Dear Community,

It won’t be long and you will begin to hear some of our county’s most accomplished youth on the local radio asking you to come buy their livestock the last day of the Nevada County Fair on August 10th, 2025. Conspicuously missing will be the feathered Thanksgiving dinner bird, Turkeys. You may have heard about the ban on birds and dairy cattle at the Nevada County Fair this year. This ban is due to the small risk that Avian Influenza could possibly be spread at exhibitions. Do not fear, if you love the strutting turkeys and sweet little chickens held by doting 4-H youth, there will be wonderful education displays and hatching eggs in the Family Farm Area at the fair in August.

Unfortunately, there are a few kids who raised meat birds that will not be able to share their story asking you to buy their turkeys. These 5 youth were promised a chance to sell their meat project at the fair, on a probable exemption from CDFA, because there have been very few cases in California in months. However, the exemption to allow poultry at shows was applied for by the Nevada County Fair but never approved, according to Katie Beilen Deputy Manager. Stuck in red tape, are these stellar youth who will learn great lessons on responsibility, while also being stuck with the bill for delicious, ethically, and locally grown meat turkeys.

“There are 5 kids who took the word of the powers that be they would get a chance to sell, even if it had to be virtual, but then that opportunity evaporated after months of waiting for a reply about the exemption and the difficulty of the fair in setting up that process legally,” said Hannah (Ramey) Meyer, the youth’s 4-H poultry project leader.

“One young lady particularly is getting the experience and benefit cut short. She is in her last year of 4-H, just graduated high school, and would have exhibited both her own bred and raised dairy heifer as well as turkeys that she and her younger siblings raised together.

Several other youth went on to raise other animal species but these kids had to make a decision the very week they had to order their birds when the opportunity looked highly likely.”

Please consider buying the turkeys that these wonderful young people have put great love, effort, and money into this spring and summer. You can contribute to the 5 youth by giving them a check or cash or you can purchase the bird, processed or not, from them directly. Feel free to contact Hannah Meyer, their leader, for their individual family contacts.

The following youth will be supported;

Julianna

Kate

Suzanna

Wesley

Walker

Julianna with her turkey. She also raises and milks her own Jersey dairy cattle.