A young heifer named ‘Stormy’ took top prize it her category at this weekend’s youth livestock auction at the Kern County Fair. Owner Danica Bridgen says the $8,200 prize brings her closer to her dream of having her own cattle business. “I had my eye on her for a long time, I finally got her back in May and started working with her, never took her to a jackpot show at all and this was her first time showing, and she got overall Supreme Champion.” Bridgen is a junior at Independence High School in Bakersfield.

A young lady from Liberty High School in Bakersfield got top dollar for having the Grand Champion Spring Heifer this weekend at the Kern County Fair. Fifteen-year-old Rebecca Vanderpoel also won last year, and says it’s been a lot of work. “When I was first working with her, she’d…try to kick me and stuff, but then she…started trusting me more and we started to work together as a team.” Her dairy heifer sold for $15,625, which Vanderpoel plans to use for college. She credits her dad, Brian, for his help.

There were numerous other livestock winners, of course, too many to mention here, and Kern County Fair managers say this year’s auction sales were four-percent higher than last year, at over $2.98-million. Buyer #9 was also back, an anonymous person who buys large lots of livestock each year and donates the meat to the Bakersfield Homeless Center.

Suzanne Grant