Author: Leslie Cooksey

Teen Opportunity: Carving New Ideas (CNI) Camp

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Each year, Collegiate 4-H at The Ohio State University organizes a weekend workshop called Carving New Ideas (CNI). It will be held at 4-H Camp Ohio, November 21-23, 2025, and is open to all teen 4-H members across the state. Please consider sharing this opportunity in your newsletters and on social media. It’s a fun weekend for teens to get to interact with college students who serve as the organizers, camp counselors, and session facilitators. This opportunity focuses on workforce development, future-forward thinking, and program facilitation for 4-H members in grades 8-12. Campers develop their leadership skills while making new friends from across Ohio. (Franklin County staff and volunteers provide the administrative details, risk management, nursing services, and food preparation for the weekend.)

Fairfield County youth who received CNI Trip Award this spring should register but NOT PAY as Leslie will be taking care of your sponsorship and registration payment.

 

Congrats to these 9 Fairfield County 4-H members selected for Ohio 4-H Teen Leadership Council!

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Congrats to the following Fairfield County 4-H members who were selected for the 2025-2026 Ohio 4-H Teen Leadership Council:

Samantha Bader Fairfield Officer – VP of Outreach
Cora Bell Fairfield Member
Evelyn Hill Fairfield Officer – President
Brin-Leigh Hoisington Fairfield Member
Macy Lybarger Fairfield Member
Makenna Lybarger Fairfield Member
Madison Menke Fairfield Chair – Animal Science
Sophia Preston Fairfield Member
Kendall Wild Fairfield Member

Buyer Poster Contest – Thank our Livestock Sale Buyers!

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Show your appreciation for the livestock buyers by making a poster thanking them for their support by participating in the poster contest sponsored by the Fairfield County Junior Fair Board. Exhibitors may enter a poster as an individual or as a club/chapter. Posters will be displayed during the week in the Feeder Creek Show Arena. Cash prizes will be awarded! Cloverbud members are also welcome to participate!

All posters must be dropped off during fair move-in/fair week by Wednesday, October 8th at NOON to the Junior Fair Office during office hours.

Fairfield County 4-H Endowment Board plans Pancake Breakfast for all!

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On Sunday, October 5, 2025 there will be a pancake breakfast at the Fairfield County Fair, from 8-10 AM. Pancakes will be flipping in front of the Ricketts Hall on the north side of the fairgrounds, next to the Ed Sands Building. There will be sausages, fruit and drinks provided as well. Everyone is welcome! Breakfast is free, but donations are welcome and suggested to benefit the 4-H Endowment Fund.

The 4-H Endowment Fund was created to fund a permanent educator position in Fairfield County so that our children will always have access to the 4-H programs offered through Ohio 4H.

Join us at the pancake breakfast for a flipping good time!

Sweet Treat Items Needed for Livestock Sale Buyer’s Tent

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Returning this year the Livestock Sale Committee will host a refreshment table for livestock buyers at the livestock auctions on Thursday evening October 9th and Friday, October 10th during the fair. A Junior Fair volunteer organizes this table and other 4-H Clubs and FFA groups donate all the food. Contact Leslie at cooksey.25@osu.edu or 740-653-5419 if your club can help on either sale day in addition to donating various food items.

Items needed: Pre-bagged cookies/brownies (3 per bag) and please note if there are nuts; bagged trail mix/nuts in snack size baggies.

Drug Use Notification Forms – due at NOON, Friday, October 3rd for Market Beef/BEEF FEEDERS/DAIRY MARKET STEERS/Dairy Beef Feeders/Lactating Dairy Cows & Dairy Goats/Market Hogs/Market Goats/Market Lambs

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Animals must be drug free by weigh-in day of fair. Each member must complete a Drug Use Notification Form (DUNF) (http://go.osu.edu/fairfielddunf) form online for each animal they plan to exhibit prior to weigh-in at the fair. If the forms are not correctly completed, exhibitors will not be permitted to show. The link to the form will open on Monday, September 29th (as forms should be completed more than 5 days before fair weigh-in).

  • Animals requiring a DUNF indicating the animal is free from any/all drugs in its system on fair weigh-in/move-in day are:
    • Market Beef
    • Beef Feeder
    • Dairy Market Steer
    • Dairy Beef Feeder
    • Dairy Cow (lactating)
    • MQP Hog
    • Market Barrow
    • Market Gilt
    • Market Goat
    • MQP Goat
    • Dairy Goat (lactating)
    • Market Chickens (1 form per pen of 3 chickens)
    • Market Turkey
    • Market Duck
    • MQP Lamb
    • Market Lamb
    • Market Rabbit (1 form per pen of 2 rabbits)
  • Forms should be completed no sooner than 5 days prior to animal weigh-in to be sure that their animal is drug free during fair.
  • Forms submitted prior to that timeframe will be deleted and exhibitors will be asked to resubmit the DUNF form closer to their animal’s weigh-in. All animals being brought to the fair requiring DUNF forms will need to submit their forms by 12:00 p.m., Friday, October 3rd, 2025.
  • The only EXCEPTION to the Friday deadline will be Market Poultry and Market Rabbits who will complete DUNF Forms AFTER they receive tags/leg bands so they have identification information to enter into the DUNF Form. One form per pen of animals should be completed for Poultry and Rabbits. Deadline for poultry and rabbit exhibitors is MIDNIGHT on Saturday, October 4th.
  • Animals tagged with an EID 840 (15 digit tag) should include the last 6 digits in the identification field of the form.
  • Scrapie Tag numbers DO NOT need to be entered for market goats and market sheep – please use the last 6 digits of your EID 840 tag.
  • There should be ONE form submitted for each animal. Exception: Each pen of rabbits and each pen of market chickens will need a form per pen.
  • Turkeys exhibitors will put N/A in the identification field.
  • Market Chicken exhibitors will put all 3 leg band numbers in the same identification field for their pen of chickens.
  • Market Rabbit exhibitors will put both tag numbers for their pair of rabbits in the identification field for their pen of rabbits.

Drug Use Notification Forms – Market Poultry and Market Rabbit Exhibitors (due at midnight on weigh-in day)

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Animals must be drug free by weigh-in day of fair. Each member must complete a Drug Use Notification Form (DUNF) (http://go.osu.edu/fairfielddunf) form online for each animal they plan to exhibit prior to weigh-in at the fair. If the forms are not correctly completed, exhibitors will not be permitted to show.

Market Turkeys/Ducks/Chickens and Market Rabbits must complete a Drug Use Notification Form. One form per pen of chickens and one form for each pen of rabbits. 

Due to market poultry and market rabbits not having identification until weigh-in day, you will be able to submit your DUNF form AFTER weigh-in. It must be completed by MIDNIGHT on Saturday, October 4th.

Cakes/Pies/Candies/Pastries Exhibitors – Schedule your judging appointment for fair!

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4-H members with cake/pie/candy/pastry projects projects should have received an email from Stacy Hicks on September 16th to schedule their appointment for judging on Monday, October 6th at the Fairfield County Junior Fair. Appointments will be scheduled from 3:00-6:00 p.m. with awards at 7:00 p.m. Cakes/Pies/Candies/Pastries Judging will take place in the 4-H Display Barn (south side of the fairgrounds).

Additional information and requirements regarding judging can be found in the 2025 Cake/Pie/Candy Fair Guidelines.

If you cannot find the email with the scheduling link, please contact Stacy at 740-653-5419. Appointments should be scheduled by Wednesday, October 1st so that we can prepare for fair.

Companion Animal Exhibitors – Schedule your judging appointment for fair!

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Fair is almost here! Companion Animals will be judged by appointment only again in 2025. Judging will be Sunday, October 5, 2025, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and will be held in the #50 Show Arena. Please see below for specific times depending on project:

  • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pet Rabbits
  • 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Cavy
  • 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Amphibians, Birds, Reptiles
  • 1:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Cats
  • 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Rodents & Ferrets

PetPALS Projects will be judged immediately following the member’s companion project appointment.  Additional information and requirements regarding judging can be found on the 2025 Jr. Fair Companion Animal Rules.

If you cannot find the email with the scheduling link that was sent to exhibitors on September 18th, please contact Stacy at 740-653-5419.

Do you want to participate in a fun activity with your Companion Animal right after judging?  Then consider participating in the Costume Contest.  Dress yourself and your pet up in your favorite costume, have your picture taken. Fair goers will vote on their favorite costume.

We are excited to see all that you have completed and learned in your 4-H project.

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