Centennial Farm class ‘Urban Hops’ explores the prolific benefits of rabbit keeping

With spring on the horizon, there is perhaps no better symbol of the season than the rabbit. The animal ambassadors of fertility, gentleness and new life, their likeness tends to pop up more and more as the Easter holiday approaches.

But there’s so much more to the tiny herbivores who, with the proper care and feeding, can make ideal pets for both farm and city dwellers and who amply contribute to agriculture through their meat, manure and wool.

Centennial Farm Supervisor Allen Mesick holds two rabbits at the O.C. fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Rabbits can also be kept and bred for the purpose of being shown in fairs and competitions, where they may be judged and awarded for their healthiness, fur and physique.

For the leporine curious or the unconvinced, a new two-hour workshop at the Orange County fairgrounds’ Centennial Farm on March 16 aims to educate attendees about the versatility of the species, not only in springtime but all year round.

“Urban Hops — Rabbits as a Diverse Agricultural Journey” will provide a brief history of rabbit domestication, which has so far spawned 52 unique breeds, along with tips on the many ways the animals may be kept, used and shown.

The workshop will be led by Centennial Farm Supervisor Allen Mesick, a licensed rabbit judge who’s traveled the world judging competitions and teaching others about the sustainability benefits of rabbit keeping.

A Holland Lop.

(Courtesy of Allen Mesick)

While the farm has been hosting farm and garden classes for years, focusing on all things agricultural, from planting and pruning to cooking and livestock keeping, this is the first time rabbits have taken a spotlight.

“Selfishly, I wanted to do this topic because rabbits have been a big part of my life since I was a little kid,” Mesick said Wednesday. “I don’t think rabbits are commonly thought of as a commodity or a possibility, but that’s part of what we’re trying to do with our farm and garden classes — we want people to think about things they may not have considered.”

Mesick’s lecture, which will feature an appearance from a mother rabbit and her bunny offspring, coincides with a rabbit show hosted by the Riverside County Rabbit Breeders Assn., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., during which hundreds of rabbits will be on display.

The talk aims to impart lessons for people who may be considering keeping a rabbit as a pet — a good option since the critters are quiet, easily kept and don’t require as much socialization as cats and dogs — and words of caution for those thinking of rabbits as simply an Easter-time thrill.

Rabbits may also be a solution for young people who may want to raise a rabbit for a 4-H or Future Farmers of America project without the complex logistics of raising much larger cows, sheep or goats.

Rabbits may be a solution for young people who may want to raise a rabbit for a 4-H or Future Farmers of America project instead of navigating the complex logistics of raising much larger cows, sheep or goats.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

As an added bonus, rabbits do not need to be sold for slaughter once such a project has ended, Mesick said, and can be kept for competition or for wool harvesting.

“If you take really good care of your rabbit, they’re probably going to compete very well. And they can live for a long time,” he added. “It’s not easy for kids to raise a steer or a market lamb or hog. [Rabbits are] a project that can continue long after the fair, and they don’t have to use them for meat.”

Evy Young oversees Centennial Farm as the director of agricultural programs for the Orange County Fair & Event Center. She said the site opened in 1989 as a way to provide year-round ag-based learning opportunities for those outside of the normal O.C. Fair schedule.

A workshop led by the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Food Preservers of Orange County is one of many classes held at Centennial Farms throughout the year.

(Courtesy of OC Fair & Event Center)

In the first few months, attendance rosters logged around 1,250 guests. Today, with help from the classes, more than 40,000 people visit Centennial Farm each year, in addition to the more than 1 million trips generated during the annual fair.

“It’s definitely an educational experience. There is a lot of hands-on learning involved,” Young said Thursday.

Established in 2013 through $350,000 in funding through the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, the farm and garden classes initially had a plant-forward focus but have expanded to include culinary and livestock offerings, according to Young.

Allen Mesick walks two rabbits to a hutch. While Centennial Farm has been hosting farm and garden classes for years, focusing on all things agricultural, from planting and pruning to cooking and livestock keeping, the Urban Hops class is the first time rabbits have taken a spotlight.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“Agriculture encompasses so many things,” she added. “It’s not just produce, it’s the animals as well, and animals can be part of regenerative farming. So these classes are like full-circle agriculture, if you will.”

“Urban Hops” takes place March 16, from 10 a.m. to noon. A $7 fee covers materials and handouts, and parking is free. To reserve a space by March 13, visit ocfair.com/centennial-farm/garden-classes/.