New barn in Pleasanton aims to keep ranching in urban area

PLEASANTON, Calif. (KGO) -- Concrete was poured Thursday morning to start construction on a state of the art barn that will be located at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.

It will be used by kids in 4-H club and Future Farmers of America. County Supervisor Scott Haggerty says this will be a crucial space for kids interested in ranching and raising animals.

"As housing creeps in on the open lands, it gets harder and harder for children to raise animals, show them and make agriculture thrive," said Haggerty.

They are dedicating the barn to Marissa Hunt, a 10-year-old 4-H member who was killed in a car accident. Her mom says Marissa would have loved this.

"She would think it was amazing. She would love to run around here directing everybody, making sure everything was running on schedule," said Kim Hunt.

Kim says raising animals teaches kids about responsibility and business. The barn will cost about $800,000, is privately funded and is set to open in February.