Author: Smith

New Livestock Tagging/Weighing and MQP Dates for 2024

by

Several dates including tagging, weigh-in, and MQP conclusion have changed!

A Greek philosopher once said, “the only constant in life is change.” If you plan to participate in large animal market livestock projects at the 2024 Fairfield County Jr. Fair, that couldn’t be truer.

Due to a quirk in the 2024 calendar, some historic calendar conflicts, and the move to harvesting the Beef Performance and Carcass Quality animals in 2024 several adjustments have been made to the calendar for goat, lamb, swine, beef and dairy feeder project participants. In 2024 weigh-in and tagging will be held the last Saturday in June, and the schedule for the MQP projects will also change. Specifically, the dates for 2024 that were approved by the Sr. Fair Board at their November 4th meeting include:

March 9:  Market Beef weigh-in

May 18:  Goat MQP weigh-in

June 29:  Dairy feeder weigh-in, market goat tag check-in, market hog (including MQP) tag check-in, market lamb (including MQP) tag check-in.

August 25:  Goat MQP conclusion

September 1:  Lamb MQP conclusion

September 8:  Swine (barrows or gilts) MQP conclusion

September 24:  Beef Performance & Carcass Quality (beef carcass contest) conclusion

October 1:  If participation exceeds capacity for the 24th, date for second Beef Performance & Carcass Quality (beef carcass contest) conclusion. (UPDATE: October 1 is confirmed as the cattle collection, weighing and photograph date for half of the BPCQ cattle.)

Place these dates on your calendar and more information and detail about tagging and weigh-in will be released as soon as it becomes available.

Beef Performance and Carcass Quality Contest Cattle to be Harvested in 2024

by

In 2024, Jr. beef exhibitors will get into the cooler and actually see what they produced!

In 1995 the Fairfield County Cattleman’s Association created a contest that allowed local junior beef exhibitors the opportunity to participate in a real-world beef production contest that rewarded participants for added market value traits. Continuing since that time the Beef Performance and Carcass Quality (BPCQ) contest has evaluated entries based on a combination of growth, performance, and carcass characteristics.

In the beginning the carcass characteristics of economic significance were evaluated for the contest in the Bay Packing meat cooler after the animal was harvested. In recent years the carcasses have been evaluated using ultrasound technology. In 2024 the carcass evaluation will return to the meat cooler.

While ultrasound technology has served the contest well for several years, it prevented youth from having the opportunity to see firsthand the meat quality of the animal they had raised. Much like the other local county carcass-based program participants, youth in the BPCQ contest will now have the opportunity go into the meat cooler prior to Fair and see first hand the quality grade of their animal and Continue reading Beef Performance and Carcass Quality Contest Cattle to be Harvested in 2024 →

Open Show Arena for Beef Cattle Exhibitors, September 10 and 24

by

An opportunity to acclimate your beef cattle project to the Fair environment before the Fair.

For many Junior Fair beef exhibitors, the week of the Fair is the only time a project animal has been away from home since it was tagged or weighed in at the beginning of the project. The opportunity for project animals, especially large animals like beef cattle, to get away from home at least once or twice before the Fair goes a long way in allowing both the animal and the exhibitor to more easily acclimate to the Fair environment when the time comes.

With that in mind and knowing there’s precious little time to acclimate beef cattle to the Show Arena after arrival at the Fair, beef cattle exhibitors have the opportunity on September 10 and again on September 24 to bring their project beef animals to the Fairground for “Open Show Arena.”

The Feeder Creek Show Arena will be open from noon until approximately 3 p.m. on Continue reading Open Show Arena for Beef Cattle Exhibitors, September 10 and 24 →

Junior Breeding Beef and Feeder Calf Deadlines Approach

by

Some possession and tagging rules have changed!

Youth planning to exhibit breeding beef or beef feeder calves at the 2023 Fairfield County Fair have deadlines approaching and a new identification procedure to follow.

Beef Breeding Possession Date and Identification:

  • Beef Breeding possession date is July 1st. All beef breeding animals exhibited must have been completely and full owned and in the complete possession and continual care of the exhibitor on and after this date.
  • Registered Beef Breeding Identification: By July 15th an EID 840 Tag and/or Tattoo Number as well as DNA hair sample for each animal must be submitted at the OSU Extension office. A Registration Number is required at the time of fair entry and by August 25th (Fair Entry Deadline). If breed registration is not completed by fair entry deadline, the animal will show as a crossbred.
  • Crossbred Beef Breeding Identification: By July 15th an EID 840 Tag number as well as DNA hair sample for each animal must be submitted at the OSU Extension office. The EID 840 tag will be used as the official fair identification. If needed, crossbred heifer exhibitors may pick-up 840 EID tags from OSU Extension.

Beef Feeder Possession Date and Identification:

  • Beef Feeder calf possession deadline is August 15th. All beef feeder animals exhibited must have been completely and full owned and in the complete possession and continual care of the exhibitor on and after this date.
  • Beef Feeder calf identification: All beef feeder exhibitors will submit an EID 840 tag number by August 20th (within 5 days of August 15th possession date) to the OSU Extension Office for each beef feeder animal. If needed, feeder calf exhibitors may pickup 840 EID tags from OSU Extension. DNA is not required for feeder calves.

Housing Forms:

  • Junior Fair Exhibitors of beef feeders and breeding beef animals housing animal(s) at a location other than the property on which they reside must obtain and file a Livestock Housing Form with the OSU Extension Office. Deadline for submitting this form is the possession deadline of the animal.

For more details about rules for exhibiting at the 2023 Fairfield County Junior Fair, see the Junior Fair Rule Book.

Goat, Barrow and Lamb MQP Applications are being Accepted

by

Application deadline for MQP contests is May 1

Entries for the 2023 Fairfield County Jr. Fair Goat, Barrow, and Lamb MQP programs are now being accepted. Again this year all MQP entries will be accepted on-line.

Please note that some of the important MQP dates have changed as follows:

  • Goats for the MQP contest must be owned by June 3, 2023 and will be tagged and weighed-in on that date at the Fairgrounds. After 85 days on feed the Goat MQP contest will conclude at the Fairgrounds on Sunday, August 27, 2023.
  • Lambs for the MQP contest must be owned by July 8, 2023 and will be tagged and weighed at the Fairgrounds on that date. After 64 days on feed the MQP lambs will be brought back to the Fairgrounds for the conclusion of the contest. Note this is 14 days less time on feed than last year.
  • Barrows for MQP must be owned by July 8, 2023 and will be tagged and weighed this year at the Fairgrounds on that date. After 78 days on feed the barrows will return to the Fairgrounds for the contest conclusion.

Applications for any of these contests must be received on-line by May 1, 2023. Find more details about MQP and links to each of the application portals here: https://go.osu.edu/mqp

Market Beef Tagging, Weighing, and DNA Sample Collection Procedure for 2023 in Fairfield County

by

Again this year families will tag their market beef calves at home prior to weighing them in at Fairfield Cattle Company on March 11.

The time for Fairfield County’s market beef tagging and weigh-in is upon us. Based on the success of the tagging and weigh-in process that has been utilized in recent years, this year will be conducted in a similar fashion with only a few modifications.

In advance of weigh-in youth will be required to tag their own market beef animals with an 840 EID tag (unless they already have an EID tag). Visual numbered tags will not be provided or required this year. However, as in the recent past, participants will submit a hair follicle DNA sample at the weigh-in which will begin at 8:30 a.m. on March 11, 2023.

Beginning immediately and in advance of March 11, families with market beef projects will also be required to reserve weigh-in time, and only those directly involved in transporting and weighing-in calves should plan to attend . . . please, no spectators! The goal remains to reduce congregation at weigh-in and minimize the transfer of paperwork. Specifically, the step-by-step process includes . . . Continue reading Market Beef Tagging, Weighing, and DNA Sample Collection Procedure for 2023 in Fairfield County →

Beef Exhibitors, we want your opinions!

by

Dear past, present and future, Fairfield County Junior beef exhibitors,

Share your thoughts, make the 2023 beef show the best ever!

We hope you enjoyed the Fair and are already looking forward to next year. In an effort to make the environment in the beef barn and surrounding area the best it can be we are asking for your input.

As you’re likely aware, participation in Fairfield County’s beef projects has been on the rise during the past eight years nearly doubling over that time. As with anything that experiences rapid growth, there are some growing pains. In particular, barn space and the surrounding grooming area spaces have become very tight in recent years.

We are exploring a variety of alternatives to address the many challenges that result from growing participation in the beef project area. And, we want to carefully consider your suggestions and opinions as we proceed.

In an effort to make next year’s beef projects and shows the best experience possible for our youth, their families and spectators, we hope you will take a few minutes and complete our survey. We realize the 20 questions we are asking will take a few minutes of your time, but we sincerely want your thoughts and opinions!

Please tell us what you think by clicking on this link!

Sincerely,

Desirae Logsdon & Matt Henwood
Fairfield County Junior Fair Beef Superintendents

Jr. Beef Barn . . . Last minute Updates from the Superintendents!

by

Dear Fairfield Co. Beef Exhibitors and Families,

Thanks to Horn Farms for sponsoring the mulch in the Beef Barn!

With this note we wanted to give you another update as we prepare to move into Fair this weekend. We hope this answers any questions that remain.

First, the mulch has arrived. Once again, we need to thank Horn Farms (4455 Lancaster-Thornville Road, Pleasantville 43148), the Kevin & Tim Horn families for sponsoring the beef barn this year and providing all the mulch. It will be placed in the barn prior to 5 p.m. on Thursday when you are welcome to begin moving tack into place.

The stalling map is not yet complete but will be prior to Thursday at 5 p.m. and will also be posted for you to see on the BAND app. We will be utilizing the BAND App again this year for show day communication as well with any other information that needs to be sent out before, during or after the show. If you do not presently have this app, go to your app store and download the Band App and then search “Fairfield County Fair Beef Barn”. If you have any problems, contact Desirae.

Check-in Saturday, October 8, will be handled the same as it was last year.

Market steers/heifers including the carcass steers/heifers will be weighed and checked in anytime between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. (yes, we know the Jr Fair Book was published with two different times). After weighing, steers/heifers entered in the ‘carcass contest’ will then be scanned.

DUNF forms for each market animal must be submitted on-line by Continue reading Jr. Beef Barn . . . Last minute Updates from the Superintendents! →

A letter to 2022 beef exhibitors about this year’s Fair!

by

Dear Fairfield Co. Beef Exhibitors and Families,

We hope this letter finds you well as the 2022 Fairfield County Fair quickly approaches! There have been a lot of questions and concerns leading up to this fair and we hope this letter answers those questions for you.

Please read this letter in its entirety. There is a lot of important information in it including some changes for this year.

Per the Sr. Fairboard, the marking of chute spaces and tie outs may NOT BE DONE BEFORE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1ST 2022 STARTING AT 8:00 A.M. Any spots marked prior to this will be taken down. They also ask that you refrain from using duct tape of any kind on the metal of any barns. Instead, you can use it on the wood at the bottom of the barn.

We are continuing to search for a solution to the need of more chute and grooming areas. At present for this year, see this map, highlighted in red/yellow, for all potential grooming areas the Fairboard has provided us for chutes and grooming.

  • NEW THIS YEAR FOR THE DAY OF THE SHOW, CHUTES AND TENTS CAN BE SET UP ON THE BLACK TOP IN FRONT OF THE HOG BARN NORTH OF THE SHOW ARENA. HOWEVER, THESE TENTS AND CHUTES WILL NEED TO BE TAKEN DOWN AT THE END OF THE SHOW.
  • ALSO, THE FIRST ROW OF HORSE BARNS UP NEAR TIE OUTS, AND THE AREA IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF THEM CAN BE USED FOR CHUTE/GROOMING SPACE AND ARE ALSO AVAILABLE TO BE MARKED BEGINNING OCTOBER 1. HOWEVER, WE SUGGEST USING JUST THE OVERHANG AND AREAS EXTENDING TOWARDS THE ROADWAY FROM THEM, AND WE DON’T ANTICIPATE YOU PUTTING ANIMALS IN THE STALLS. NOTE: THE POSTS SUPPORTING THE OVERHANG ARE NOT WEIGHT BEARING . . . PLEASE DO NOT TIE ANIMALS DIRECTLY TO THOSE POSTS.

Since the number of entries are continuing to increase each year, we will be calling you to confirm the number of entries that you will be bringing to the fair to make sure that we are using our limited barn space efficiently. We ask that you are forthright when we call to confirm entries with you. It is our plan to make sure that your cattle have enough room. HOWEVER, IF YOU’RE ASSIGNED MORE SPACE THAN YOU ACTUALLY NEED, ONCE YOU ARRIVE WITH YOUR ANIMALS AT THE FAIR, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO CONDENSE YOUR STALL SPACE. We ask that club members work together with each other when putting up fan cages. (i.e. if you have one beef animal and want to stall that one animal in a fan cage, please work with others in your club to utilize the extra space inside your cage in order that the space is used most efficiently).

Also, the tent on the south side of the beef barn will be back this year. We will be assigning space in the tent and will let the clubs/families know in advance who will be stalled there so they can plan accordingly.

The barn and tent will be open for you to come in and set up beginning Thursday, October 6th, 2022 after 5:00 p.m. Again this year, the Fairfield County Cattlemen’s Association will be providing mulch bedding free of charge to Jr. exhibitors for use in the barn and tent.

Check-in Saturday, October 8, will be handled the same as it was last year.

  • Market steers/heifers including the carcass steers/heifers will be weighed and checked in anytime between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. (yes, we know the Jr Fair Book was published with two different times). After weighing, steers/heifers entered in the ‘carcass contest’ will then be scanned.
  • DUNF forms for each market animal must be submitted on-line within 3 days of move-in on October 8, and prior to going across the scales. On-line access to the DUNF is here: go.osu.edu/fairfieldDUNF
  • During the same time frame (2 p.m.-5 p.m.) feeder calves and crossbred (non-registered) breeding heifers will be weighed.
  • All registered breeding heifers will have their tattoos checked against the registration papers that you previously uploaded after the scales close.
  • If you have a Bred Born and Raised steer/heifer, please confirm with Desirae that the market steer or heifer is correctly marked and that the breeder is correct.
  • If you plan to pull a market steer or heifer from the sale and take it home, you must declare this at the scale by submitting the proper ‘take home’ paperwork that may be picked up in the Jr. Fair Office on October 8.

There will be an exhibitor meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 8th, 2022. The place is to be determined. At this meeting the show order will be reviewed and some housekeeping items will be addressed.

Also, at this meeting, the Sr. Fairboard will be randomly selecting market beef animals to be DNA tested. At the conclusion of the meeting DNA will be collected on those animals selected. At the conclusion of their respective shows, the top 5 market beef animals AND top 5 feeder calves will also be DNA tested with samples being collected prior to leaving the ring.

We will be utilizing the Band App again this year for show day communication and as well with any other information that needs to be sent out before, during or after the show. If you do not presently have this app, go to your app store and download the Band App and then search “Fairfield County Fair Beef Barn”. If you have any problems, contact Desirae.

Also this year we will be developing and using a Facebook Page. More on that later.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Desirae at 740.503.9773 or Matt at 740.415.8837.

Sincerely,

Fairfield County Jr Fair Beef Superintends
Matt Hendwood & Desirae Logsdon

Market & MQP lamb tagging and weigh-in is July 16, 2022; Schedule your time!

by

Schedule a time today for having your market lamb tagged for the Fair.

After experiencing a largely successful “scheduled” tag-in for the market and MQP lambs in 2021, that process will be implemented again in 2022.

Youth who plan to tag-in market lambs for the ‘live’ show at the Fair in October, and/or weigh in lambs for the Muscle Quality & Performance (MQP) contest are asked to complete a brief survey on or before July 2 in preparation for this year’s July 16 tagging day. The on-line survey will ask each family with any 4-H or FFA members planning to exhibit market or MQP lambs in 2022 for the following information:

  • Family Name
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Number of lambs being tagged by the entire family
  • Scrapie tag number for each lamb
  • Ewe or Wether
  • List each immediate family member (youth), including their club or chapter, who might show the lambs being tagged
  • Where will the lambs be housed
  • Select a time for tagging/weighing between 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. on July 16, 2022

Note that for 2022 there is a tagging rule update. As defined by Continue reading Market & MQP lamb tagging and weigh-in is July 16, 2022; Schedule your time! →