Pictured is a hog (teeter/cross) raised by Olivia Kwilos and purchased by Katherine Colvin.

Two hundred and thirty-six children raised animals through Chautauqua County 4-H this past year. Some of their animals will be up for sale at the 62nd 4-H Meat Animal Sale on Friday, July 24, at noon at the Warren K. Brown Show Arena at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds in Dunkirk.

The sale will be hosted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program. 4-H members across the county have been working hard since October to raise top-quality animals for the annual sale. This year 25 beef steers, 59 hogs, 13 goats, 20 lambs, and 42 pairs of chicken will be available for purchase.

Market animal projects offer youth a learning experience. They learn animal husbandry, feed and nutrition, animal terminology, cuts of meat, how to train an animal to lead, and current industry standards for their species, but they also learn responsibility, troubleshooting skills, and the benefits of working hard and paying attention to details.

The hard work does not stop at the barn. Youth keep accurate medical, nutrition and financial records for every animal project. They are also encouraged to market that animal to people in the community so that they are sure to get a fair price for their hard work on sale day.

Proceeds from each animal go to the child who raised that animal. A Meat Animal Sale Book on the day of the sale will list the names of the sellers, a little bit about them and how the money benefits them, and the sale order.

Animals are auctioned off in order: hog, goat, chicken, dairy, lamb and steer. Chickens were shown in June and arrive at the auction in coolers and ready to take home.

The Meat Animal Sale is a live animal auction, with animals leaving the fairgrounds after the fair for processing. Those interested can arrive early and walk through the barns to see the animals or youth they might want to support.

A small portion of every sale goes to Chautauqua County 4-H programing. For more information about 4-H visit cce.cornell.edu/Chautauqua.