Turlock feed company donates $250,000 to fair

A $250,000 donation from Associated Feed & Supply Co. will upgrade the livestock area at the Stanislaus County Fair.

The Turlock-based company announced the gift at a fair board meeting Monday night. It will pay for new pens, energy-efficient fans and other work that makes the livestock area better for animals and the 4-H and FFA members who show them, company President Matt Swanson said.

The improvements could be in place before next year’s fair, July 10-19, he said. The area will be called the Associated Feed Livestock and Exhibits Complex.

Swanson said the fair is vital to preparing young people for farm-related careers. He also noted that county fairs throughout California lost their state funding in 2011.

“It’s up to the private sector to help the fair ramp up, and we’re hoping this gift entices others to give a gift that enhances the fair,” Swanson said.

The livestock area, in the southwest part of the fairground, has thousands of cattle, sheep, swine, chickens, rabbits and other animals during the fair. The young exhibitors spend months raising them at home, then compete before the fair judges.

Swanson said the upgrades will improve safety in the area, reduce the setup cost and cut down on the need to rent facilities.

“This is going to go a long way for our community and our kids,” said fair board member Jack Wilkey, who also is president of the Friends of the Fair Foundation.

Fair board President Ray Souza said that without the state funding, “it has become even more important to seek community support.”

The Stanislaus fair is doing better than many others, thanks to income from the annual event, rentals of the grounds at other times, and sponsorships. Sponsors this year are covering about $425,000 of the $3.8 million budget, said Adrenna Alkhas, marketing and communications director.

Associated Feed, founded in 1971, employs about 220 people at five sites in the Turlock area. It has products for cattle, horses, poultry, sheep and several other animals.

The company is one of several businesses owned by the Swanson family, which came to Turlock in the late 1800s and became a leader in the turkey industry. Others include the Pet Extreme store and The Creation Lab, a recording and video studio.

Matt Swanson was executive producer of the Corbin Bernsen written-and-directed movie “Christian Mingle,” which was shot partially in Turlock last winter and had its première in October. Also, the Swanson family this year donated $35,000 to cover most of the cost of the Swanson-Centennial Dog Park.

This story was originally published November 17, 2014 at 8:09 PM with the headline "Turlock feed company donates $250,000 to fair."