If you know of any new 4-H or FFA members who are planning to exhibit market cattle at the 2026 Shelby County Junior Fair, please pass along this information. 

Important Information
• All market cattle (steer/market heifer & dairy steers) must be under the care of the exhibitor by Monday, January 1st, 2026.
• Cattle registrations cards are to be submitted to the Extension Office no later than Friday, January 9th, 2026 at 4:30 PM.
• Cattle weigh-in and tagging will be held on Sunday, January 11th, 2026 from 12 to 1:30 PM at the Shelby County Fairgrounds.
• In the event of inclement weather, the make-up date will be Sunday, January 25th, 2026 from 12 to1:30 PM at the Shelby County Fairgrounds.
• ALL livestock exhibitors (market and lactating species) MUST attend a Quality Assurance or successfully test out of QA to be eligible to compete at the 2026 Shelby County Junior Fair. Please visit the Shelby Co. Quality Assurance page on our website for more information!

For more information, please review the links below. If you have any questions, please email Judie Gaerke gaerke.13@osu.edu!

2026 Jr. Fair Market Cattle Exhibitor Letter

2026 Jr. Fair Market Cattle Registration Card

2026 OSF DNA Sample Collection Information

Attention 2026 Shelby County Junior Fair Feeder Calf Exhibitors!

Vaccination Protocol for 2026

Reminder that in 2025 the new rule: Per ODA requirements, all feeder calves are required to have a completed and approved Drug Use Notification Form (DUNF) submitted to be permitted to show or sell at the Shelby County Fair. Exhibitors and their families need to complete the vaccination protocol and necessary boosters prior to June 1st, 2026 to ensure that feeder calves will be drug free by DUNF submission prior to animal weigh-in.

• 2026 Jr. Fair Feeder Calf Vaccination Record

Important Dates

• Sunday, May 3rd, 2026 from 1-2 PM: Feeder Calf Mandatory Tag Pick-Up (located at the Sale Committee Office on the Shelby County Fairgrounds)
• Vaccination Check during Tag Pick-Up
• Friday, May 15th, 2025 at 4:30 PM: Deadline for ALL feeder calf entries to be entered on FairEntry

Exhibitor Letter/ Important Information

• 2026 Feeder Calf Exhibitor Letter

If you have any questions, please contact our office at 937-498-7239. Thank you!

December 2025

• 12/06 Ohio 4-H Horse Show Judges Clinic – State
• 12/13 Ohio Military Kids Winter Wonderland – State
• 12/21 Shelby County Camp Counselor Meeting (2:00-5:00 pm)
• 12/21 Shelby County Junior Fair Board Meeting
• 12/23-12/31 Extension Office Closed

January 2026

• 1/1 -1/3 Office Closed: New Year’s Day
• 1/1 Market Beef (Steers/Market Heifers) Possession Deadline
• 1/5 Junior Fair Suggestion Forms Due
• 1/9 Market Beef (Steers/Market Heifers) Registrations Due
• 1/11 Market Beef (Steers/Market Heifers) Tag/Weigh In (12:00-1:30 pm)
• 1/_ Junior Fair Livestock Sale Committee Meeting (7:30 pm)
• TBA DNA/EID kits due for Ohio State Fair Market Beef – State
• 1/14-18 Ohio Fair Managers Association 2026 https://ohiofairs.org/register/
• 1/17 Ohio Fair Manager’s Association – Junior Fair Day – State
• 1/18 Shelby County Camp Counselor Meeting (2:00-5:00 pm)
• 1/18 Annual Junior Fair Board Rule Change Meeting (6:00 pm)
• 1/19 Office Closed: MLK Day
• 1/21 Senior Fair Board Meeting (7:00 pm)
• 1/25 Makeup date – Market Beef (Steers/Market Heifers) Tag/Weigh In (12:00-1:30 pm)
• TBD State Horse Advisor Training – State
• TBD MXC registrations due by noon – State

February 2026

• 2/1 4-H Online Re-Enrollment Deadline (Returning Members)
• 2/1 County Deadline for Ohio Achievement Record Submission
• 2/7 CARTEENS (9:00 am -12:00 pm)
• 2/15 Volunteer Background Check Screenings Due – State
• TBA Annual 4-H Volunteer Training (10:00 AM)
• 2/15 Ohio 4-H Scholarship Deadline – State
• 2/15 Shelby County Camp Counselor Meeting (2:00-5:00 pm)
• 2/15 Annual Junior Fair Board Rule Change Meeting (6:00 pm)
• 2/18 Senior Fair Board Meeting (7:00 pm)
• 2/20 Ohio 4-H Conference Registration Due – State
• 2/20-2/22 Winter Shooting Sports Training Workshop – State
• 2/28-3/01 Making eXtreme Counselors (MXC) Workshop – State

March 2026

• 3/7 Horseapalooza (clinic) and Horse Communications Contest – State
• TBA Quality Assurance at Fairgrounds (7:00 pm)
• 3/1 Horse Communications Contest – State
• 3/2-3/8 Ohio 4-H Week – State
• 3/8: Ohio 4-H Conference- State
• TBA Russia Quality Assurance (8:00 pm)
• 3/15 Shelby County Camp Counselor Meeting (2:00-5:00 pm)
• 3/15 Shelby County Junior Fair Board Meeting
• 3/15-3/21 Ohio 4-H Week – State
• 3/21 Ohio 4-H Conference – State
• 3/24-3/29 Citizenship Washington Focus – State
• 3/25-3/29 Ignite by 4-H – State
• TBD Ohio Youth Poultry Clinic (Columbus, OH) – State
• TBD Ohio Youth Poultry Clinic (Wooster, OH) – State

April 2026

• 2/4 CARTEENS (9:00 am -12:00 pm)
• TBA Junior Fair Livestock Sale Committee Meeting (7:30 pm)
• 4/10-4/15 National 4-H Conference – State
• 4/13 Ohio Youth Institute – State
• 4/18 Dairy Palooza – State
• 4/18-4/19 Forestry and Wildlife Conservation Camp  – State
• 4/19 Shelby County Camp Counselor Meeting (2:00-5:00 pm)
• 4/19 Senior Fair Board Meeting (7:00 pm)
• 4/19-4/30 Global Immersion Project (Greece) – State
• 4/24-4/26 Spring Shooting Sports Instructor Workshop – State

May 2026

• 5/1 4-H Online Enrollment Deadline (New Members)
• TBA Forestry Wildlife Conservation Camp
• 5/3 Market Goat & Market Lamb Tag In/Optional Weigh In (12:00-2:00 pm)
• 5/3 Feeder Calf Tag Pick Up & Vaccination Paperwork Check (1:00-2:00 pm)
• 5/3 Swine Tags (12:00-2:00 pm)
• 5/15 Swine & Feeder Calf ID Photos Due on FairEntry
• 5/15 4-H Event Youth Assistant Applications Due  – State
• 5/17 Shelby County Camp Counselor Meeting (2:00-5:00 pm)
• 5/17 Junior Fair Board Meeting (6:00 pm)
• 5/20 Senior Fair Board Meeting (7:00 pm)
• 5/25 4-H Office Closed: Memorial Day

June 2026

• 6/1 Junior Fair Entries Due in FairEntry
• 6/1 Quality Assurance Deadline
• 6/1 Horse IDs and Vaccination Records Due in FairEntry
• 6/01-6/05 State 4-H Leadership Camp 
• 6/03-6/06 Shelby County 4-H Camp
• 6/05-6/07 Adaptive Adventures Camp
• 6/09 State Achievement Awards Banquet
• 6/11-6/13 Spark EXPO
• 6/12-6/14 Shooting Sports Camp – Junior
• 6/20 Rabbit Tattooing (8:00-10:00 am)
• 6/21-6/27 National Shooting Sports Championships
• 6/29-7/1 STEM Camp at Canters Cave
• TBD Cloverbud Engineering Adventure
• TBD Poultry Judging and Avian Bowl Contests
• TBD Space Adventure Camp

July 2026

• 7/12-7/17 Shooting Sports Camp – Senior
• 7/18-7/21 Sea Camp
• 7/14-8/8 Ohio 4-H Livestock Skillathons
• 7/20-7/24 Shelby County Fair Pre-Fair Judging
• 7/26–8/1 Shelby County Fair
• 7/29-8/9 Ohio State Fair
• TDB OSU State 4-H Livestock Judging Contest

August 2026

• 8/02 Ohio 4-H Food Challenge
• 8/29 Horse Groom and Clean State Event
• TBD Ohio 4-H Poultry Judging and Avian Bowl

September 2026

• 9/11-9/12 Horse Competitive Tail Ride
• 9/22-9/24 Farm Science Review
• 9/27-10/01 National 4-H Dairy Conference
• TBD Urban Immersion Project (Washington, DC)

October 2026

• 10/02-10/04 Fall Shooting Sports Instructor Workshop
• 10/04-10/10 National 4-H Week
• TBD Celebration of Youth

2026 Annual Rule Change Meeting

The Shelby County Junior Fair Board will review suggestions and rule changes at their Annual Rule Change Meeting on Sunday, January 18th at 6 PM in the Extension Office Meeting Room. This meeting is open to the public. We greatly appreciate your efforts to help improve the Shelby County Junior Fair!

2026 Junior Fair Board Suggestion Form – Due Monday, January 5th, 2026 (Click Here)

Shelby County 4-H Re-Enrollment is now open!!!

ALL 4-H advisors and members must re-enroll annually.

Enrollment deadlines

February 1st for Returning Members

May 1st for New Members

To re-enroll go to https://oh.4honline.com/

This guide is only for families who have previously utilized 4-H Online last year or in recent history. (CLICK HERE)
If you are a new advisor or a new family enrolling, please call the office at 937-498-7239. If you have chosen NOT to continue in 4-H please contact Judie Gaerke at gaerke.13@osu.edu so we can remove you from the mailing lists.

2025 Pre-Fair Judging Information: 

Scheduling & Format: Pre-fair judging will still be held July 14-18 (Mon – Foods and Clothing, Tues – Photography, Wed – Creative Arts and Creative Writing, Thurs – Special Interest, and Fri – Woodworking.)

Guidelines for Projects: A few other department-specific things to note:

– Foods: Members will bring an actual food sample, and also bring a photo story (photographs, album, scrapbook, collage, binder, portfolio, display board, any other type of visual display, etc.). Exhibitors will still bring a table setting display, recipe card, and balanced menu per the guidelines.

– Clothing: Exhibitors will wear their outfits themselves.

– Woodworking: Exhibitors will participate in the hands-on skillathon component of judging. The state fair will have hands-on skillathon.

– Creative Writing: Entries should be submitted to the OSU Extension office by Monday, July 7th at 4:30pm. At that time, you can sign up for a judging time OR you can call 937-498-7239 (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to schedule your judging time. Judging will be held on Creative Arts day, Wednesday, July 16th from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Not Seeing Your Name on the Schedule?: If you don’t see your exhibitor’s name on the schedules posted, please email me at gaerke.13@osu.edu so I can identify why they are not on the schedule and figure out which time group to assign them to. If you did not do a Fair Entry via shelbycounty.fairentry.com to indicate your intent to participate in pre-fair judging by June 1st, you have not been assigned a timeslot.

Scratches: We hate to see you go! But, if you do decide it is necessary to scratch a project, please submit all scratches by the second Friday in July so that we can make necessary changes to the judging schedules well in advance. Scratch form due by July 11th.

2025 Schedules will be released July 1st!!!

Monday, July 14
Foods – Schedule | Guidelines | Scoresheet | Letter | Results
Clothing – Schedule | Guidelines | Scoresheet | Narration Card | Letter

Tuesday, July 15
Photography –  Schedule | Guidelines | Scoresheet | Letter | Results

Wednesday, July 16
Creative Arts – Schedule | Guidelines | Scoresheets | Letter | Results
Creative Writing – Schedule (2025 Coming soon!) | Scoresheet | Letter

Thursday, July 17
Special Interest –Schedule | Guidelines | Scoresheets | Letter | Results

Friday, July 18
Woodworking –  Schedule | Guidelines | Scoresheet | Skills Study Sheet | Letter | Results

Other Events:

Sunday, July 20
Style Revue – Program – 2025 Coming soon!

Thursday, July 24
Cloverbuds Share Day – 2025 Cloverbud Club Suggested Times

WIN TWO COLUMBIA EWES

Sponsored by the Ohio Columbia Association

  The purpose of this award is to introduce the youth to raising and owning Columbia sheep as well as encouraging the growth of new Columbia Breeders across the State of Ohio.

  The Ohio Columbia Association will award two Columbia ewes to a 4-H or FFA member or FFA Chapter that is interested in starting a flock of Columbia sheep.

Contest Rules:

1. The applicant must not be over 16 as of Jan. 1st , 2025 and must have never owned a Columbia breeding sheep, nor can their parents or guardian be raising Columbias.
2. The sheep are to be maintained in a healthy condition and housed in clean facilities.
3. The sheep should receive the proper nutrition to assure health and proper growth.
4. The recipient should be familiar with the cost of raising sheep.
5. The Columbia ewes must be bred to a registered Columbia ram.
6. The recipient should keep the ewes for at least two lambing seasons and for some reason they can’t, the ewes will be given back to the donors of the ewes.
7. The ewe lambs should be a part of the 4-H or FFA member’s project and be exhibited at the Junior Fair Sheep Show at the Ohio State Fair for the first year.
8. The winner will be asked to give a report on their progress of the ewes at the fall Columbia picnic for the first year.
9. A member from the Association will be assigned to the winner to Mentor them.
10. Failure to maintain the sheep in good health, properly fed and in clean facilities will automatically result in the Columbia ewes being returned to their original owners.
11. The Association has the right to refuse any or all applicants if they don’t meet the standards of the rules.

The Ohio Columbia Association will deliver the ewes to the winner and transfer the registration papers into the winner name before Mar 1st  of the current year. The Ohio Columbia Association members will provide management assistants and will provide a ram to breed  the ewes too, upon the request of the winner. A representative of the Ohio Columbia Association may inspect the facilities and ewes  at any time during the first year. The Ohio Columbia Association will  pay the entry fees of the two ewes at the Junior Show at the Ohio State Fair.

The applicant should fill out the attached form and return it by Feb. 20, 2025 so that an interview can be set up before Mar 1.

OHIO COLUMBIA ASSOCIATION

Mike Copeland

7674 Co. Rd. 23

Lewistown, OH 43333

mcopeland1966@gmail.com

937-844-6122

Cooper Farms will once again be offering 5 free turkey poults to each 4-H & FFA member to take as a Shelby County Fair project.

4-H Youths taking this project must enroll in 4honline under Market Turkey.

Orders must be called into the office at 937-498-7239 by February 10th at 4:30 pm.

Pick up date is tentatively set for March 6th at the Shelby County Extension Office.

Please click the link to see the order form. Turkey Project Order Form

Please print/sign the biosecurity form and return it to the office.

No chicks are to be released without the signed form. Cooper Farms Biosecurity

Information on how to be ready: Turkey Brooding Guidelines

The Shelby County Outstanding 4-H’er Award is given out annually to FIVE outstanding youth who deserve to be celebrated for their positive impact on their communities. The youth, nominated by their peers or advisors, are featured online and in the Sidney Daily News. They also receive a certificate and plaque recognizing them for their outstanding leadership. This is a noteworthy award that is presented every year.

Please include the name of the 4-H member and 4 to 5 sentences on how you feel they work each day to impact those around them positively. Specific examples of involvement in service leadership should be included. Please also include a photo of the member for publicity purposes.

To see past winners, visit https://shelby.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development/outstanding-4-her-award

Nominations can be emailed to Katie Miller at miller.11920@osu.edu by July 14th! Thank you!