What the Santa Clara County Fair Junior Livestock Program Is
The Santa Clara County Fair is the county's annual fair at the Tully Road fairgrounds in San Jose, and its junior livestock program is the heart of it for 4-H and FFA families. Youth raise steers, lambs, hogs, goats, rabbits, chickens and turkeys, show them in the barns, and sell the best market animals at the Junior Livestock Auction on Saturday morning. The 2026 fair was the 82nd annual and moved to the third week of August, with public days running Wednesday, August 19 through Sunday, August 23.
Divisions and Ways to Enter
- Market classes: beef, sheep, swine, market goats, market poultry and rabbit meat pens.
- Breeding classes: beef, sheep, swine, Boer goats, dairy cattle, dairy goats, plus rabbits, cavies, poultry, pygmy goats and dogs.
- Showmanship: separate 4-H, FFA and Supreme showmanship, plus Large and Small Animal Master Showmanship on Sunday.
- Independent market classes: for youth who are not in 4-H or FFA.
All entries are made online only. Fees are paid at checkout by Visa, MasterCard or Discover, and late entries add $10 per class. Every junior animal exhibitor must also enter a competitive exhibit (something they made, baked or created), or they cannot show animals, collect premiums or sell at the auction.
Who Can Enter and Rules
- Market and large breeding animals: juniors age 9 or older as of January 1, from Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, Alameda and San Mateo counties.
- Dairy cattle and dairy goats: age 9 or older, open to all counties. Rabbits and cavies are open to all counties for ages 5 to 19.
- Independents must be 5 by January 1 and may exhibit through December 31 of the year they turn 19. 4-H, FFA and Grange members follow their organization's membership rules.
- Market swine need a bill of sale and a Proposition 12 certificate from a third-party certified breeder with the pre-tagging paperwork. Self-certification is no longer allowed.
- A complete entry means: the online form, fees paid, a signed Memorandum of Understanding and Code of Conduct, the YQCA certificate number, a drug statement for market animals, leader or advisor approval and all pre-tagging and DNA paperwork.
How It Works: The Timeline
- April 17, 2026: market beef pre-tagging forms due.
- June 16, 2026: market swine, sheep and goat pre-tagging forms due.
- July 16, 2026: entries and YQCA certificates due; breeding and small animal ownership date. Late entries close July 23.
- Thursday, July 30: pre-fair meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the fairgrounds.
- Saturday, August 15: pens set up; vet check and weigh-in. Sheep and goats weigh in from 3 to 4:30 p.m., beef at 4:30 p.m. and hogs from 5 to 7 p.m.
- Thursday, August 20, 9 p.m.: auction paperwork due. No scratches or substitutions after this.
- Saturday, August 22: Buyers' Breakfast at 8 a.m., Junior Livestock Auction at 10 a.m.
- Sunday, August 23: Large Animal Master Showmanship at 9 a.m., Small Animal Master Showmanship at 2 p.m., then the awards ceremony.
The Auction: Who Sells and What Happens
Only market animals owned and shown by Santa Clara County 4-H and FFA members that were judged market ready or acceptable may sell in the open-bid auction. Each exhibitor sells one animal, but every Champion and Reserve Champion must sell, and in-county exhibitors with a champion may sell one extra animal per champion lot. Out-of-county, independent and Grange exhibitors can sell one animal through the fair only with a prearranged buyer and a certified check at or above the current market price. All sales are terminal, so animals go to processing and there are no live sales. Sellers pay a 5 percent service fee, must wear their organization's uniform in the ring, and must report any error on the posted auction list within two hours.
Lots are one steer, hog, lamb or goat sold by the pound, three market rabbits, two meat-pen chickens, a turkey sold by the pound or a dozen eggs. The new Buyer's Coalition collects donations to buy 4-H and FFA meat projects and gives the meat to local food banks and soup kitchens.
Where
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Road, San Jose, CA 95111. The fair office number for exhibitor questions is (408) 494-3159.
Questions
Can my child sell more than one animal?
Not normally. One animal per exhibitor, unless a champion or reserve champion earns an extra lot.
Can I change the animal on the auction list?
No. After the Thursday 9 p.m. deadline there are no substitutions, and the posted list can only be corrected within two hours of posting.
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
Other Upcoming Events Nearby
- South Valley Ag Fair
Family-organized junior livestock show for 4-H and FFA students (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, chickens) at Thorson's Arena in San Martin July 27-28, 2026, with an August 1 auction at Rancher's Choice Stockyard in Aromas.
San Martin, CA | Organizer: South County farm families, FFA chapters and 4-H clubs Official event details - Gilroy Rodeo
Three-day South County rodeo with a country concert, barrel race, junior rodeo and ranch rodeo, expected to draw about 20,000 people. Revived in 2018 after the original rodeo ended in 1956, with proceeds going to local nonprofits.
2365 Dunlap Avenue, Gilroy, CA | Organizer: Gilroy Rodeo Association Official event details - CCPRA Finals Rodeo
Season-ending finals of the CCPRA circuit in Red Bluff, November 27-28, 2026.
Red Bluff, CA | Organizer: California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association Official event details - San Joaquin County Fair
Winter holiday-season fair at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, scheduled December 3-20, 2026. Family entertainment and local exhibits.
1658 S. Airport Way, Stockton, CA Official event details - NYE Kick-Off CCPRA Rodeo
New Year's Eve rodeo in Red Bluff, December 31, 2026, that starts the next CCPRA season.
Red Bluff, CA | Organizer: California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association Official event details
Listing checked Nov. 11, 2026 against this source. Details can change; confirm with the organizer.