Dairy

Attention Livestock Exhibitors: Quality Assurance Requirements

by

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 Steers, & Dairy Feeders; Goats (Dairy, Meat, Market & Pygmy); Poultry (Breeding & Market); Sheep (Breeding & Market); Swine; Rabbits (Breeding & Market), and Alpacas/Llamas.

Deadlines for 2024:

  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 1st, 2024.
  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 30, 2024.

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 2024:

  • 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. 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 Thursday, May 2nd from 6:30-8:30 p.m. or Saturday, May 18th from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at the Fairfield County Ag Center/Extension Office (831 College Ave. Lancaster). An RSVP is required. Please click here to register for a countywide QA makeup clinic.
  • 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 2024, this web-based course has been approved by ODA for 8-18 year olds.
    • Go to  https://yqcaprogram.org/ for the training and quiz.
    • Instructions for using the new website can be found at: 2022 YQCA Website Instructions
    • Exhibitors must complete by June 30, 2024 or they will not be able to show at the Fairfield County Fair.
    • You will need to select the web-based training ($12.00 per member, annually). The age of the course should be age as of January 1st of the current year.
    • When you are finished, please send a pdf/picture of your certificate which includes exhibitor name(s) and certificate number(s) to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

Quality Assurance should be completed for Ohio State Fair exhibitors by June 1st

by

Fairfield County 4-H and FFA youth planning to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 1st, 2024 to meet the 45 days prior to the Ohio State Fair exhibition (as required by the Ohio Department of Agriculture). Youth who do not meet this requirement, will have any entries denied.

If youth still need to complete Quality Assurance to meet this requirement and your club/chapter is not planning to host their own QA Clinic by June 1st, we recommend you complete QA through the Youth for the Quality Care of Animals online modules or attend the countywide makeup QA Trainings on May 2nd or May 18th.

  • In-Person Countywide Make-Up Clinics: To be held on Thursday, May 2nd from 6:30-8:30 p.m. or Saturday, May 18th from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at the Fairfield County Ag Center/Extension Office (831 College Ave. Lancaster). An RSVP is required. Please click here to register for a countywide QA makeup clinic.
  • Online: Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA). This is the ONLY approved ONLINE Quality Assurance Program for youth in Ohio. For 2024, this web-based course has been approved by ODA for 8-18 year olds.
    • Go to  https://yqcaprogram.org/ for the training and quiz.
    • Instructions for using the new website can be found at: 2022 YQCA Website Instructions
    • Exhibitors must complete by June 30, 2024 or they will not be able to show at the Fairfield County Fair.
    • You will need to select the web-based training ($12.00 per member, annually). The age of the course should be age as of January 1st of the current year.
    • When you are finished, please send name(s) and certificate number(s) to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

Scholarship Opportunity: Dairy Farmers of America

by

Five $1,000 at-large scholarships are available for Mideast Area college students. These scholarships are offered yearly to farmer-owners, their children and on-farm employees. There are no age or course of study restrictions.

Applications must be postmarked by June 7, 2024, and are available by emailing sbowman@dfamilk.com or can they can be downloaded from the Mideast Area section of the DFA farmer-only website, www.dfamilk.com.

Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Opportunity: April 20, DairyPalooza (Canfield)

by

The Canfield Fairgrounds will host the 2024 DairyPalooza on April 20th from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event will feature QA training in the morning and a host of workshops in the afternoon. Registration is $10 and must be submitted by April 5. Late registrations will be accepted until the day of the event, but the registration fee will increase to $15. For additional details and information on how to register, check out the 2024 DairyPalooza Registration form.

2024 Ohio Dairy Palooza

When: Saturday, April 20, 2024

Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm; Registration begins at 8:00am

Where: Mahoning County at the Canfield Fairgrounds

7265 Columbiana-Canfield Rd., Canfield 44406

Enter in Gate 9 of the fairgrounds

Registration: https://go.osu.edu/2024dairypalooza

Pre-Registration due by April 5, 2024

Join us for a day filled with hands-on learning,

quality assurance sessions, and so much more!

 

What to Expect:

  • Hands-on learning with dairy cattle
  • Quality Assurance sessions
  • Special sessions for Cloverbuds, adults, and everyone in between
  • Dairy Cattle Showmanship and fitting demonstrations
  • And new this year, sessions on Dairy Beef Feeders (Nutrition & Fitting)

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to enhance your skills and knowledge in dairy cow projects!

See you there for a day of fun, education, and lots of moo-vement!

Registration Information:

  • Registration is $10 per person through April 5th
  • Registrations after April 5th will be $15 per person including walk-in registrations the day of the event.
  • Pre-registration due by April 5, 2024 (must be postmarked by April 5, 2024)
  • To register, go to https://go.osu.edu/2024dairypalooza
  • Print, complete, and send in your registration form and registration fee to:
    • DairyPalooza, c/o Lisa Gress, 9010 Critchfield Road, Shreve, OH 44676

‘Finished’ Dairy Beef Steer project is approved for 2024

by

‘Finished’ Dairy Beef Steer project, new for 2024!

Fairfield County 4-H and FFA youth now have an additional opportunity to raise and market a meat animal project for the 2024 Fair in the form of the ‘finished’ Dairy Beef Steer project. Dairy Beef Steers must be owned and in the possession of the youth by weigh-in on March 9, 2024, and weigh a minimum of 1100 pounds at weigh-in at the Fair on Saturday, October 5. Each youth entering and showing an eligible finished Dairy Beef Steer will earn one sale slot in the 2024 Junior Fair Livestock Sale. Details for this project include Continue reading ‘Finished’ Dairy Beef Steer project is approved for 2024 →

Market Beef and Dairy Beef Steer Tagging, Weighing, and DNA Sample Collection Procedure for 2024

by

Weigh-in for all calves intended for the market beef show in 2024 is March 9th, by appointment!

It’s time once again to prepare for Jr. Market Beef tagging and weigh-in. This year it is being conducted in a fashion like recent years but in addition will include exhibitors planning to participate in the recently created ‘finished’ Dairy Beef Steer project in Fairfield County.

Market beef weigh-in for traditional beef animals as well as dairy beef steers is set for Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Fairfield Cattle Company located at 3443 Cincinnati-Zanesville Road (S.R. 22), Lancaster, from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. In advance of March 9th exhibitors will be required to tag their own market beef animals with an 840 EID tag (unless the calf already has an EID tag). Visual numbered tags are encouraged but will not be provided or required this year. As in the recent past, participants will submit a hair follicle DNA sample at the weigh-in for each calf.

Again this year families with market beef and dairy beef steer projects are also required to reserve a weigh-in time for the 9th, and only those directly involved in transporting and weighing-in calves should plan to attend . . . please, no spectators! The goal remains to Continue reading Market Beef and Dairy Beef Steer Tagging, Weighing, and DNA Sample Collection Procedure for 2024 →

You’re invited – Jr. Fair Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Meeting: December 4th

by

Sent on behalf of Fairfield County Junior Fair Dairy Cattle Superintendent:

Junior Fair Dairy Cattle Exhibitors and 4-H/FFA Advisors,

As a Fairfield County Junior Fair dairy cattle exhibitor family, the Junior Fair Dairy Cattle Superintendent is inviting you to come and talk about the 2023/2024 Dairy Shows on Monday, December 4th, 2023, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Fairfield County Ag Center/OSU Extension Office. We hope that you can join us at this open meeting!

Drug Use Notification Forms – due at NOON, Friday, October 6th for Market Beef/Dairy Market Feeders/Lactating Dairy Cows & Dairy Goats/Market Hogs/Market Goats/Market Lambs

by

Animals must be drug free by weigh-in day of fair. Each member must complete a Drug Use Notification Form (DUNF) (http://go.osu.edu/fairfielddunf) form online for each animal they plan to exhibit prior to weigh-in at the fair. If the forms are not correctly completed, exhibitors will not be permitted to show. The link to the form will open on Monday, October 2nd (as forms should be completed more than 5 days before fair weigh-in).

  • Animals requiring a DUNF indicating the animal is free from any/all drugs in its system on fair weigh-in/move-in day are:
    • Market Beef
    • Dairy Beef Feeder
    • Dairy Cow (lactating)
    • MQP Barrow
    • Market Barrow
    • Market Gilt
    • Market Goat
    • Dairy Goat (lactating)
    • Market Chicken
    • Market Turkey
    • Market Duck
    • MQP Lamb
    • Market Lamb
    • Market Rabbit (new for 2023)
  • Forms should be completed no sooner than 5 days prior to animal weigh-in to be sure that their animal is drug free during fair.
  • Forms submitted prior to that timeframe will be deleted and exhibitors will be asked to resubmit the DUNF form closer to their animal’s weigh-in. All animals being brought to the fair requiring DUNF forms will need to submit their forms by 12:00 p.m., Friday, October 6, 2023.
  • The only EXCEPTION to the Friday deadline will be Market Poultry and Market Rabbits who will complete DUNF Forms AFTER they receive tags/leg bands so they have identification information to enter into the DUNF Form. One form per pen of animals should be completed for Poultry and Rabbits. Deadline for poultry and rabbit exhibitors is MIDNIGHT on Saturday, October 7th.
  • Animals tagged with an EID 840 (15 digit tag) should include the last 6 digits in the identification field of the form.
  • Scrapie Tag numbers DO NOT need to be entered for market goats and market sheep – please use the last 6 digits of your EID 840 tag.
  • There should be ONE form submitted for each animal Exception: Each pen of rabbits and each pen of market chickens will need a form per pen.
  • Turkeys exhibitors will put N/A in the identification field.
  • Market Chicken exhibitors will put all 3 leg band numbers in the same identification field for their pen of chickens.
  • Market Rabbit exhibitors will put both tag numbers for their pair of rabbits in the identification field for their pen of rabbits.

Dairy Cattle Exhibitors – Read this to prepare for Skillathon!

by

2023 Skillathons will include 4 stations – Project Interview, Breeds, Parts, and Feed Identification. All information on breeds, parts, and feeds is available in your 4-H Dairy Resource Book. And for Dairy Beef Feeders, this also is available in the 4-H Beef Resource Book. Dairy Beef Feeder exhibitors will have the option to identify parts on the dairy or beef posters. Breeds will cover dairy cattle only.

FFA Exhibitors are encouraged to check with their FFA Chapter to see if Skillathon or 4-H Resource Books are available to study as many chapters do have these items as classroom resources. If not, 4-H Resource Books are available for purchase from the OSU Extension Office year round and can be used multiple years by all family members.

127 CA/127CO/127He – 4-H Dairy Calf/Cow/Heifer Exhibitors: With the revision of the 4-H 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 2023 Dairy Cattle Focus Questions.  Please use these when completing your Dairy Project and Record Book.

Project Record Books for 4-H and FFA should be for the CURRENT project year and as up to date as possible on Skillathon day. Project Books will be reviewed on Skillathon days. They will be returned to you at the fair during your specie’s show.

We look forward to seeing your completed book at Skillathon.

Dairy Ambassador Application Due 9/8/2023

by

The2023 Dairy Ambassador Application is located at: 2023 Fairfield County Dairy Ambassador Application

The application is due to the Extension Office by September 8, 2023. Please note that all other specie applications as well as Junior Fair Queen applications are now posted online. Click here for more info.