HERMISTON, Ore.-The Umatilla County Fair Youth Livestock Auction was August 15, marking another successful year.
While it’s too early to tell if 2026 was another record-setting year, preliminary numbers show that $1.28 million was brough in just through the auction.
That number is expected to grow as add-ons to livestock sold at the auction continue to come in, according to Marie Linnell, UCF Livestock Auction Superintendent, with the total amount raised possibly finalized late next week.
“It shows how strong and supportive this community is,” said Linnell. “Success breeds success.”
With the dedication of exhibitors and the support of community partners and bidders, the UCF Youth Livestock Auction has set sales records the past few years.
In 2023 the auction brought in $1.3 million, in 2024 the auction brought in $1.5 million, and last year, the auction saw $1.6 million in sales.
Add-ons or “bumps” are additional monetary contributions from community partners and organizations to the sale price of livestock sold at the auction, to benefit exhibitors.
“Umatilla County is big geographically, and we have many longtime supporters; from individuals and banks to agricultural businesses and community organizations,” said Linnell. “Without our partners the sale wouldn’t be successful.”
This year, Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) in Hermiston was one of the organizations that provided a “bump” to specific 4-H and FFA livestock projects.
GSHCS contributed an add-on for exhibitors whose parents are affiliated with the organization.
“Good Shepherd is proud to support the youth in our community and the hard work, responsibility, and dedication they put into their 4-H and FFA projects,” said Danielle Tao, Vice President of Clinics at GSHCS.
The add-ons from GSHCS go directly to the youth exhibitor as an addition to whatever amount they earned at the auction.
GSHCS has also committed to providing a “bump” at the Morrow County Fair Youth Livestock Auction on August 22.
The 2026 UCF Youth Livestock Auction
This year 397 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) agricultural students from around the region exhibited lambs, goats, steers, rabbits, poultry, and swine at the fair.
“There’s lots of reasons for the success of the Youth Livestock Auction,” said Linnell. “The support these local kids raising animals get from the community is amazing.”
For Greenlee Adams, of Hermiston, auction day was bittersweet, as it meant saying goodbye to Penguin, the pig she’s raised since February.
“She’s great, the sweetest,” said Adams. “We’ve got a strong connection and it’s hard to give her away for money.”
Named for her coloring and the way she gets into the mud, reminiscent of a penguin into water, Penguin is the fourth pig, in addition to two goats that Adams has raised during her seven years in 4-H.
“She’s 273 pounds, which is about where I was shooting for,” said Adams, a senior at Hermiston High School. “I switched her to pan feed the past few weeks.”
Adams, whose mother works for GSHCS, is one of the exhibitors who will receive a “bump” after the auction from Good Shepherd.
“My mom told me about the bump from Good Shepherd, that’s cool,” said Adams. “We’re very thankful.”
Paisley Sullivan, 12, of Echo, exhibited a 1,721-pound steer named Cisco at the fair.
“He’s the second biggest in the barn,” said Sullivan, of her steer that earned Second Place Reserve Champion Junior Beef Showman.
Sullivan, the daughter of Kaila and Joe Sullivan, traded her heifer to her grandfather for Cisco in November, and has been raising him ever since.
As she waited her turn at the auction, Sullivan was still working, trying to tame Cisco’s hair, so they looked their best when their turn came.
“It’s been pretty good,” Sullivan said of fair week and the experience of showing Cisco. “He got away on market day, but Thursday was really good, then the fourth time we had to show him he didn’t want to do anything.”
46 goats were sold at the UCF Youth Livestock Auction, including one raised by Julia Estrada, of Milton-Freewater.
“He’s a pretty nice goat, he likes to cooperate and follow,” said Estrada, a sophomore at McLoughlin High School, who plans to raise goats through her senior year.
Estrada raised her goat from the time it was four-months old, naming it Aladdin, taking inspiration from a heroes friend group.
Now 10-months old and weighing 93 pounds, Aladdin sold for $11.50 a pound at auction.
“It’s been good, I really enjoy raising them,” said Estrada of her FFA experience. “It’s a nice community to raise animals in and enjoy your friends and family.”
More information about the Umatilla County Fair and Youth Livestock Auction is available online.
The Morrow County Fair is August 18-22, with the Youth Livestock Auction on August 22.
