State Fair

Livestock Exhibitors: Quality Assurance MUST be completed by June 30th to show at fair, no exceptions!

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 2025:

  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 1st, 2025 (or 45 days prior to exhibition).
  • Youth planning to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair must have their Quality Assurance completed by June 30, 2025.

Email reminders will be sent to advisors this last month for those who have yet to complete this requirement.

All Quality Assurance information has been shared with club/chapter advisors and has been posted on the blog since April 24th. Read all Quality Assurance options for 2025 here.

Youth Opportunity: Ohio State Fair Livestock Judging Contest – REGISTER BY JULY 3rd

by

All 4-H members are encouraged to participate in the 2025 Ohio State Fair Livestock Judging Contest on Sunday, July 20th at the Ohio Expo Center.

  • Check-In: 8:30 am – 9:30 am – Voinovich Livestock Center Show Arena
  • Contest Instructions: 10:00 am – Voinovich Livestock Center Show Arena
  • Judging Begins: 10:30 am – Denny Hales Arena
  • Awards Presentation – Following Contest Critiques in Voinovich

Pre-Registration is required by July 3rd and must have a county 4-H Educator’s approval – please contact Leslie Cooksey if you wish to participate. The cost is $15 per member and if Fairfield County 4-H youth wish to participate in this contest, members will be reimbursed by the 4-H Advisory Committee. Click here for additional rules and contest information.

Youth Opportunity: Ohio State Fair Livestock Judging Contest – July 20th

by

The rules and entry forms are officially posted for the 2025 Livestock Judging contest. Please visit our website for all of the up-to-date information. Please forward this information to anyone who may be interested. Currently, we do not have a livestock judging coach/team in Fairfield County. If you are interested in coaching a team, please contact Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu. If you are interested in competing in this state 4-H event, they can still do so (even without an organized team at the county level). Youth must be 4-H members in good standing and have a county 4-H educator sign off on your registration. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out!

The 2025 Ohio State Fair Livestock Judging Contest will be Sunday, July 20th. If interested in participating, please contact Leslie Cooksey by July 1st (cooksey.25@osu.edu)

Ohio 4-H Livestock Judging Resources and Information: https://ohio4h.org/node/3429

Dog Exhibitors: Ohio State Fair Entries are due May 21st at 1:00 p.m.

by

Entries for the Ohio State Fair Dog Show close May 21 at 1:00 pm. There are no late entries.

The 2025 Ohio State Fair Dog Show JUNE 16-18 is open for entries. Please go to the Ohio State Fair website to enter the dog show: https://www.ohiostatefair.com/…/livestock-competitions

The 2025 Ohio State Fair Agility Trial JULY 23 is open for entries. Please follow this link to enter the agility trial: https://go.osu.edu/2025osfagility

Livestock Exhibition and Fair Rules – Reminder from Ohio Dept. of Ag

by

ODA is tasked with determining the regulatory framework for exhibitions of livestock to ensure the food safety of market livestock, health and welfare of the livestock, and provide consistent regulations for the competition. ODA distributes testing supplies and performs urine sample testing for select market livestock exhibited at county, independent, and state fairs. The testing is critical to ensuring the market livestock tested are safe for consumption.

Updates to Chapters 901:1-18 and 901-19 became effective on May 23, 2024. Specifically, chapter 901:1-18 pertains to the importation requirements for exhibition livestock and chapter 901-19 pertains to the practices in preparation to and at the exhibition. To read the regulations in their entirety, please click the links below. There are multiple resources on ODA’s website to provide additional information on these including:

ODA Resources:
FAQ Document
Fairs and Exhibitions Newsletter
Fairs and Exhibitions Newsletter- Second Edition

Chapter 901:1-18
Chapter 901-19

If you are an educator, parent, exhibitor, or fair veterinarian and have additional questions, our Fairs/Exhibitions Administrative team is always available to answer questions. If you wish to speak to the team, please email animal@agri.ohio.gov.

Ohio State Fair Pre-Sale Tickets and Parking on sale starting May 1st

by

Youth Opportunity: 4-H Demonstration Contest – Signup by July 1st

by

Sign-up NOW through Monday, July 1st to participate in the Fairfield County 4-H Demonstration Contest by calling the Extension Office at 740-653-5419.

When: Wednesday, July 16th, 2025

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Who: Any 4-H member (project age)

What: A contest designed to demonstrate your ability to teach how to do something. There are Junior and Senior Divisions! For more information contact the Extension Office

Where: Ag Center, 831 College Avenue, Lancaster Why: To share your talents or skills with others and improve your teaching abilities.

Need tips on how to plan for a great demonstration? Click here!

Participants in the county demonstration contest have the opportunity to advance to the Ohio State Fair! For more information on guidelines and rules, review the Ohio State Fair Guidebook for Communication Days.

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, 2025 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 1st or May 20th.

  • 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.
  • 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 name(s) and certificate number(s) to Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

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 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.