Feb. 16, 2009 — The V.I. Farmers' Cooperative Livestock Pavilion was home to oodles of animals during Agrifest 2009, from the regal peacock to the perky parakeet and the cute, fluffy bunny to the slithering snake.
There were even designer chickens in the Cole's Funky Chicken Farm display, which took the Livestock Sweepstakes with the best presentation for livestock.
"This is a good family activity," said Jane Coles on Monday. "Every kid should have a chicken."
Her sons Duncan and Morgan worked on the project.
Typically almost 30,000 people attend the three-day fair, but figures for this year will not be tallied until Tuesday, said Clarice Clark, coordinator of promotions for the fair.
Samuel Soanes, who raises rabbits, was chosen as 2009 Livestock Farmer of the Year.
"Samuel's rabbits are well-fed and he maintains a healthy flock," said Sue Lakos, University of the Virgin Islands Extension livestock agent. "He is very proud of his animals."
Soanes and his wife, Janetta, maintain 58 head of rabbits on one acre of land. Soanes, originally from Antigua, has lived on St. Croix since the 1960s.
"My father taught me to work hard and to work to get what I need," he said.
There were interactive lessons and games in the livestock ring provided by 4H members and volunteers.
Coles gave children and adults a lesson on how to care for goats, discussing branding and diet. Children ages 5 to 12 took part in the Ag Olympics with a sugarcane peeling race and a relay race with kids racing to put on farmers' clothing.
"The peacocks had really pretty colors and I loved the fluffy bunnies," said youngster T'Kiijah Francis. "But the pigs were stinky."
At the UVI tent, Emily Walton of 4H Youth Development gave a demonstration to children on how to make bush tea. The tea was made from fragrant hibiscus, lemon grass, basil and lemon balm. The children learned to identify the flavors and crushed the leaves to identify the scents.
"The idea is to let the children know what we eat and drink comes from the earth," Walton said.
Don Bailey, research specialist of the UVI Aquaculture program, said the 18,000 gallon talapia fish tank outside the UVI tent was a big hit.
"This is the largest aquaculture fish tank we have had," Bailey said. "Tomorrow when we empty it we will let all the water run into the duck pond."
Carlos Robles, acting district supervisor of the Cooperative Extension Service at UVI, showed off container gardening using old tires. There were very healthy-looking peppers, tomatoes and celery growing in the stacked tires.
"This will recycle and reduce food bills," Robles said. "And we didn't have to go far from the fairgrounds to find the tires."
Ray Vasquez was chosen as the 2009 Produce Farmer of the Year.
"Vasquez is a very efficient and dedicated farmer," said Dale Brown, president of the V.I. Farmers' Cooperative. "He grows tomatoes, cucumbers, Spanish peppers, okra, basil and more on an acre of land."
The Career and Technical Education Center's (CTEC) Caribbean model home won the Sweepstakes award for best overall garden and a first place in Youth Educational exhibits. Ten different building-trades school programs were included in the exhibit. The area around the house had lovely landscaping and window flower boxes. The little house was made of wood and painted periwinkle blue with yellow shutters. The interior had a cathedral ceiling with exposed beams, and the outside even had downspouts and solar panels.
"It was the first time we entered and we won," said Earl David, a CTEC student who helped with the drywall. "It felt good to win."
Numerous public and private schools took part in the fair with the theme "Agriculture the Future, Yours and Mine."
Lew Muckle Elementary School had large heads of lettuce and cabbage growing in wooden boxes, promoting a healthier future through organic gardening.
Country Day School's display was under the banner "Recycling our past to preserve our future," with grocery bags made from old fabric on display.
The St Croix Reading Campaign from the Department of Education held a book sale with local school librarians manning the booth. A poem entitled "Books are the Finest Friends I Know" was hung on the wall.
There was music to suit everyone's taste, from reggae performed by Root 1 to steel-pan music performed by the Ebenezer Methodist Steel Orchestra and Pandamonics. As the fair wound down, Stroka Band pumped up a large crowd of young people who were dancing and getting into the calypso beat.
Vendors sold everything from hand-tooled leather sandals to fragrant oils, potpourri, hats, jewelry, clothing and more.
"The agricultural fair is very vital and important," said Rastafarian Meeko I.
Queen Ivina said she could feel the togetherness of the people at the fair.
"This was enlightening and so profound with a lot of energy," Ivina said. "I wish people all over the world could see our culture."
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