Calendar Changes

Ohio Youth Skillathons (Virtual and In-Person Sessions)

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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 14th, 2021!

A few important notes:

  • Those exhibiting at OSF and want to be eligible for Outstanding Market Exhibitor (OME) awards MUST participate at the IN-PERSON skillathons at the state fair
  • Those exhibiting at OSF and want to be eligible for Outstanding Breeding Exhibitor (OBE) awards MUST participate in the VIRTUAL skillathons online

4-H Pledge and Creed Speaking Event: Registration deadline extended through June 7th

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Speak out and get involved! Improve your public speaking skills and raise awareness of health and safety topics. The Fairfield County Health & Safety Speaking Event will be Wednesday, June 9th, 2021 starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Ag Center. Any 4-H or Cloverbud member can participate. The following events will take place:

  • Junior and Senior Individual Health & Safety Speaking Events
  • Health & Safety Speaking Team Event
  • 4-H Creed Speaking Event
  • 4-H Pledge Speaking Event (Cloverbuds Only)

Earn a chance to also participate in the Ohio State Fair with the Health & Safety events!

Registration HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH June 7th at 4:00 p.m. by calling the Extension Office at 740-653-5419. For questions, contact Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

Summer Project Judging: Location Change and Style Revue Update

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4-H Summer Project Judging is scheduled for July 12th through July 15th, 2021. Please note that we will be changing the location of judging this year and it will now take place in the Ed Sands Building at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds. This is different than what was printed in the 4-H Member Handbook and 4-H Project Guidelines. Please be sure that you review the 4-H Member Handbook and 4-H Project Guidelines as you complete your projects and prepare for judging. Scheduling of appointments for summer projects will be open soon.

Another change that we will be making this year is for the Style Revue. There will not be a formal style revue taking place during the evening of July 15th. In lieu of the in-person evening event, members will be modeling their projects to be recorded and narrated by Fashion and Nutrition Board Members and videos shared virtually at a later date. Details will be shared soon with clothing/sewing members.

If you cannot make it to your judging day, late judging is available by appointment for Tuesday, July 27th. Members participating in late judging will earn a grade and will not be eligible for awards. To schedule an appointment for late judging on July 27th, call 740-653-5419.

Quality Assurance Options for 2021

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Quality Assurance is an annual requirement of the Ohio Department of Agriculture for youth taking livestock projects to county and state fair. In Fairfield County, Quality Assurance Training is required for all members who will be exhibiting a livestock project at the Fairfield County Fair or Junior Exhibitor at the Ohio State Fair. Beef (Breeding & Market); Dairy Breeding & Dairy Feeders; Goats (Dairy, Meat, Market & Pygmy); Poultry (Breeding & Market); Sheep (Breeding & Market); Swine; Rabbits (Breeding & Market), and Alpacas/Llamas.

Deadlines for 2021:

  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 1st, 2021.
  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by August 15th, 2021.

At this time, Quality Assurance CANNOT be taught by club/chapter advisors to Fairfield County 4-H/FFA youth virtually (i.e. Zoom, Google Hangouts, Google Classrooms, Facebook Live, etc.).

Here are the acceptable options to complete Quality Assurance in 2021:

  • In-Person 4-H Club/FFA Chapter Clinic taught by a 4-H/FFA Advisor who has completed the Quality Assurance Assistant Instructor Training this year (which took place on April 7th and April 26th). Advisors who attended this training will notify their members of their club/chapter QA Clinic date and will be responsible for getting all QA paperwork submitted to the Extension Office by the appropriate deadlines.
  • In-Person Countywide Make-Up Clinics: To be held on Saturday, May 8th at 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and Sunday, May 23rd at 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. at the Ed Sands Building at the Fairgrounds. A third date has been added: Thursday, June 10th at 7:00 p.m. Attendance is limited and an RSVP is required. Please register online at this link for either countywide in-person QA Clinic: https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0P19iWcND165rpQ
  • In-Person Beef Quality Assurance: Members who complete an in-person BQA taught by a certified BQA instructor must submit documentation to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.
  • In-Person Pork Quality Assurance: Members who complete an in-person PQA taught by a certified PQA advisor must submit documentation to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu. Youth MUST be age 14 or older (current age) to complete in-person PQA. Youth will receive a PQA certification number from the National Pork Board upon completion.
  • Online: Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA). This is the ONLY approved ONLINE Quality Assurance Program for youth in Ohio. For 2021, this web-based course has been approved by ODA for 8-18 year olds.
    • Go to: https://yqca.learngrow.io/Account/Login
      • Fairfield County 4-H Members should select “sign in with 4-HOnline”. It will prompt you to select a state and then enter your 4-HOnline account information. After successfully logging in, you will be given a list of active family members. Select the family member and start the account creation process.
      • Fairfield County FFA Members (who are not in 4-H) should select FFA & Independent Sign-In.
    • You will need to select the web-based training ($12.00 per member, annually).
    • For a complete list of directions visit: Getting Your YQCA Online Certification
    • When you are finished, please send name(s) and certificate number(s) to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

2021 Ohio State Fair Livestock and Animal Exhibitor Schedule Announced

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Hot off the press on May 12th, 2021: The 2021 OSF Livestock Schedule is now posted at: https://ohiostatefair.com/agriculture…/livestock-schedule/
Soon there will also be:
  • Rules
  • Entry info
  • Skillathon info
Ohio 4-H is also planning on having other state youth contests including:
  • Poultry Judging (July 17th)
  • Avian Bowl (July 17th)
  • Livestock Judging (July 30th)
More info on rules and entry will be coming soon.
For those exhibiting or planning to exhibit livestock at the 2021 Ohio State Fair, this page is where updates and info will be posted 🙂

Attention Livestock Exhibitors: Quality Assurance Updates

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Quality Assurance is an annual requirement of the Ohio Department of Agriculture for youth taking livestock projects to county and state fair. In Fairfield County, Quality Assurance Training is required for all members who will be exhibiting a livestock project at the Fairfield County Fair or Junior Exhibitor at the Ohio State Fair. Beef (Breeding & Market); Dairy Breeding & Dairy Feeders; Goats (Dairy, Meat, Market & Pygmy); Poultry (Breeding & Market); Sheep (Breeding & Market); Swine; Rabbits (Breeding & Market), and Alpacas/Llamas.

Deadlines for 2021:

  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 1st, 2021.
  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by August 15th, 2021.

At this time, Quality Assurance CANNOT be taught by club/chapter advisors to Fairfield County 4-H/FFA youth virtually (i.e. Zoom, Google Hangouts, Google Classrooms, Facebook Live, etc.).

Here are the acceptable options to complete Quality Assurance in 2021:

  • In-Person 4-H Club/FFA Chapter Clinic taught by a 4-H/FFA Advisor who has completed the Quality Assurance Assistant Instructor Training this year (which took place on April 7th and April 26th). Advisors who attended this training will notify their members of their club/chapter QA Clinic date and will be responsible for getting all QA paperwork submitted to the Extension Office by the appropriate deadlines.
  • In-Person Countywide Make-Up Clinics: To be held on Saturday, May 8th at 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and Sunday, May 23rd at 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. at the Ed Sands Building at the Fairgrounds. A third date has been added: Thursday, June 10th at 7:00 p.m. Attendance is limited and an RSVP is required. Please register online at this link for either countywide in-person QA Clinic: https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0P19iWcND165rpQ
  • In-Person Beef Quality Assurance: Members who complete an in-person BQA taught by a certified BQA instructor must submit documentation to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.
  • In-Person Pork Quality Assurance: Members who complete an in-person PQA taught by a certified PQA advisor must submit documentation to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu. Youth MUST be age 14 or older (current age) to complete in-person PQA. Youth will receive a PQA certification number from the National Pork Board upon completion.
  • Online: Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA). This is the ONLY approved ONLINE Quality Assurance Program for youth in Ohio. For 2021, this web-based course has been approved by ODA for 8-18 year olds.
    • Go to: https://yqca.learngrow.io/Account/Login
      • Fairfield County 4-H Members should select “sign in with 4-HOnline”. It will prompt you to select a state and then enter your 4-HOnline account information. After successfully logging in, you will be given a list of active family members. Select the family member and start the account creation process.
      • Fairfield County FFA Members (who are not in 4-H) should select FFA & Independent Sign-In.
    • You will need to select the web-based training ($12.00 per member, annually).
    • For a complete list of directions visit: Getting Your YQCA Online Certification
    • When you are finished, please send name(s) and certificate number(s) to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

Attention STATE FAIR livestock exhibitors – PLEASE READ!

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Those who plan to exhibit at the 2021 Ohio State Fair will need to complete their Quality Assurance by June 1st, 2021. Members must also be enrolled at the county level by May 1st in the project(s) they intend to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair. Our office will be asked to verify both QA  completion and that members are enrolled in the correct projects (breeding projects, for example) on all Ohio State Fair junior livestock entries.

Information about the Ohio State Fair is expected to be released in early May – including a schedule. The Ohio State Fair will not be open to the public in 2021. State Fair dates are July 19 – August 8, 2021. Additionally, we expect entries to be due by June 20th (online) like past years. Here is the link to the Ohio State Fair livestock website.

4-H and FFA members must make OSF entries online at https://ohiostatefair.com/livestock/

No late OSF entries will be accepted. Additionally, you may review the link above to confirm rules and possession dates for the Ohio State Fair.

Attention Ohio State Fair Swine Exhibitors:

  • 4-H youth who wish to take a GILT in the Junior Swine Show MUST be enrolled in the Breeding Swine Project. There is no Market Gilt Show at the Ohio State Fair. This project must be submitted by your May 1st enrollment deadline via 4-HOnline.
  • New for 2021: Youth who are taking hogs to the Ohio State Fair must have a parent/guardian certified in Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) by June 20th. One parent can complete this certification for all children in the family (household). The certification is good for 3 years and is required by the packer at the state fair. The certification number is required when making swine entries on June 20th (you will be asked to enter that information). For more information on how to complete this requirement, please contact Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.
  • Additionally, the Ohio State Fair is Ractopamine (i.e. Paylean) free for market hogs. You will have to select that you understand this when making your Ohio State Fair entry and you will have to provide a signed affidavit at weigh-in at state fair.

Save the Date: Fairfield County 4-H Achievement Awards Ceremony

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Ohio 4-H Achievement Form and Junior Achievement Form Families: Please save the evening of Thursday, April 8th for our Drive-Thru Achievement Awards Ceremony. 

This will be a scheduled event, with the scheduling information to come out soon.  We are hoping families can join us in a drive-thru at the Fairgrounds and celebrate!  There will be a quick photo opportunity for youth and their families as well as awards presented.

Application Deadlines extended to April 1st for Tar Hollow 4-H Camp Staff and Food Service Staff!

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Interested in sharing the 2021 camp experience with youth and volunteers from Athens, Fairfield, Pickaway, and Ross counties? Good news – the application deadlines for summer program staff and kitchen staff has been extended to April 1st, 2021!

Consider joining our camp staff! Application links with deadlines are posted here:

Camp Staff:

The 2021 Ross Hocking Extension Camp Association Staff Application is now due April 1st, 2021. Staff positions available for Camp Manager, Assistant Camp Manager, Canteen Director/Activity Assistant, Recreation Director, Waterfront Director/Canteen Helper, Lifeguards/Canteen Helpers, Craft Director/Canteen Helper, Naturalist/Canteen Helper.

All positions are subject to changes and modifications after interviews. All positions will be responsible for helping with other camp duties as directed by the Camp Manager/Camp Director and may include basic health checks and cleaning duties.

Kitchen Staff:

The application for 2021 food service staff for the 2021 Tar Hollow 4-H Camp season is now available and will now be due April 1st, 2021. Food Service Staff positions available for Camp Food Service Manager and Staff. Please click here to view and download the application: 2021 Food Service Staff Application Ross Hocking Extension Camp Association.