Experience the miracle of life at the birthing pavilion

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KOLN) - A popular attraction at the Nebraska State Fair is the birthing pavilion, and it’s a place where kids and adults alike get a chance to see how farm animals come into the world.

Dr. Karla Huneke said they have a team of veterinarians, with seven who are official staff. “We also have volunteers throughout the week who are part of the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association who come and work about a four hour shift here. We have a veterinarian on duty all the time,” she said.

The team started a program about three years ago that involves university students.

“We actually have two 4th year veterinary students from Iowa State here now, they are in their last year of veterinary medicine. They are here 24/7 and they man the pavilion all 10 days,” Dr. Huneke said. “We have some living quarters in the back, and they are available to help any animals. They get up one or two times a night to check on the animals, and if there any complications, they call a staff veterinarian in.”

“These animals are all vet-checked before they come here,” Dr. Huneke said.

The animals come from farms around the state, with local producers they partner with. “After the fair, they usually go back to their farms of origin,” Dr. Huneke said. “The beef cattle are university-owned cattle. Our pigs come from a sow unit. But because of biosecurity reasons, they can not go back to that unit. So, once they farrow out here, we have a program where we find a 4-H or FFA family. That family takes the sows or babies. They can raise the babies, sell the babies, do what they want with those. Once they are done with the mama, and they sell her, our stipulation is the proceeds from that sale should come back to help make improvements here at the birthing pavilion.”

Some of the biggest questions kids ask when they come through is ‘how many babies did the animal have?’, or ‘when is she due?’ As you can see, the pavilion is certainly an educational experience for visitors. If you are going to the state fair this weekend, be sure to check it out!

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