4-H Project Information

Save the Date for 4-H Summerfest: Summer Project Awards Ceremony is Sunday, August 18th

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Our annual Summerfest Awards Program will be held Sunday, August 18th at the Liberty Center in Lancaster. Members who completed their summer projects and received a 1st-3rd place, Honorable Mention or Outstanding will be emailed invitations to the event soon. The event will begin at 6 p.m.  We look forward to seeing you help us celebrate the great work done with summer projects. This event is open to the public.

Did you miss Summer Judging last week? Sign up for Late Judging!

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We strongly encourage completion of 4-H projects. If members are unable to have projects completed or have scheduling conflicts during Summer Judging dates, we would like to invite them to sign up for late judging. Late judging (for grade only) will be held on Monday, July 29th at the Extension Office by appointment between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. You must call the Extension Office at 740-653-5419 to schedule an interview time. 

2024 Summer Judging Results

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Wow! 403 project judged in two days at 4-H Summer Judging! This includes 273 of our 4-H project members! We are so proud of all members who worked so hard on these projects (additional photos coming soon!).
In the meantime, RESULTS ARE POSTED! go.osu.edu/fcsummerjudgingresults
(sort by division or search by name).
If selected as an Ohio State Fair Participant – please confirm your participation by picking up your OSF packet as soon as possible at the Extension Office (831 College Ave, Suite D). If you can not attend OSF, please notify the office so that we can reach out to the alternate! We need to finalize OSF participation by Monday, July 22nd.
Award winners will receive information later this month about 4-H Summerfest (scheduled for Sunday, August 18th at 6:00 p.m. at the Liberty Center).

Bottle Cap Project – FINAL RESULTS

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Congratulations to the top 3 clubs in the Bottle Cap Project Club Contest!

1st Place: Champions

2nd Place: Thurston Future Farmers

3rd Place: Sewing Shefs

As a reminder the top 3 clubs will receive a ‘cash’ prize for winning. Aubry will be reaching out to advisors after the August Junior Leader Meeting on how they would like to receive their prize.

Thank you to those clubs who have been collecting caps for the Fairfield County Junior Leaders Bottle Cap Project! We were able to collect 6,714 lbs of plastic bottle caps!!

We are excited to be able to offer outdoor furniture for sale to our community, and work with sponsors for new items at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds!

Curious how how much your club collected? Check out how many pounds your club turned in below:

Club Name Total
Champions 1421
Thurston Future Farmers 1391
Sewing Shefs 1314
Banner Chasing Bunch 530
Kountry Kidz 459
Amanda Work & Win 433
Barn & Beyond 286
Lithopolis Livestock 196
4 Legged Friends 101
Clearcreek Showmen 101
Cloverleaf Livestock 87
US Kids 75
Baltimore Blue Ribbons 74
Camelids Unlimited 67
Everything Under the Sun 61
Wild About Animals 37
Rough Riders 34
4 Creation 4-Hers 32
General Donation 8
KKEZ 3
Shooting Stars 3
Falcon 4-Hers 1

Livestock Project and Record Book Examples

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Hey Livestock Exhibitors! We know many of you are working on your 4-H and FFA project books in preparation for club advisors to review these soon prior to fair!

I have found a great resource for you if you would like to see examples on how to complete your books! 4-H and FFA members from across the state have volunteered their books to serve as examples. Copies are available to review online by clicking here. Scroll to the bottom of the page under “General Resources.” Sample books are posted for FFA/AET, Poultry, and Beef.

Please only use as a resource and DO NOT COPY!

Can’t make it to Summer Judging (July 15-16)? Sign up for Late Judging!

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We strongly encourage completion of 4-H projects. If members are unable to have projects completed or have scheduling conflicts during Summer Judging dates, we would like to invite them to sign up for late judging. Late judging (for grade only) will be held on Monday, July 29th at the Extension Office by appointment between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. You must call the Extension Office at 740-653-5419 to schedule an interview time. 

How do I get ready for Summer Judging?

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  1. Complete your project book and activities as outlined in your the 4-H Project Member Guidelines (located in the 2024 4-H Member Handbook and in the front of your project book) for your particular project.
  2. Practice reviewing your project with an adult. Have them ask you questions about what you did and learned from your project.
  3. Schedule an project judging appointment by Thursday, July 11th for each project that you are completing this summer by visiting go.osu.edu/fcsummerjudging.
  4. What day is my project judging? Review your project information in the 2024 4-H Member Handbook
    • Can’t make it on your assigned day? No problem! Although you won’t be eligible for county awards/state fair consideration, you can sign-up for late/make-up summer judging on July 29th at the Ag Center/Extension Office by calling 740-653-5419 to make an appointment. There will be no early judging.
    • That still doesn’t work for you? No problem! Although you won’t be eligible for county awards/state fair consideration, you can talk to your 4-H advisor to work with you to review your project for completion for the year.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN INTERVIEW JUDGING?

Interview judging is a discussion between the judge and 4-H member regarding the member’s project, the member’s learning experience and development and plans for the future. It is a one-on-one discussion. Members do not have to participate in interview judging to complete a project, but it is an excellent way to build skills in interviewing and provides an opportunity to compete for county awards and state fair participation. Listed below are a few statements or questions often used in making the interview meaningful to the 4-H member. These types of statements help a judge find out about the member’s knowledge, accomplishments, interests, and challenges with the project.

I. PAST EXPERIENCES & PROJECT SELECTION
a. What projects have you taken in 4-H?
b. Why did you select this project this year?
c. What did you hope to learn from the project?

II. THE PROJECT
a. Knowledge of project – subject matter – use of project terms.
b. What went well with the project? What did you do? What did you accomplish?
c. What problems did you encounter?
d. What assistance did you have? – 4-H Advisor, Junior Leader, Parents, Friends or Relatives.
e. Questions related to 4-H project book content.

III. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
a. What more would you like to learn in this project area?
b. What project will you take next year?
c. What are your other interests?

IV. PERSONAL INFORMATION & KNOWLEDGE OF 4-H
a. What 4-H activities have you participated in within your club or county?
b. Leadership experience in local club
c. Overall knowledge of 4-H
d. Plans for future – schooling, career, etc.
e. What was the biggest thing 4-H taught you this year?

V. ADDITIONAL TIPS TO PREPARE FOR JUDGING:
This is an interview, so 4-Hers will want to keep in mind:
a. Wear nice clothes (dress pants/slacks, skirts, nice blouses, tops, etc.)
b. Grooming is essential. (hair, nails, etc. should be presentable)
c. Shake the judge’s hand
d. Be polite; use please and thank you
e. Do not have gum or other food in their mouth!

Scheduling for 4-H Summer Judging is OPEN!

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We hope that you are busy working on your 4-H projects this summer. Here are a few important updates to be aware of:

  • All Summer Judged Projects will be judged on the following days:
    • Monday, July 15, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (by appointment).
      • Food & Nutrition NEW FOR 2024-NO FOOD IS BROUGHT TO JUDGING
      • Genealogy
      • Home/Money
      • Creative/Fine Arts (including Cake Decorating)
      • Healthy Living
      • Collecting
      • ALL Self-Determined Projects
      • Clothing
    • Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (by appointment).
      • Animal Science
      • Robotics
      • Communications/Leadership/Citizenship
      • STEM
      • Nature/Gardening
      • Woodworking

If you cannot attend judging during this week, you can:

  1. Attend Late Judging on Monday, July 29th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by calling 740-653-5419 to schedule an appointment. Participation in Late Judging receives a grade only and is not eligible for county awards or state fair consideration.
  2. Advisor Completion – Talk to your club advisor as they can work with you to review your project for completion only. No grades or awards will be given with this option.
  • Please review the 4-H Member Handbook as you complete your project(s) and prepare for judging.
  • Youth enrolled in the Tractor Maintenance Club or Shooting Sports Club do not need to complete summer judging if they met all completion requirements at the club level for Small Engine/Tractor Projects and or 700 level Shooting Sports disciplines (Shotgun, Rifle, Archery). However, if they wish to qualify for the Ohio State Fair for any of these projects, they must attend summer judging for each project.
  • Youth enrolled in Cake Decorating projects have the option for summer judging completion or county fair completion. If youth wish to qualify for the Ohio State Fair, they must complete summer judging. All Pies, Candies and Pastries are judged at fair only.
  • NEW FOR 2024! Youth enrolled in Gardening and Crop projects must complete summer judging. Project books should be up to date and as complete as possible regardless of timing of harvest.
  • Food and Nutrition Project Members should also review their project book inserts. These were tucked inside your project book if books were purchased at the Fairfield County Extension Office. If needed, you can download these here: Food Project Insert packet.
  • Clothing Project Members should also review their project book inserts. These were tucked inside your project book if books were purchased at the Fairfield County Extension Office. If needed, you can download these here: Style Revue Card and  Clothing Project Insert packet.
  • Clothing Project Members plan to attend the Style Revue at Liberty Union High School, July 15, 2024, 7:00 p.m. This is a required part of judging to be eligible for county awards and State Fair participation.  A practice session will be available on Monday, July 15, 2024, at 6:30-7:00 p.m. at Liberty Union High School.
  • Scheduling is now open!
    • We ask that you schedule an appointment that works best for you by using this link: http://go.osu.edu/fcsummerjudging
    • Scheduling will be open through MIDNIGHT, Thursday, July 11th. 
    • If you have more than one project, please be sure to schedule an appointment for EACH PROJECT and allow time between appointments to complete each interview.

Please contact the Extension Office if you have additional questions about project judging! We can’t wait to see you!

Junior Leader Outdoor Furniture Sale – NOW OPEN!

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Thank you to all the 4-H Clubs who collected plastic bottle caps for the Fairfield County 4-H Junior Leaders! Now we need your help to sell benches and tables to put those caps to good use. Any outdoor furniture purchased is for that customer’s own use and will need to be picked up from the Ag Center (831 College Ave, Lancaster). A fillable order form can be found here. All orders and money are due July 5th to the Fairfield County Extension Office. Questions? Contact our office at 740-653-5419! Order Form: Outdoor Furniture 2024 Sale fillable

To order an item, complete an order form above. Checks can be made out to the Fairfield County Junior Leaders. Please drop off order forms and payment to the OSU Extension Office by July 5, 2024. 

These items will be ordered mid-July and will be available for pick up in August. More details will be shared with those who purchase an item as timelines are finalized.