Month: August 2020

Canine Ambassador Applications: Updated Deadline – Friday, 9/11/2020

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The 2020 Canine Ambassador Application is here.  The application is due to the Extension Office by September 11, 2020. Don’t forget to include a picture!   Please note that all other specie applications as well as Junior Fair Queen applications are now posted online. Click here for more info.

Friend of the Junior Fair Award – due Friday, September 11th, 2020

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The Junior Fair Board is again sponsoring the Friend of the Junior Fair Award. Agricultural students, 4-H members and community members in Fairfield County are encouraged to nominate a person or business in the community that has a strong influence in agriculture and has contributed to the lives of Junior Fair members and the Fairfield County Junior Fair. Details on the presentation of this award will be shared at a later time.

Applications are due Friday, September 11th and can be obtained online or at the OSU Extension Office or from a Junior Fair Board member. Nominate a deserving person or business you know today!

Support the Fairfield Co. Jr. Fair Board while Shopping with Kroger!

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Help the Fairfield County Junior Fair Board raise money while shopping at no additional cost to you!
1. Start at Kroger.com
2. Sign in with your current Kroger account or create a new one. Note: You must have a registered Kroger Rewards card in order to participate in the Community Rewards program
3. Click the Community Rewards tab and search for “Fairfield Co 4H Advisory Committee”, then click Enroll
4. Once you select your charity, it will be saved and you will support 4-H each time you shop!
5. The 4-H Advisory Committee will allocate these funds to the JFB upon receipt.

Junior Fair Queen Applications Available: Due September 11th, 2020

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The 2020 Fairfield County Junior Fair Queen Cover Letter and Application can be found here. Applications will be mailed to eligible 4-H members shortly. FFA members should ask their FFA Advisor for applications or print off from the link at the beginning of this paragraph.  Signed Junior Fair Queen Applications (with photo!) are due to the Extension Office by 4:00 pm on September 11, 2020. Don’t forget to sign the application and include a picture!

2020 Fairfield County Quality Assurance Deadline: September 4th

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The Fairfield County Senior Fair Board will require that 4-H and FFA complete Quality Assurance by Friday, September 4th to meet the annual Quality Assurance requirement to exhibit at the Fairfield County Junior Fair. This September 4th deadline is for 2020 only.

Quality Assurance Training is required for all members who will be exhibiting a livestock project at the Fairfield County Junior Fair. This includes the following projects:

  • Beef (Breeding & Market)
  • Dairy Breeding & Dairy Feeders
  • Goats (Angora, Dairy, Meat, Market & Pygmy)
  • Poultry (Breeding & Market)
  • Sheep (Breeding & Market)
  • Swine
  • Rabbits (Breeding & Market)
  • Llamas & Alpacas (New for 2020)

Advisors must turn in completion paperwork for member’s QA training to the Extension Office by Tuesday, September 8th, 2020. Due to the Extension Office being open only by appointment currently, please call 740-653-5419 to schedule a drop off time. Additionally, QA paperwork can be dropped off in our drop box which is attached to the building located on the east side doors of the building. Please look for a black box that says OSU with 4-H stickers on it. If you leave something in out drop box, please let us know!

For a complete list of Quality Assurance options for 2020, please click here.

Fairfield County Quality Assurance Options as of 8/21/2020

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Quality Assurance Training is required for all 4-H and FFA members who will be exhibiting a livestock project at the Fairfield County Junior Fair. This includes the following projects:

  • Beef (Breeding & Market)
  • Dairy Breeding & Dairy Feeders
  • Goats (Angora, Dairy, Meat, Market & Pygmy)
  • Poultry (Breeding & Market)
  • Sheep (Breeding & Market)
  • Swine
  • Rabbits (Breeding & Market)
  • Llamas & Alpacas (New for 2020)

4-H and FFA members must complete Quality Assurance this year by Friday, September 4th to meet this requirement. This deadline is for 2020 only.

Here are your options to complete the Quality Assurance requirement for 2020:

  1. Option 1: Complete Quality Assurance online through YQCA. This is the only approved online option. It does cost $12 per member annually. If you plan to show in other livestock shows this year outside of Ohio – I actually recommend completing QA in this way as some of the national stock shows actually will require YQCA to meet their Quality Assurance Requirement.
    • Visit http://yqca.org/ to complete QA if you choose this option.
    • Fairfield County 4-H Members should select “sign in with 4-HOnline”. It will prompt you to select a state and then enter your 4-HOnline account information. After successfully logging in, you will be given a list of active family members. Select the family member and start the account creation process.
    • Fairfield County FFA Members (who are not in 4-H) should select FFA & Independent Sign-In.
    • Make sure you work through the entire program until you see a certificate number.
    • For a complete list of directions visit: Getting Your YQCA Online Certification
    • Please email your certificate number to cooksey.25@osu.edu.
  2. Option 2: In-Person Club Quality Assurance Training. Talk to your club/chapter advisor. Some are trained to teach Quality Assurance. I know that they are still figuring out how their meetings will look now that in-person events can resume. If your advisor is planning to teach QA by September 4th, they are able to do this in-person with you.
  3. If the above options do not work for you, Option 3 is to complete QA through Zoom with the Extension Office. Four sessions have been previous offered. One session remains: Session 5: 8/24/2020 at 7:00 PM.
    • All family members must plan to attend the entire QA session. Plan for 90 minutes.
    • You must have a good internet connection with video capabilities to participate.
    • Registration is required at least 48 hours prior to the QA session you plan to attend by clicking this link: https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5Bmi9FlbfUOajat
    • Each session is limited to 40 families. Families only need to register once if all family members plan to participate at the same time.
    • Approximately 24 hours prior to your scheduled QA session, you will receive your Zoom connection information from Leslie Cooksey.

Please reach out to Leslie Cooksey if you have any questions (email cooksey.25@osu.edu or phone 740-277-4625).

Skillathon Update as of 8/21/2020 – What you need to know!

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Please Note: Skillathons provide an opportunity for you show us what you know about your species. Although the Skillathon will be scored, it will not be a competitive event this year. Skillathons will be for completion only in 2020.

You must complete at least ONE Skillathon in order to show at the 2020 Fairfield County Junior Fair. For those that completed the online Ohio Youth Skillathons in July and August, that will count as your Skillathon for the 2020 Fairfield County Fair – UNLESS you would like to participate in Premier Exhibitor for your specie. If you plan to compete for Premier Exhibitor, you must complete the Fairfield County Virtual Skillathon in that respective specie.

For 2020, Skillathons will be held virtually. Skillathon links will be emailed to you on September 1st. You can complete the Skillathon once you receive the link. Each Skillathon can only be completed once. We ask that you complete the Skillathon on your own. If you need assistance with reading, a parent/guardian is permitted to assist for this reason. Skillathons must be completed by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 21st. The Virtual Skillathons will take 20-30 minutes on a computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access. If you do not have a device and/or internet access, appointments may be made to take the Virtual Skillathon at the Fairgrounds on Sunday, September 20th. Click here to schedule an in-person appointment for Sunday. September 20th. Appointments will be available in the afternoon and must be scheduled by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 18th.

Once completed, you will receive a conformation email your Skillathon was submitted. Please check your spam folder for this email. If you do not get a confirmation email within 2 hours, please email koenig.398@osu.edu to check for your completion. Do not call.

Study Materials: The listing by specie below outlines the subject areas that will be included on your specie’s Skillathon. Suggested study resources are:

Skillathons are set up in 5-6 sections:

  • Two-three sections will be topics from the species-specific lists.
  • One section will be related to Quality Assurance (or EquiSTEP for horses).
  • One section will be about reading feed tags.
  • The final section will be sharing information about your project. This may include information about your animal (breed, weight, what you are feeding, etc.).

 Dairy Beef Feeders & Beef

  • Breeds
  • Feed ID
  • Meat Cuts
  • Nutrition

Dairy Cattle

  • Mammary System
  • Breeds
  • Anatomy
  • Pedigree

Horses

  • Equipment
  • Body Scoring
  • Bit Education
  • Breeds

Goats

  • Disease
  • Breed ID
  • Herd Management

Sheep

  • Meat Cuts
  • Breeds
  • Feet & Leg Structure
  • Equipment

Swine

  • Breeds
  • Parasites/Ear Notching
  • Equipment Selection
  • Anatomy

Poultry

  • Feed ID
  • Parts/Meat Cuts
  • Breeds
  • Diseases

Rabbits

  • Faults and DQs
  • Diseases
  • Breeds
  • Anatomy

Dogs

  • Anatomy
  • Postures
  • Diseases
  • Breeds

Alpacas/Llamas

  • General Information
  • Anatomy
  • Leg Structure
  • Feed Tag

Please continue to work on your 4-H and FFA Project Books. Project Books will be collected and reviewed at the county level prior to fair. Stay tuned for updates on this process.

CANCELLED: Dog Check-In Day Scheduled for August 29th

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The Dog Check-In Day that was previously scheduled for Saturday, August 29th is CANCELLED. All activities that usually take place at Dog Check-In Day will now take place at the Fairfield County Fair. Additional details will be shared as soon as they are confirmed.

  • Members must turn in their 2020 Dog Class Entry Form and 2020 Junior Fair Entry Form to their advisor as soon as possible. Advisors will need to turn in both of these forms to the Senior Fair Office by 4:00 p.m. on August 28th, 2020. No late entries will be accepted.
  • Check-In and Interview Judging for You and Your Dog will now take place on the day of the Fairfield County Junior Fair Dog Show – Sunday, October 11th.
  • Skillathons will now take place virtually September 1 – 21st. Please watch for more information from the OSU Extension Office on accessing Skillathons next week.