’re groomed, how much fat they have, and how they’re presented.?
“I love going into the ring and showing.?Just being a part of it is such a rush,” said Taylor. “I can’t wait for the fair this year.? I wait all year for it to come around.? I’m really sad; I have one year left until I’m too old to show.”
Taylor anticipates helping her younger relatives show in the fair and hopes someday, when she has kids, they will show lambs, too.
“My kids someday will definitely show in the fair.?It’s such a great experience and such a huge part of my life.”?
She plans to purchase land and raise lambs as a hobby in the future.?
“It’s my passion; it’s what I love to do.” ?