4-H Project Information

4-H Booth Information and Setup

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The 4-H theme for 2025 is “Reaching for the Stars, Exploring the Unexpected in 4-H”  Clubs should decorate their booth using this theme. Please note, no straw, sand, mulch, feathers, etc. is permitted in the displays. To view a booth score rubric, see the Advisors Resources on our website!

  • The club booths will be in the 4-H Display Barn (south side of the track). All booth related questions should be directed toward Haley at black.768@osu.edu.
  • If your club did not request a booth, there will be a special area in the 4-H Display Barn for your member’s projects to be displayed. A reminder that for a member to receive a premium for their project, it MUST BE DISPLAYED the entire week of the fair!
  • 4-H Display Setup is Friday October 3rd from 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 4th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (NO SUNDAY SETUP!).
  • 4-H Display Tear Down is Sunday, October 12th, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. No booths or projects may be removed prior to this time!
  • We are in need of volunteers to help oversee the safety of exhibits of 4-H Displays. Please sign up here and share this link.
  • A reminder when creating your club booths – if you are including pictures of your members, please make sure that the photo release was checked and electronically signed via 4-HOnline by the parent of your members. No photos of members who did not accept the photo release should be displayed. If you need to see who did not agree to a photo release, please contact the Extension Office.

Missed Skillathon? LAST CHANCE: Makeup Event on Monday, Sept. 22

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Skillathons are required to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair for exhibitors showing dogs, horses, dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, sheep, goats, poultry, rabbits (no Pet Rabbit), and llamas/alpacas.

If you did not complete an Ohio State Fair Skillathon (in-person on respective OSF days or virtual by September 1st) or County Fair Skillathon (September 6th or 21st), you MUST complete the makeup Skillathon in order to show at the 2025 Fairfield County Junior Fair.

Exhibitors can schedule to take the makeup Skillathon by calling the OSU Extension Office at 740-653-5419.

The makeup Skillathon will take place on Monday, September 22nd (by appointment) from 4-8 p.m. at the Ed Sands Building at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds.

If you need to complete the makeup Skillathon option, you will need to have all 4-H/FFA record books turned into the Extension Office by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 19th so that project book judges can review them on the second Skillathon day (September 21st).

INCOMPLETE BOOKS WILL HAVE FAIR ENTRIES DENIED.

No books will be reviewed after September 21st.

Did you complete an Ohio State Fair Virtual or In-Person Skillathon, be sure to turn in your 4-H/FFA Project Record Book by Sept. 19th

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Skillathons are required to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair for exhibitors showing dogs, horses, dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, sheep, goats, poultry, rabbits (no Pet Rabbit), and llamas/alpacas.

  • All 4-H/FFA Record Books will be checked during Skillathon dates for ALL projects (even if you completed the Ohio State Fair Virtual or In-Person Skillathons to meet the county Skillathon requirement).
  • If a participated in OSF Skillathon – books still need to completed and turned into the Extension Office by Friday, September 19th so that they can be reviewed by our Project Book judges on the second Skillathon date of Sunday, September 21st.

Project Books

  • 4-H and FFA Record Books are required to be COMPLETED for each project.
  • 4-H Members should have a NEW 4-H Record Book each year they take the project.
  • 4-H and FFA Records Books will be reviewed at Skillathon.
    • For those who forget or don’t bring book – will need be completed and turned into the Extension Office by Friday, September 19th.
    • Exhibitors will who do not properly complete a record book for each of their fair projects WILL NOT be allowed to exhibit at the fair. NO EXCEPTIONS.
    • No books will be reviewed after September 21st.

An exhibitor must complete an in-person Skillathon for each specie they plan to compete for Premier Exhibitor

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An exhibitor must complete an in-person Skillathon for each specie they plan to compete for Premier Exhibitor. If an exhibitor does not participate in the Fairfield County Skillathon for that specie, they will be ineligible for Premier Exhibitor in that specie.

The objective of the Premier Exhibitor Contest is to encourage youth exhibitors to explore multiple aspects of the livestock specie project they are enrolled in, and to reward those youth that participate at the highest level. While some exhibitors may choose to only participate in a single aspect of an animal project, the reality is that all the various opportunities available for any given project are interrelated and participation can enhance the knowledge, skills, and enjoyment gained from the project.

  • Exhibitors will learn that market animals originate from breeding stock.
  • Performance is vital to the profitability of livestock production.
  • Efficient record keeping allows the owner to determine if the project was profitable.
  • Livestock evaluation is the foundation for selecting both breeding and market livestock.
  • Knowing breeds, body parts and muscle names and locations complements one’s ability to evaluate livestock.

It’s all interrelated and encouraging youth to expand their knowledge of their project by participating in a variety of opportunities while also in a competitive environment will enhance the learning experience.

Requirements

  • Exhibitors must be enrolled in a 4-H/FFA project in that species in their respective 4-H Club/FFA Chapter.
  • FairEntry is made in the respective species by August FairEntry deadline.
  • The exhibitor must complete the Fairfield County Skillathon for the species they plan to compete in Premier Exhibitor. Those exhibitors who participate in the alternative Skillathon options will not be eligible for Premier Exhibitor (i.e., Ohio State Fair VIRTUAL Skillathon, Ohio State Fair IN-PERSON Skillathon, and/or Fairfield County Make-Up Skillathon). Project books will be reviewed as part of the county Skillathon event.
  • The exhibitor must complete and turn in their project record book at the species’ scheduled Fairfield County Skillathon to participate in Premier Exhibitor for each respective species. Books will not be accepted on any other date for Premier Exhibitor participants.
  • An exhibitor must complete a Skillathon for each specie they plan to compete for Premier Exhibitor. If an exhibitor does not participate in the Fairfield County Skillathon for that specie, they will be ineligible for Premier Exhibitor in that species.
  • Exhibitors must show their own animal(s).

Eligible Species

  • Dairy Cattle
  • Beef
  • Swine
  • Sheep
  • Dairy Goats
  • Meat/Market Goats
  • Pygmy Goats
  • Poultry
  • Rabbits
  • Dogs
  • Alpacas/Llamas
  • Horses

Scoring

The Premier Exhibitor for each species will be the exhibitor with the highest point total from the activities listed for each specie (dropping the scores as mentioned below).

The goal is to encourage exhibitors to explore various opportunities available to them within their species and allow for lowest scores to be dropped when sufficient experiences can be offered (for example, Beef Exhibitors have far more project opportunities available to them than Pygmy Goats). The objective would be to encourage exhibitors to earn points for exhibiting animals in at least two ways at the Fairfield County Fair in addition to participating in Skillathon, showmanship, rate of gain (if applicable), and judging contests (if applicable). If exhibiting more than one animal in an activity, the highest placing animal will be used for the Premier Exhibitor scoring.

  • Dairy Cattle: The Dairy Cattle Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 6 of the 7 following Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Dairy Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Dairy Judging Contest, and Breeding Class, Market Class, Feeder Class, and Rate of Gain.
  • Beef: The Beef Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 5 of the 8 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Beef Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Beef Judging Contest, Breeding Class, Feeder Class, Market Class, Carcass Class, and Rate of Gain.
  • Swine: The Swine Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 4 of the 5 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Swine Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Swine Judging Contest, Market/MQP Class 1, and Market/MQP Class 2.
  • Sheep: The Sheep Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from 5 of the 6 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Sheep Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Sheep Judging Contest, Breeding Class, Market/MQP Class 1, and Market/MQP Class 2.
  • Dairy Goats: The Dairy Goat Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from all 4 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Dairy Goat Skillathon*, Showmanship, Breeding Animal 1, and Breeding Animal 2.
  • Meat/Market Goats: The Meat/Market Goat Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from 5 of the 6Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Meat/Market Goat Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Meat Goat Judging Contest, Breeding (Meat Doe) Class, Market/MQP Class 1, and Market/MQP Class 2.
  • Pygmy Goats: The Pygmy Goat Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from all 4 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Pygmy Goat Skillathon*, Showmanship, Wether Class, and Doe Class.
  • Poultry: The Poultry Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from 4 of the 5 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Poultry Skillathon*, Showmanship, Breeding Class, Layers Class, and Market Class.
  • Rabbits: The Rabbit Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from all 4 of the 6 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Rabbit Skillathon*, Showmanship, Breeding Class 1, Breeding Class 2, Market Class 1, Market Class 2.
  • Dogs: The Dog Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 4 of the 5 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Dog Skillathon*, You & Your Dog Interview, Showmanship, Obedience Class, and Agility.
  • Alpacas/Llamas: The Alpaca & Llama Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 4 of the 5 following Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Alpaca/Llama Skillathon*, Showmanship, Public Relations Class, Trail Pack Class, and Obstacle/Agility Class
  • Horses: The Horse Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 4 of the 5 following Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Horse Skillathon*, Showmanship, Pleasure Class, Pattern Class, and Contesting Class.

The *Fairfield County Skillathon will be a mandatory activity for participation in the respective species’ Premier Exhibitor Contest. A Skillathon is an activity to test knowledge of specific subject matter in a hands-on experiential learning model. Skillathons will take place on the assigned day and times in September, and this will be the only opportunity for participants to complete the Skillathon for their respective species and be eligible to participate in the respective Premier Exhibitor Contest. Exhibitors will earn corresponding Premier Exhibitor points based off of their raw score (out of 100 points). Skillathons will be comprised of four stations. A completed project book is required at Skillathon.

The Fairfield County Livestock Judging Contest will take place on Sunday of the Fairfield County Fair for swine, beef, sheep, and goats. Exhibitors will earn corresponding Livestock Judging Contest points based off of their raw score. Total points possible will be determined on the day of the contest. The Fairfield County Dairy Judging Contest will take place on Monday of the Fairfield County Fair for dairy cattle.

Rate of Gain will be available to all market beef, dairy steer, and dairy feeder exhibitors.

Breeding/Market/Showmanship/Rate of Gain class/heat points will be assigned according to class rankings (placing 1st through 5th, followed by participation points).

Livestock Sale: If the Premier Exhibitor has a market animal in that respective species, they will sell third in the market sale for that species following the Overall Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Market Animals. If an exhibitor chooses to take home and earns Premier Exhibitor, they will lose their sale slot. (In that case second place Premier Exhibitor will not move into that sale slot).

Ties: Exhibitors will complete a tiebreaker station at Skillathon for their respective species. Scoring from the tiebreaker station will only be used to help break ties for the overall rankings of each specie’s Premier Exhibitor.

Awards will be given for 1st place winners of each age group (Age 8/9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18), from which, overall 1st through 3rd place winners will be chosen for the Premier Exhibitor Program for each specie.

  • 1st Place Awards for each age group (Age 8/9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) will receive a rosette and coupon to be used at the fair for a free sandwich at the Fairfield County Cattlemen’s Food Booth.
  • 1st Place Award Overall for each specie will receive a vinyl banner and $100 cash award.
  • 2nd Place Award Overall for each specie will receive a vinyl banner and $75 cash award.
  • 3rd Place Award Overall for each specie will receive a vinyl banner and $50 cash award.

As printed in the 2025 Fairfield County Junior Fair Book.

Project Books are required for EACH project coming to fair, read more:

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4-H/FFA Project Books are required for each project coming to fair.

  1. 4-H and FFA Record Books are required to be COMPLETED for each project.
  2. 4-H Members should have a NEW 4-H Record Book each year they take the project.
  3. 4-H and FFA Records Books will be reviewed at Skillathon.
    • For those who forget or don’t bring their book – the book will need to be completed and turned into the OSU Extension Office by Friday, September 19th, 2025.
    • Exhibitors who do not properly complete a record book for each of their fair projects WILL NOT be allowed to exhibit at the fair. NO EXCEPTIONS.
    • No books will be reviewed after September 21st, 2025.

Project Books are required for each project coming to fair.

  • Cakes/Pies/Pastries/Candies – Bring complete/up-to-date book to judging at fair.
  • Companion Animals – Bring complete/up-to-date books for judging at fair.
  • Dogs – Bring complete/up-to-date books to Skillathon AND You and Your Dog judging on Sunday of fair.
  • All livestock/horse completed/up-to-date project books should either be:
    1. Brought to their respective Skillathon Day (if participating in that specie’s county Skillathon), or
    2. Turned into the OSU Extension Office by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 19th, 2025 (if Ohio State Fair Skillathon or no county Skillathon is being completed).
  • ALL LIVESTOCK/HORSE PROJECT BOOKS WILL BE REVIEWED ON SKILLATHON DATES BY OUR BOOK JUDGES. THEY MUST BE COMPLETE IN ORDER TO SHOW AT THE FAIR.
  • INCOMPLETE BOOKS WILL HAVE FAIR ENTRIES DENIED.
  • We will not collect books or give more time for books to be finished between the last Skillathon date and fair.

Completing your 4-H project(s) this year!

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As we wind down from a busy 4-H year and wrap up project completion at the Fairfield County Fair in less than two months – we wanted to share a few updates about how you can be sure to complete at least one (if not all) of your 4-H projects this year!

If a 4-H member brought their project to SUMMER JUDGING or LATE JUDGING, our office has marked these projects as complete for this year. Any other “summer projects” that have been completed at the club/advisor level, by completing a club/advisor project review must be documented to our office by August 31st. If a member has not completed at least one project this year, they will not receive a year of completion as a 4-H member this year. If youth need to complete a project review on a summer project, they can share the story of his or her project at a club meeting and/or with a club advisor. Additionally, a complete project book should be reviewed by a club advisor. Full project completion guidelines are included in the Project Member Guidelines for each respective project.

If a 4-H member is planning to bring a project to the COUNTY FAIR, our office will receive completion records from the fair and your project will be complete for the year. This includes: Cakes/Pies/Candies/Pastries, Companion Animals, Dogs, Livestock, Horses. As a reminder, 4-H members who wish to complete a dog/horse/livestock project can complete Skillathon and Project Review at the county level to be marked complete for this year even if they do not exhibit these animals at the fair.

Please reach out to your 4-H club advisor if you are in need of completing a 4-H project this year at the club level by scheduling an advisor project review.

Additionally, if you DO NOT plan to complete a project this year, please contact Haley Black at black.768@osu.edu so that we can remove this from your 2025 enrollment. Thanks!

Dairy Cattle Exhibitors – Read this to prepare for Skillathon!

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It’s hard to believe, but the fair will be here before we know it- and that means Skillathon is right around the corner! If you haven’t done so already, please be sure to schedule an appointment for your Dairy Skillathon at this link: http://go.osu.edu/signup4skillathon.

This information was previously emailed to 4-H families enrolled in Dairy Cattle Projects. Here are some helpful study tips and directions to help you prepare.

A quick reminder:

All Junior Fair Exhibitors must complete both a Skillathon (county or state level) and a 4-H/FFA project record book in order to be eligible to show at the Fairfield County Fair. Project book rubrics are available on our county website for your reference.

117DF/117M – 4-H Dairy Beef and Market Beef (Dairy Steer) Exhibitors: You should be completing the 117 Beef Project Record Book. All dairy feeder and market beef records can be contained in the same book if you are taking both projects.

127 CA/127CO/127He – 4-H Dairy Calf/Cow/Heifer Exhibitors: With the revision of the 4-H 127 Dairy Cattle Project and Record book, there is now a required online component.  This component, or focus questions, is accessible at go.osu.edu/4hdairyresources.  Each year will have its own unique topics of interest, medication label, and treatment record scenario.  Attached please find 2025 Dairy Cattle Focus Questions.  Please use these when completing your Dairy Project and Record Book.

This year’s Dairy Skillathon will include four stations:

  1. Interview & Project Book Review- A brief conversation about your project and a check of your completed book.
  2. Breeds- Match breed names to their correct images (similar to previous years).
  3. Diseases- New this year! Exhibitors will identify diseases based on written or visual descriptions.
  4. Feeds- Identify various feedstuffs displayed in plastic containers, just like in the past two years.

Skillathon study materials can be found in your Dairy Resource Handbook (DRH) and are also outlined below:

If you don’t have your species Resource Handbook, a limited number are available for purchase at the Extension Office. Your 4-H/FFA advisor may also have one you can reference

If you have any questions or need help preparing for Skillathon, please don’t hesitate to reach out! And if you’ve decided to not take your livestock project this year, please let me know as soon as possible.

We are looking forward to seeing all of your hard work and studying pay off!

Sheep Exhibitors – Read this to prepare for Skillathon!

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It’s hard to believe, but the fair will be here before we know it- and that means Skillathon is right around the corner! If you haven’t done so already, please be sure to schedule an appointment for your Skillathon at this link: http://go.osu.edu/signup4skillathon.

This information was previously emailed to 4-H families enrolled in Sheep Projects. Here are some helpful study tips and directions to help you prepare.

A quick reminder:

All Junior Fair Exhibitors must complete both a Skillathon (county or state level) and a 4-H/FFA project record book in order to be eligible to show at the Fairfield County Fair. Project book rubrics are available on our county website for your reference.

This year’s Sheep Skillathon will include four stations:

  1. Interview & Project Book Review- A brief conversation about your project and a check of your completed book.
  2. Breeds- Match breed names to their correct images (similar to previous years).
  3. Diseases- New this year! Exhibitors will identify diseases based on written or visual descriptions.
  4. Feeds- Identify various feedstuffs displayed in plastic containers, just like in the past two years.

Skillathon study materials can be found in your Sheep Resource Handbook (SRH) and are also outlined below:

If you don’t have your species Resource Handbook, a limited number are available for purchase at the Extension Office. Your 4-H/FFA advisor may also have one you can reference

If you have any questions or need help preparing for Skillathon, please don’t hesitate to reach out! And if you’ve decided to not take your livestock project this year, please let me know as soon as possible.

We are looking forward to seeing all of your hard work and studying pay off!

Meat Doe/Market Goat Exhibitors – Read this to prepare for Skillathon!

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It’s hard to believe, but the fair will be here before we know it- and that means Skillathon is right around the corner! If you haven’t done so already, please be sure to schedule an appointment for your Skillathon at this link: http://go.osu.edu/signup4skillathon.

This information was previously emailed to 4-H families enrolled in Breeding Meat Doe/Market Goat (Wether) Projects. Here are some helpful study tips and directions to help you prepare.

A quick reminder:

All Junior Fair Exhibitors must complete both a Skillathon (county or state level) and a 4-H/FFA project record book in order to be eligible to show at the Fairfield County Fair. Project book rubrics are available on our county website for your reference.

This year’s Meat/Market Goat Skillathon will include four stations:

  1. Interview & Project Book Review- A brief conversation about your project and a check of your completed book.
  2. Breeds- Match breed names to their correct images (similar to previous years).
  3. Diseases- New this year! Exhibitors will identify diseases based on written or visual descriptions.
  4. Feeds- Identify various feedstuffs displayed in plastic containers, just like in the past two years.

Skillathon study materials can be found in your Dairy & Market Goat Resource Handbook (GRH) and are also outlined below:

If you don’t have your species Resource Handbook, a limited number are available for purchase at the Extension Office. Your 4-H/FFA advisor may also have one you can reference.

If you have any questions or need help preparing for Skillathon, please don’t hesitate to reach out! And if you’ve decided to not take your livestock project this year, please let me know as soon as possible.

We are looking forward to seeing all of your hard work and studying pay off!

Swine Exhibitors – Read this to prepare for Skillathon!

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It’s hard to believe, but the fair will be here before we know it- and that means Skillathon is right around the corner! If you haven’t done so already, please be sure to schedule an appointment for your Skillathon at this link: http://go.osu.edu/signup4skillathon.

This information was previously emailed to 4-H families enrolled in Swine Projects. Here are some helpful study tips and directions to help you prepare. Additionally, here you will find the 2025 Swine Focus Questions that you will need to complete your Swine Record Book: 2025 Swine Focus Questions

A quick reminder:

All Junior Fair Exhibitors must complete both a Skillathon (county or state level) and a 4-H/FFA project record book in order to be eligible to show at the Fairfield County Fair. Project book rubrics are available on our county website for your reference.

This year’s Swine Skillathon will include four stations:

  1. Interview & Project Book Review- A brief conversation about your project and a check of your completed book.
  2. Breeds- Match breed names to their correct images (similar to previous years).
  3. Diseases- New this year! Exhibitors will identify diseases based on written or visual descriptions.
  4. Feeds- Identify various feedstuffs displayed in plastic containers, just like in the past two years.

Skillathon study materials can be found in your Swine Resource Handbook (SRH) and are also outlined below:

If you don’t have your species Resource Handbook, a limited number are available for purchase at the Extension Office. Your 4-H/FFA advisor may also have one you can reference.

If you have any questions or need help preparing for Skillathon, please don’t hesitate to reach out! And if you’ve decided to not take your livestock project this year, please let me know as soon as possible.

We are looking forward to seeing all of your hard work and studying pay off!