Kelly’s second county fair includes scholarship

In most cases Tyler Kelly does more than the minimum required to achieve an objective.

He graduated from Ramona High School in June with a 4.47 grade point average, and he was accepted to the California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo engineering program. The son of an electrical engineer and an accountant, he opted instead to major in economics and accounting at the University of California Santa Barbara because the certified public accountant career he’s aiming for is more family-friendly than engineering.

The San Diego County Fair’s Junior Livestock Auction Scholarship program applicants are scored on various criteria and grades are a significant factor. The student must also enter an animal at the county fair and the animal must place high enough to qualify for the fair auction.

Kelly, who was a member of Ramona High School’s Future Farmers of America chapter for two years and has been in 4-H since second grade, entered the market goat competition at the San Diego County Fair. The minimum weight for goats is 65 pounds and Kelly’s doe, Bombshell, weighed exactly 65 pounds on the fair scales June 27.

“We barely made the minimum weight. We were stressing,” Kelly said.

Bombshell placed second in the lightweight class but earned a blue ribbon, which qualified her for auction. That made Kelly eligible for the Junior Livestock Auction Scholarship, and when the results were announced he was one of 12 recipients and received $1,000.

“It’s a blessing, it truly is,” Kelly said. “I appreciate it more than anyone can understand. It makes a huge difference.”

The total scholarship amount varies from year to year depending on the amount of donations. Kelly noted that the scholarship amount won’t cover his full tuition but would reduce the principal — and subsequently the interest — on his student debt.

“It really does a lot,” he said.

That wasn’t the only scholarship Kelly received. At the East County Junior Fair in Lakeside in May, he received the $7,500 Danny Benson Scholarship and the $500 Investment for Youth Scholarship. He also received a $500 Ramona Rotary Scholarship.

And at the Ramona Junior Fair Livestock Auction, his 327-pound swine, Alfred, sold for $8.75 per pound, the highest sale of the day.

Kelly, who turned 18 on June 9, was 1-1/2 years old when his family moved from Lakeside to Ramona. He attended Hanson Elementary School and Olive Peirce Middle School prior to his four years at Ramona High School. He was in Ramona Wranglers 4-H through 11th grade but has spent the past year in Sagebrush 4-H, which is based in Lakeside and was his mother’s 4-H club.

Kelly initially showed rabbits and then began showing and breeding swine when he was nine.

“It was expensive to keep a sow all year-round,” he said.

The entity known as Little Peach Ranch still has pigs but no longer breeds swine. Little Peach Ranch has turkeys and chickens but for eggs only, and the only animals bred by the Kelly family are Boer goats. Between 30 and 40 Boer goats are at Little Peach Ranch.

Two of those were brought to the county fair. Bubbles, born in February, was 57 pounds when he was placed on the fair scales, making him too light for the competition. Kelly noted that the purpose of entering Bubbles, who was the first goat sired by his buck, was to determine the suitability of that buck for future competition.

“I wanted to see what he produced,” he said. “He did well.”

Bombshell was also born in February but earlier in the month. The auction rules do not prevent an animal from being purchased by the exhibitor’s family, and Little Peach Ranch had the top bid of $700 for Bombshell, who will be bred. The gestation period for a goat is approximately five months, or between 140 and 152 days.

Although Kelly has shown at the Eastern San Diego County Junior Fair at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds since his elementary school days and has shown at the Ramona Junior Fair, he did not show at the San Diego County Fair until entering a single goat last year. Kelly used his 4-H affiliation at the county fair in 2015 and this year.

Kelly placed second in senior 4-H goat showmanship at the county fair with Michaela Evans of Ramona Stars 4-H placing first not only in the goat showmanship but subsequently in the master showmanship for all large animals. He joined with one Japatul 4-H member and one Manzanita 4-H member to represent Japatul 4-H in the knowledge bowl. The team placed third.

The process of raising animals involves business as well as agriculture, so Kelly would have the opportunity to work with agricultural clients as an accountant in addition to having flexible hours like his mother. the oldest of three children, he has two younger sisters who will take over the Little Peach Ranch livestock when he is in college.