Sent on behalf of Fairfield County Junior Fair Meat/Market Goat Superintendents:
Junior Fair Meat/Market Exhibitors and 4-H/FFA Advisors,
As a Fairfield County Junior Fair meat/market goat exhibitor family, the Junior Fair Meat/Market Goat Superintendents are inviting you to come and talk about the 2024/2025 Junior Fair Shows on Thursday, November 7th, beginning at 6 p.m. at OSU Extension Office/Fairfield County Ag Center. We hope that you can join us at this open meeting!
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, September 30th (as forms should be completed more than 5 days before fair weigh-in).
Livestock Sale Etiquette – Due to some concerns expressed from buyers and families, please make sure you review the Livestock Sale Etiquette fact sheet to learn the Do’s and Don’ts of Buyer communication.
Livestock Sale Update: Sale Commissions – Continuing for 2024: All dollars handled by the Livestock Sale Committee are subject to commission, not to exceed 4%. This includes direct to packer animals and all add-ons.
Livestock Sale Update: Add-Ons – Continuing for 2024: In order for an exhibitor to receive an add-on, the exhibitor must qualify for a sale slot as either an individual or in a group. Take Home animals are not able to receive add-ons. Parents and exhibitors should not be completing Add-On Forms on behalf of a buyer – it is the Buyer’s responsibility. Parents and exhibitors should not be including Add-On Forms in their buyer letters. Buyers can request an Add-On Form by contacting the Sale Clerk or picking up a paper copy on sale days. New for 2024: Add-On’s must be received by the Sale Clerk by 5:00 p.m. the last Saturday of fair week (Saturday, October 12th at 5:00 p.m.)
Livestock Sale Updates: Take Home Animals – The 2024 Fairfield County Fair Junior Fair will have a partial terminal sale/show for all species. This will allow for a Take Home option this year.
Buyer Information
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.
Junior Fair Horses
Junior Fair Swine
Junior Fair Meat/Market Goats
Junior Fair Beef
Junior Fair Poultry
Junior Fair Rabbits
Junior Fair Pygmy Goats
Jr. Fair MEAT/MARKET Goat Exhibitors,
There are some important updates/changes to bring your attention to regarding fair. Move-in procedures have changed.
Move-in Procedures:
MEAT/MARKET GOATS – Enter from Wilson Ave gate and proceed to the EAST end of the Sheep/Goat Barn.
If bringing SHEEP AND GOATS on the same trailer:
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.
The Ohio State University Extension Small Ruminants Team is hosting a 6-part All About Goats! Fall Webinar series. This webinar series is going to answer producers burning questions concerning their own herd and help new producers start their herds. Whether you are thinking about or currently raising Dairy or Meat goats- this webinar is for you! All youth livestock exhibitors are encouraged to attend. Registration is required and can be completed by visiting go.osu.edu/allaboutgoatsfall
2024 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 Goat Resource Book.
Please note that we have updated pictures used for Goat Breeds for this year. Study them at this link: Goat Breeds
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.
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.
This information is also posted in the 2024 Junior Fair Book under Optional Activities for Species: http://go.osu.edu/fcjrbook
Premier Exhibitor Contests
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.
Requirements
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 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.
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 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.