ALL Dairy Steers, Market Steers, Commercial Steers and Born & Raised Steers must be ear tagged to be eligible to be shown at the 2025 Fulton County Fair.
The Fulton County Steer Tag-In Day will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at the Fulton County Fairgrounds—Steer Barn, 10:00-11:00 AM. This is a mandatory tag-in for all steers, even if the exhibitor cannot be present. Please complete the attached Steer ID card (at the very bottom of this email) prior to arriving at the Tag-In. Be sure that the Steer ID card comes with your steer if you cannot attend. Exhibitors will pay $2.00 per animal to cover the cost of the EID tag. All animals must be haltered in order to be tagged.
There is only one exemption to this mandatory ruling. Any steer that was tagged as a feeder calf for the 2024 Fulton County Junior Fair does not need to come to the tag-in on January 11, 2025 unless ownership has changed to a different family or they wish to participate in the *NEW* Rate of Gain contest (see more information below), in which the animal will need to be weighed. However, these steers must have an ID card completed with the ID tag number and returned to the Extension Office or to the Tag-In Day by January 11th.
Examples of the exemption:
My daughter exhibited a feeder calf at the 2024 Fulton County Junior Fair. The calf was tagged. My daughter wants to bring the steer to the 2025 Fulton County Fair. Does the steer need to come to the January 11th Tag-In Day? NO, unless they want to participate in the *NEW* Rate of Gain contest (see more information below). However, we do need a newly completed ID card with the 15-digit EID tag number delivered to the Tag-In Day or to the Extension Office before January 11th.
My son bought a steer from a family that tagged and exhibited the steer as a feeder calf at the 2024 Fulton County Junior Fair. Do we have to bring the steer to the January 11th Tag-In Day? YES, ownership of the steer has changed outside of the family and new ownership must be established by having the steer at the Tag-In Day on January 11th.
Each exhibitor will be allowed to tag two steers for each project. Example: An exhibitor could tag-in two Born & Raised Steers, two Market Steers, two Commercial Steers, and/or two Dairy Steers. Also, all Born & Raised Steers must have been identified and tagged by Fulton County Junior Fair 2024 as a feeder calf in order to show as a Born and Raised Steer at the 2025 fair. Born and Raised Steer exhibitors must complete the attached “Born & Raised Market Beef Steer Application” and turn in at tag in or to the Extension Office before January 11th for the animal to have Born & Raised eligibility for this class at the fair. Failure to submit the form will cause the animal to be shown in the beef steer class. They must also complete the ID card.
*NEW IN 2025—RATE OF GAIN CONTEST*
Directors in charge: Phil Herring & Tracy Bentley
Steers for this contest MUST be weighed in at the Steer Tag-In day at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in the steer barn on January 11th.
The Junior Exhibitors steers for the upcoming Fair will be the project for this. There will be 2 divisions for the contest:
1. Born & Raised Market, Market Beef, Commercial Steers
2. Dairy Steers
Guidelines: This class of steers, Born & Raised market, Market Beef, Commercial and Dairy, has been established to help youth gain feedlot type experience, feeding cattle, and financial management.
Judging Requirements: All steers for this project will be required to be shown at the Fair to be eligible for prize money. Bring completed Project Book to the Interview Judging. Prize money will be awarded separately from the Junior Livestock Sale.
Fair Exhibit: Steers will be required to be displayed at the Fulton County Fair.
Prize Money (2x amount awarded in previous years!):
Beef Steers: 1st-$400, 2nd-$250, 3rd-$150, 4th-$120, 5th-$80
Dairy Steers: 1st-$400, 2nd-$250, 3rd-$150, 4th-$120, 5th-$80
Questions may be directed to Phil Herring (419-704-6939) or Tracy Bentley (419-452-7278).
Ohio State Fair
Lastly, The Ohio State Fair requires all market beef entered in the 2025 Ohio State Fair to have individual DNA samples taken from each animal that may potentially be entered. These DNA samples must be in the possession of the Ohio State Fair by January 15, 2025. Attached is a document containing sample collection instructions. Please read the attached instructions that will be a part of each sample collection kit, and contact the Ohio State Fair, if you have any questions (Andi Hershey, A.Hershey@expo.ohio.gov ). Note, in 2025, Ohio State Fair will NOT be providing EID tags for market beef entries. Exhibitors must get their own 840 tags for their entries and that 840 tag number MUST be listed on the envelope with the DNA sample.