Events

Boots and Baseball Weekend with the Toledo Mud Hens

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4-H clubs are invited to join the Toledo Mud Hens on Friday, May 30 or Saturday, May 31 for their Boots and Baseball Weekend. Enjoy live music, postgame fireworks, giveaways, and more while cheering on the Mud Hens. 4-H clubs in attendance will also be recognized on the video board during each game. For more information about how to reserve tickets, reach out to Owen Bailey at Owen.Bailey@mudhens.com or 419-725-9285.

Boots and Baseball Weekend with the Toledo Mud Hens

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4-H clubs are invited to join the Toledo Mud Hens on Friday, May 30 or Saturday, May 31 for their Boots and Baseball Weekend. Enjoy live music, postgame fireworks, giveaways, and more while cheering on the Mud Hens. 4-H clubs in attendance will also be recognized on the video board during each game. For more information about how to reserve tickets, reach out to Owen Bailey at Owen.Bailey@mudhens.com or 419-725-9285.

Cloverbud Opportunity: 4-H Pledge Speaking Event

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The Fairfield County Cloverbud Pledge Speaking Event will be Wednesday, July 16th starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Ag Center. Any 4-H Cloverbud member can participate. This is a great way to practice public speaking at an early age! We can’t wait to cheer our Cloverbuds on!

Registration is due July 1st by calling the Extension Office at 740-653-5419. For questions, contact Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

Youth Opportunity: 4-H Creed Speaking Contest

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Speak out and get involved! Improve your public speaking skills and learn the 4-H Creed. The Fairfield County Creed Speaking Event will be Wednesday, July 16th starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Ag Center. Any 4-H member can participate.

Registration is due July 1st by calling the Extension Office at 740-653-5419. For questions, contact Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

Attention Livestock Exhibitors: Quality Assurance Requirements

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

Deadlines for 2025:

  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 1st, 2025.
  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 30th, 2025.

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 2025:

  • 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 1st from 6:30-8:30 p.m. or Tuesday, May 20th from 6:30-8:30 p.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 2025, 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, 2025 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.

Visit 7Brew on Feb 11 to Support the Junior Leaders!

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The Fairfield County 4-H Junior Leaders will be hosting a monthly dine to donate fundraiser to raise funds for their countywide club.
February’s dine to donate will be a fundraiser at 7 Brew, Tuesday, February 11, 2025 from 5:30am-10pm at 1637 N Memorial Drive, Lancaster. The 4-H Program will receive a donation from every Large Drink ordered off the menu! (No NEED for a flyer or to mention the fundraiser – Just be sure to order a large drink)
The Junior Leaders are a countywide teen leadership group that focuses on 4-H community service, leadership, and more! Their big events include planning the Fairfield County 4-H Advisor Recognition, Countywide Cloverbud Events, and the Bottle Cap Bench Project!
Thank you for the support!

Save the Date: December 3rd for our Achievement Form Workshops

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Be recognized for all you do in 4-H! It all begins with keeping great records of your 4-H accomplishments! Save the date of December 3rd for upcoming workshops! Details are in the flyer posted below.

Younger 4-H youth (ages 9-13 as of 1/1/2025) are encouraged to start completing your Junior Achievement Form. Junior Achievement Awards will be awarded in April 2025!

  • Please note that the Junior Achievement Form will be updated for 2025. Please be sure to use the new form.

Older 4-H youth (ages 14-18 as of 1/1/2025) are encouraged to explore the many teen opportunities available to them when they complete the Ohio 4-H Achievement Form including: County Merit Awards, College Scholarships, County Trip Awards, Outstanding 4-Her Award, State Achievement Awards – and perhaps earning a trip to National 4-H Congress! County Merit Awards, Scholarships, and Trip Awards will be awarded in April 2025!

Fairfield Co. Junior Fair Livestock Judging Contest – Preregister NOW (through Oct. 4th)

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The Livestock Judging Contest will be held on Sunday, October 6th with registration beginning at 12:30 p.m. and the contest will begin at 1:00 p.m. in Feeder Creek Vet Show Arena. We will be having youth sign-up online (go.osu.edu/fclivestockjudging) prior to the contest so that we can help prep judging cards in advance. For more information, please review Livestock Judging Contest Rules in the Junior Fair Book at go.osu.edu/fcjrbook.

Save the Date – 2025 Camp Dates

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Start planning for Summer 2025, Fairfield County 4-H will have FOUR summer camp options for youth. Youth will sign up for camp based on the grade of school instead of age. This will be the camper’s grade as of May 1, 2025. We hope you are as excited as we are, so save the date and join us at Alley Park or Tar Hollow next summer!

**Please note, Camp Counselors who are still eligible to attend Senior Camp as a camper will not be slated to counsel at this camp. The Fairfield County 4-H Camp Staff are adding special things to Senior Camp that only our oldest campers will get to experience like multi-county camping, paint wars, outdoor cooking, kayaking, and more!**