The 2022 Alpaca Ambassador Application is located here. The application is due to the Extension Office by September 9, 2022. Please note that all other specie applications as well as Junior Fair Queen applications are now posted online. Click here for more info.
Congrats to the following Fairfield County youth who placed 10th or higher in their respective species for the 2022 Ohio State Fair Virtual Llama/Alpaca Skillathon!
OSF Virtual Llama/Alpaca Skillathon Results:
This Fairfield County 4-H Alpaca Exhibitor has met their Fairfield County Junior Fair Skillathon Requirement by participating in at least one Skillathon. For a full list of results from Ohio State Fair Skillathons and for upcoming Skillathon events, visit: https://ohio4h.org/animalsciences/ohio-4-h-skillathons
Three new species have been added to the Fairfield County Junior Fair Premier Exhibitor Contests this year. These include dogs, alpacas/llamas, and horses. For additional Premier Exhibitor information, please click here.
Objective: 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.
It’s all interrelated and encouraging youth to expand the knowledge of their project by participating in a variety of opportunities while also in a competitive environment will enhance the learning experience.
Updates to the 2022 Premier Exhibitor Program:
Requirements:
Eligible Species: Dairy Cattle, Dairy Beef Feeders, Beef, Swine, Sheep, Dairy Goats, Meat/Market Goats, Pygmy Goats, Poultry, Rabbits, Dogs, Alpacas/Llamas, and 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 are able to 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 3 of the 4 following Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Dairy Skillathon*, Showmanship, Ohio 4-H Dairy Judging Contest, and Breeding Class.
Dairy Beef Feeder: The Dairy Beef Feeder Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 4 of the 5 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Beef Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Beef Judging Contest, Market 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 (Kid/Yearling Class), and Breeding (Doe Class).
Meat/Market Goats: The Meat/Market Goat Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from 5 of the 6 Fairfield 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, Costume 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.
Rate of Gain will be available to all market beef that are exhibited in the live show, 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 specie. 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 winner 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.
Updated 8/2/2022 to reflect updates to Meat Goats and no longer having a Rate of Gain Contest.
Did you know any 4-H/FFA youth can participate in the State Fair Skillathon? Skillathons are events for youth to show what they know about a species and to be recognized for their knowledge and skills. All Skillathons are open to any Ohio 4-H member, age 8 and in the 3rd grade, or 9 years old and older regardless of grade level, to age 18 as of January 1, 2022, and FFA members. Youth do not have to be an exhibitor at the Ohio State Fair to participate or be enrolled in an animal project. Want more information? Click here!
Dates for Ohio State Fair In-Person Skillathons are listed below. You do not need to register in advance…just show up!
By participating in an Ohio State Fair Skillathon, this will meet the Skillathon requirement for 4-H and FFA youth to exhibit at the 2022 Fairfield County Junior Fair. As a reminder, Skillathons will continue in 2022 as a required portion of project completion for livestock projects. Fairfield County Skillathons will be offered for all beef, dairy, goat, poultry, rabbit (except Pet Rabbits), sheep, swine, dog, horse, alpaca/llama projects. Skillathons may include (but are not limited to) animal anatomy/body parts, breeding and reproduction, feeds and nutrition, current events, diseases and animal health, equipment ID, feed ID, Quality Assurance, breeds, marketing, meats, and recordkeeping. Skillathons are required for those who wish to exhibit at the 2022 Fairfield County Junior Fair. Youth must complete at least one Skillathon. Youth can participate in more than one species if they intend to participate in the Premier Exhibitor for that respective species. For more information: Refer to Junior Fair Book. Fairfield County Skillathons will be held on September 10th and 25th at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds.
Please let Leslie Cooksey (cooksey.25@osu.edu) know if you have additional questions.
Ohio Youth Skillathon information for VIRTUAL and IN-PERSON sessions is now online at: https://ohio4h.org/animalsciences/ohio-youth-skillathons
VIRTUAL Skillathon Registration is due by JUNE 21st, 2022!
A few important notes:
A Skillathon is an event to test knowledge of specific subject matter using the experiential learning model of exploring, reflecting, and applying that knowledge. Skillathons are created from materials directly or modified from Learning Laboratory Kits, information provided in the Ohio 4-H Animal Resource Books, and other resources, along with input from industry experts. Each Skillathon is comprised of four educational and challenging stations. Certain species Skillathons with the Ohio State Fair offer different age-appropriate stations, such as junior, intermediate, and senior. Youth complete each station through an online quiz. The virtual Skillathon serves as the breeding Skillathon for the Ohio State Fair and is required for anyone who desires to participate in the Ohio State Fair Outstanding Breeding Exhibitor program. Online tech support is available for those who need assistance with the online program.
Click here for additional information and register at go.osu.edu/skillathonregistration. Registration for the Virtual Skillathons is due by June 21, 2022.
Fairfield County youth participating in any Ohio State Fair Skillathon (virtually or in-person) will not need to complete a county Skillathon as this will meet the Fairfield County Junior Fair Requirement. If youth choose to complete the alternative Skillathon at the Ohio State Fair (virtually or in-person), they will also need to submit their completed project record book to the Extension Office by Friday, September 23rd at 4:00 p.m. However, if an exhibitor wishes to compete in the Fairfield County Premier Exhibitor Contest, they will need to complete the Fairfield County Skillathon for each specie they wish to compete in to be eligible. Project record books are to be COMPLETED for EACH 4-H/FFA project taken to the Fairfield County Junior Fair.
The FIRST of two make-up countywide Quality Assurance Clinics will be held Saturday, May 7th at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds (Ed Sands/Farm Bureau Building) from 9:00-10:30 a.m. Advanced registration is required. RSVP by completing the survey at this link. Please arrive on time so we can get the training started promptly at 9:00 a.m.
The SECOND QA Clinic will be Sunday, May 22nd from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m., in the Ed Sands/Farm Bureau Building. Advanced registration is required. RSVP by completing the survey at this link.
Fairfield County Skillathons will return this year and we are excited to incentive and recognize those youth who do exceptionally well in their respective species. Skillathons will continue in 2022 as a required portion of project completion for livestock projects and exhibition at the Fairfield County Junior Fair.
Skillathons will be offered for all beef, dairy, goat, poultry, rabbit (except Pet Rabbits), sheep, swine, dog, horse, alpaca/llama projects. Skillathons may include (but are not limited to) animal
anatomy/body parts, breeding and reproduction, feeds and nutrition, current events, diseases and animal health, equipment ID, feed ID, Quality Assurance, breeds, marketing, meats, and recordkeeping.
Youth must complete at least one Skillathon, but may participate in more than one species. If youth wishes to participate in the Premier Exhibitor contest s/he must complete the county Skillathon for that species. Additional information will be shared in the 2022 Junior Fair Rules Book. Ohio State Fair Skillathons may be used to fulfill the county requirement, unless youth is participating in
Premier Exhibitor.
Save the Dates:
We will continue to recognize the Top 20% of exhibitors in each species.
Additional awards will be added in 2022 for the 1st Place Junior and Top Senior in each species. Awards for each 1st Place Junior and Senior will include a personalized tumbler and $25 gift card. Sponsors are needed as follows:
If you are interested in sponsoring any of these NEW awards for 2022, please contact Junior Fair Awards Coordinator, Carrie Stoneburner at fairfieldcountyjrfairawards@gmail.com. Carrie can also be reached by phone at 740-503-7141 (please leave a message if she is unable to take your call).
Below is a sample mock up of what the tumblers may look like for different species.
