Students prepare livestock for virtual auction at Big Fresno Fair

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The show must go on for the hundreds of students auctioning their livestock at the Big Fresno Fair.

After months of work, Sid is ready for auction this Friday and unlike his namesake, Sid the Sloth, he stays on the move.

"I believe we work them at least a minimum of 8 hours a week," said Sanger High School Senior Cassandra Sandoval.

Sandoval has been preparing for this week since May.

"I go out and feed anytime between 6:15 and 6:45 in the morning, so I'm feeding them and watering them and in the process, I'm feeding the chickens too," explained Sandoval.

The Sanger High School senior couldn't keep her goats at the school farm due to COVID-19, so she and her dad got busy, even building the goats a pen.

"The main thing our advisor told us was it's a gamble, we may or may not have fair, if you want to show you have to have a place to keep them," said Sandoval. "That was the biggest thing, whether or not I wanted to take that gamble, but I figured it's senior year. I might as well make the most of it."

She's spent the last months raising two goats to show at the Big Fresno Fair.

"I really wanted this experience to work hands-on with the animals, get a feeling of how it is feeding, watering, taking care of them, get my own personal experience, especially since I want to work with farm animals," said Sandoval.

After showing her goats this week, Sid will be up for auction virtually on Friday, the first of its kind for the Big Fresno Fair.

"It's a new movement in the livestock industry, to do these online sales and I think for us it could take off, where in the future we may do a hybrid of a virtual and in person," said Lauri King Deputy Manager of the Big Fresno Fair.

The virtual auction runs October 9th-12th. For details on how to bid visit their website.