What the Alameda County Fair Junior Livestock Program Is
Every year, Alameda County youth in FFA and 4-H raise swine, beef, lambs, goats and more to show at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton. These projects take a real investment in animals, feed and supplies, plus countless hours of care. At the fair the animals are judged and graded, and the market-ready ones sell through the Junior Livestock Auction. Proceeds help pay for the next project and, for many exhibitors, college. The 2026 auction was held on Sunday, July 12 at 9:00 a.m., the closing day of the fair.
Divisions and Ways to Enter
The fair publishes separate rule sheets for each department: market and breeding beef, market and breeding swine, market sheep, market goat, Boer goat, pygmy goat, dairy goat, horse and small animals. Using the Youth Market Beef Show as an example, the divisions are:
- Showmanship: every exhibitor is entered with no pre-entry needed. Classes are FFA First Year, 4-H Beginner (9 to 10), Junior (11 to 13), Intermediate (14 to 15) and Advanced (16 and over), plus FFA Advanced, with ages counted as of December 31, 2025. Intermediate and Advanced winners earn cash. Beginner and Junior winners earn ribbons and rosettes.
- Market beef: FFA and 4-H divisions, judged on the American system and sorted by weight.
- Pair of Market Beef, chapter or project group classes and Bred by Exhibitor classes, ribbon only with no entry fee.
Beef entries were $10 per entry if made by May 15, 2026, and $20 after that date.
Rules That Matter
- Market beef must weigh at least 1,000 pounds at the fair weigh-in. There is no maximum weight, but beef is only paid up to 1,300 pounds at the auction.
- Slick-shorn steers must be shorn to within one quarter inch about 7 to 10 days before arriving, excluding the legs below the knee and hock, tailhead, switch, ears and poll.
- Beef is graded Market Ready or Not Market Ready. Market Ready means enough fat to meet the marbling for USDA Prime, Choice or Select-plus. Not Market Ready animals cannot sell.
- The exhibitor's birthdate must be entered in the online platform.
- Non-sale market-ready animals earn a $30 cash award. Sale animals do not receive judging cash awards.
Prizes and Awards
Showmanship cash awards run from $30 for first place down to $5 for eighth in the cash classes. Market beef champions receive banners and rosettes: Supreme Champion, Reserve Supreme, and 4-H and FFA Grand and Reserve Grand Champions.
The Auction: Rules for Sellers
- An animal must be Market Ready or Market Acceptable to qualify.
- An exhibitor may sell no more than two large livestock animals and one small animal, with exceptions for champions.
- All 4-H and FFA Champions and Reserve Champions, and the Supreme and Reserve Supreme Champions, must sell.
- The exhibitor must be present at the auction, and no animal can be sold more than once.
- Intent-to-sell forms must be turned in to the Livestock Office on time, or the animal will not sell.
- The fair keeps 5 percent of each sale price to cover buyer defaults and auction costs. Lambs carry a $3 processing fee from the processor.
- Champion swine, beef, sheep and goats go to processing, either custom or resale, with no live pickups.
- Sale checks are mailed within about two weeks, once the buyer has paid.
Buyers can receive quality meat, advertising exposure and possible tax benefits for amounts paid above market value. Buyer registration and add-ons are handled online through the fair's auction page.
Where
Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Avenue, Pleasanton, CA. The most recent fair ran June 19 to July 12, 2026, and the 2027 fair is scheduled for June 18 to July 11.
Questions
Can a champion choose not to sell?
No. Grand and Reserve Grand Champions and Supreme Champions must sell. Breed champions are not required to.
Can I pick up my animal live after the sale?
Live pickup is discouraged, and champion swine, beef, sheep and goats must go to processing.
When is the auction?
The 2026 auction was Sunday, July 12 at 9:00 a.m.
Official Links
California Fairs and Youth Livestock Shows: The Essentials
California county and district fairs are where most 4-H and FFA members show and sell market animals. CDFA counts 80 fair organizations: District Agricultural Associations, county fairs, citrus fairs and Cal Expo.
Timing
Fairs run nearly all year. CDFA's 2026 list had Riverside in February and March, Salinas Valley in mid-May, the State Fair from July 17 to August 2 and Big Fresno in October.
Rules to watch
State and 4-H rules require 60 consecutive days of ownership for market sheep, swine and goats and 120 for market beef, per the 4-H handbook. Junior livestock exhibitors must also complete YQCA training each year.
Auctions
Monterey's 2025 livestock rules describe a terminal sale with a 9.0 percent selling charge and required thank-you letters. Other fairs differ.
Next steps
Get your fair's exhibitor book from the fair office or Extension 4-H office and mark ownership, entry and YQCA dates. Dates and weights change each year.
Read the full guide: California Fairs and Youth Livestock Shows
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Listing checked Nov. 11, 2026 against this source. Details can change; confirm with the organizer.