Month: July 2020

2020 Hartford Fair Rabbit and Poultry Update

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In an effort to keep exhibitors and judges safe, Rabbit and Poultry Showmanship is cancelled for the 2020 Hartford Independent Fair.

Our goal is to provide exhibitors, their families, judges and attendees a safe and fun fair experience. With the evolving landscape of holding our fair during this unprecedented time please reference The Hartford Independent Fair and Licking County 4-H website and social media pages for current information.

Rabbit and Poultry Reminders for 2020 Fair: Please reference the Entry Page under forms on www.hartfordfair.com  for complete rules and order of show.

·        Rabbit and Poultry shows will be haul-in ONLY. There is NO stalling available!

·        No Club Decorations in the barn.

·        Market exhibitors will take their project home after the show. There will NOT be a packer (meat donation) truck this year for rabbits or poultry.

·        No Animals will be at the sale.

·        Buyer Thank You Signs:

o   Permitted to be constructed on a half poster board sheet (14”X 22”).

o   No wooden, metal, vinyl, or full poster board size signs permitted to be hung in the barn.

o   Exhibitors will turn in Buyer Thank You Signs to the Fair Board during the show (Poultry on Sunday or Rabbits on Monday).

o   The Fair Board will hang ALL signs after the show and dispose of signs after the fair. Buyer Thank You Signs will NOT be returned to the exhibitors.

 

Updated Rabbit and Poultry Schedule:

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Poultry Show at the B. Carr Pavilion:

Market Poultry Weigh-In: 7:00 am to 9:00 am

Poultry Barn Meeting: 9:00 am

Poultry Show: 9:30 am

Poultry Poster Contest: Turn Posters in by 9:30 am to Junior Fair Board

 

Monday, August 10, 2020

Rabbit Show at the B. Carr Pavilion:

Market Rabbit Weigh-In: 7:00 am to 9:00 am

Rabbit Barn Meeting: 9:00 am

Rabbit Show: 9:30 am

-Market Show will start with Pen of Three First

-Breeding Show will not begin before 12:00 pm

Rabbit Poster Contest: Turn Posters in by 9:30 am to Junior Fair Board

Sheep Barn Work Night at the Hartford Fair

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Friday, July 24, 2020 |  6:00 p.m. – ?

Hartford Fair Sheep Barn

Come when you can and jump in! Lots of work needs done for our barn to be ready for the fair! Nothing too difficult, just lots of general cleaning to have the barn looking nice as our families and guests arrive to the fair!  Things you can bring with you that would be helpful: brooms, shovels, leaf blowers, rakes, etc.

Please plan to practice social distancing, so we can all stay healthy!

Should you need additional details, please reach out to Tom Wolford at tomwolford711@gmail.com.

2020 Farm Science Review Will Be Virtual

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For the first time in its nearly 60-year history, The Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review, scheduled for Sept. 22 to Sept. 24, will not be held in-person. Instead, a virtual show will be implemented for 2020.

The farm show, sponsored by Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), annually attracts over 100,000 visitors from all over the United States and Canada to the show site in London, Ohio.

“We are committed to delivering a robust and innovative virtual show in support of agriculture during this pandemic,” said Cathann A. Kress, vice president and dean of CFAES.

“Throughout its history, the Farm Science Review has been at the forefront of showcasing the future of agriculture,” she said. “While it may look different in 2020, we will continue to meet the needs of our growers and partners through access to exhibitors, virtual demonstrations, and education about the most recent advancements in agricultural production.”

The three-day event normally allows agricultural producers to peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, view field demonstrations, and learn the latest in agricultural production. Popular educational programs feature specialists from The Ohio State University, Central State University, and other land-grant institutions.

“Due to the rapidly changing conditions in the spread of COVID-19 across the U.S., the decision was made to hold a virtual show,” said Nick Zachrich, Farm Science Review manager. “We have
worked diligently to plan for another incredible show demonstrating the newest developments in equipment, research, and application to support agricultural production.”

Current conditions are not conducive to hosting an in-person event. “With our multi-generational audience, we determined a need to prioritize everyone’s health and ensure that we are doing our part to contain the spread of the virus during this global pandemic,” he said.

While extremely disappointing for everyone involved, Zachrich said that Farm Science Review management and its executive committee believe this is the right decision to keep visitors, exhibitors, partners, and staff safe.

In addition, the State of Ohio Responsible Restart guidelines currently limit mass gatherings. There is little reason to anticipate changes in the next two months that would provide for the ability to meet Farm Science Review’s daily in-person attendance of between 35,000 to 50,000 visitors.

“We understood early on that regardless of the number of cases, the show would have to take a drastically different approach in order to meet the health and safety requirements for COVID19, such as physical distancing and sanitization,” Zachrich said. “While we would have liked to wait until closer to the event to make a decision, we felt compelled to let suppliers, exhibitors, and partners know so they can begin to plan for a virtual show.”

More information will be shared in the forthcoming weeks about the 2020 virtual Farm Science Review program and how to engage. Visit fsr.osu.edu for ongoing updates.
All media inquiries should be directed to Sherrie Whaley, CFAES media relations coordinator, whaley.3@osu.edu, 614-292-2137.

Writer:
Sherrie R. Whaley
whaley.3@osu.edu
614-292-2137 / 614-582-6111

Source:
Nick Zachrich
zachrich.13@osu.edu

REMINDER: Goat Workshop on July 16th

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The Goat Workshop will take place in Baird Arena (Sheep Barn) at the Hartford Fairgrounds on Thursday, July 16, 2020 at 6:00pm. Topics for the workshop will include hands-on instruction in showmanship, grooming, shaving, and hoof trimming.

Before attending, please be sure you and your family follow the Ohio 4-H Guidelines for In-person Events:

  • If you (or any member of your household) aren’t feeling well, are experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, or have been exposed to someone with the virus or symptoms, please stay home.
  • Please practice physical distancing.
  • Masks are encouraged at all times, but are expected to be worn when physical distancing is not an option.
  • Please wash hands/use hand sanitizer often.

 

Partial Reopening of Licking County OSU Extension Office

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The Licking County office of OSU Extension will be reopening on Monday, July 13, 2020 with limited hours by appointment only.

The hours will be as follows: Monday and Thursday from 8:30am – 4:30pm.

Appointments can be scheduled by calling the office at 740-670-5315 or emailing Lisa McCutcheon, mccutcheon.46osu.edu, and/or Adrienne Anderson, anderson.1410@osu.edu, for 4-H Youth Development; Dean Kreager, kreager.5@osu.edu, for Agriculture and Natural Resources; Shari Gallup, gallup.1@osu.edu, for Family and Consumer Sciences; Lori Swihart, swihart.33@osu.edu, for Master Gardener Volunteers; Michelle Duffy, duffy.383@osu.edu, for SNAP Ed, and Lisa House, house.238@osu.edu, for all other appointments.

When Extension employees are not in the county office, they will continue to telework. We are following strict guidelines to remain safe, and to keep our clientele safe as well. All service sector requirements for general office environments from the Ohio Department of Health will be strictly adhered to in each office.

While our office will be open during the times listed above, we still encourage you to only visit the office if your need cannot be handled via phone, email or Zoom. If you must come into the office, we ask that you please adhere to the following guidelines:

  • If you or anyone in your family has been ill or has shown symptoms or if you have been in contact with someone who has been ill, please DO NOT come into the office. We will be happy to reschedule your appointment for a later date or set up a time to call or Zoom with you or make other arrangements to meet your needs.
  • If you need to meet with us in person, you must schedule an appointment. While we will be open two days a week, we will have limited staff in the office during that time so Lisa and I will not be in the office during all open hours. Please schedule with us so that we know we will be available to you when you arrive.
  • If meeting with us or anyone in the office, you MUST wear a mask. This is Ohio State University policy and we will follow it. If you are unable to wear a mask, we would be happy to schedule a time to chat with you via phone or Zoom.
  • Please come by yourself if possible or with as few family members as possible. We ask that only one person/family be at the counter at one time. If you see someone is already at the counter, please wait on the marked spots in the hallway until that person/group has left and then you may come up to the counter.
  • Please wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before entering the office.
  • If you need to pick up an item or purchase books, please call the office to request the items/books ahead of time so that we can have everything ready for when you arrive. This will help reduce your wait time in the office.  If you are purchasing items, exact change or a check is preferred. We can give you your total cost for your purchase when you call in your order.

 

 

REMINDER: Skillathon Registration Due July 15th

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If you plan to compete in the livestock skillathons for 2020, please remember to register for the state level skillathons by Wednesday, July 15th! There will be no skillathon competitions offered at the Hartford Fair for 2020, so competing in the virtual, state-wide livestock skillathons is your only option for this year.

While Skillathon stations will not be offered in person during the Hartford Fair this year, we ask that you register for the State Skillathons – as we will use those contest scores to recognize Hartford Fair exhibitors during the fair! All youth who intend to complete a skillathon must register online by July 15th, with species skillathons being held on the designated dates / times listed below (all will be completed prior to the Hartford Fair)…

Skillathon Dates (pre-registration required by July 15th):

  • Horse Skillathon:               Thursday, 7/23/2020                      10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Goat Skillathon:                 Friday, 7/24/2020                            10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Dairy Skillathon:                Saturday, 7/25/2020                       10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Sheep Skillathon:              Wednesday, 7/29/2020                 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Dog Skillathon:                  Monday, 8/3/2020                          10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Poultry Skillathon:            Tuesday, 8/4/2020                          10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Swine Skillathon:               Wednesday, 8/5/2020                   10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Beef Skillathon:                 Thursday, 8/6/2020                        10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Rabbit Skillathon:              Friday, 8/7/2020                               10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

How to Register:

  • Registration is due by JULY 15, 2020.
  • Please register by visiting: www.go.osu.edu/skillathonregistration
  • Please answer all of the survey prompts.
  • All exhibitors with need an email address specific to that exhibitor that can be used as your log-in credential (this is also where the first-time registration will be).
    • For example, a family with 3 children participating must have a unique email address for each child.
    • School email addresses are discouraged, as we have found that some school email systems block external emails generated by the Scarlet site.
    • If the child completed the 2020 QA Test-Out on Scarlet in May, please feel free to use their same email address, as they will already have an account…
  • If you have any questions, please contact 4hanimalscience@osu.edu.

Skillathon Rules:

  • All Skillathons are open to any Ohio 4-H member, age 8 and in the 3rd grade, or 9 years old and older regardless of grade level, to age 18 as of January 1, 2020, and FFA members.
  • You do not have to exhibit a particular species to participate in that species Skillathon.
  • Any specific rules for an individual species will be outlined on the testing site.
  • Skillathons will be delivered through Scarlet, a university-approved distance learning site. You must have access to a mobile device or computer with ability to access the internet.
  • Even though the Skillathons are online this year, each Skillathon must be taken by the youth only without assistance from family or friends.
  • There will be 4 stations in each Skillathon that will make up 4 separate, timed modules. Each station will have a time limit (typically 5 minutes per station).
  • If your child requires any testing accommodations, please contact us in advance at 4hanimalscience@osu.edu and we will work with you to make accommodation arrangements.
  • Results will be posted for each age category, age division, and overall after the Skillathon is completed. Participants will receive an email with a link to view the results.

2020 Virtual Still Project Judging Guidelines

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We will be holding our still project judging (foods, clothing, and special interest) through a virtual platform called Flipgrid. Flipgrid allows individuals to record video presentations which can then be viewed and evaluated by our judges. While this will not allow the back-and-forth interaction between the judges and members that we would normally have, we think this will be a great opportunity to allow judging to happen while keeping our members, volunteers, and judges healthy and safe. All videos must be uploaded between July 12-19 to be eligible for awards.

Please read through all of the guidelines and instructions as it pertains to your project. Please know that you are not limited to what is listed in the guidelines. While there are a few project area specific things that should be included, you are not limited to just those items/topics. We encourage you to be creative in how you present your project and share what you have learned.

The guidelines for the judging process can be found on the website here. These documents are listed on both the Member Resources & Special Interest Project Information and What’s New pages. Please review them and reach out to me with questions or concerns. You can access your project’s grid by clicking on the link next to your project’s name in the Flipgrid Project List that is attached or can be found on the website here. Once you reach the correct grid (project area), you will be able to select your project from the drop-down “topic” menu. Please note: No projects will be visible until July 12th. You can access the grid for your project now, but will be unable to access the project topic until the system opens on July 12th. The sample grid (flipgrid.com/licking4hsample) is open now for you to view. Some of our teen leaders will be recording sample videos over the next few days so please check back to view those videos.

Videos will be hidden until judging time and will NOT be available to the public. Members can share their own video by sharing the unique URL for their video directly with whoever they wish to see it. Once the judging process is completed, if members would like their video to be made public, I can do so at their request.

Our judges will be reviewing the project videos once the system closes on July 19th. Besides assigning a grade to each project, judges will also be able to select Superior, Honorable Mention, and State Fair Representative award winners.  Once the judging process is completed, we will post the results to the website as well as email the results to all families. Advisors can pick up their club’s ribbons at the Hartford Fair during booth construction times.

Should a member not wish to participate in our virtual project judging, but would like to have their project judged for completion, they may work with their advisor to set up a time for the advisor to review their project work. The advisor can award them a grade for their project, but they would not be eligible for any awards beyond that grade. Advisors must submit the member grade(s) to me by July 27th in order for those grades to be recognized at the fair. Any project entered at the fair not receiving a grade will be eligible for a participation ribbon and premium only.

As with any new process, there are likely to be some bumps along the way. Please reach out to me as you have questions or concerns or as you need assistance. As always, should there be a need for accommodation please just reach out to Lisa and me so that we can work through what would work best for your 4-H member. We want to ensure that anyone who wants to participate in this opportunity has the ability to do so.

It’s time to get signed up for Skillathon!

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While Skillathon stations will not be offered in person during the Hartford Fair this year, we ask that you register for the State Skillathons – as we will use those contest scores to recognize Hartford Fair exhibitors during the fair! All youth who intend to complete a skillathon must register online by July 15th, with species skillathons being held on the designated dates / times listed below (all will be completed prior to the Hartford Fair)…

Skillathon Dates (pre-registration required by July 15th):

  • Horse Skillathon:               Thursday, 7/23/2020                      10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Goat Skillathon:                 Friday, 7/24/2020                            10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Dairy Skillathon:                Saturday, 7/25/2020                       10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Sheep Skillathon:              Wednesday, 7/29/2020                 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Dog Skillathon:                  Monday, 8/3/2020                          10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Poultry Skillathon:            Tuesday, 8/4/2020                          10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Swine Skillathon:               Wednesday, 8/5/2020                   10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Beef Skillathon:                 Thursday, 8/6/2020                        10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Rabbit Skillathon:              Friday, 8/7/2020                               10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

How to Register:

  • Registration is due by JULY 15, 2020.
  • Please register by visiting: www.go.osu.edu/skillathonregistration
  • Please answer all of the survey prompts.
  • All exhibitors with need an email address specific to that exhibitor that can be used as your log-in credential (this is also where the first-time registration will be).
    • For example, a family with 3 children participating must have a unique email address for each child.
    • School email addresses are discouraged, as we have found that some school email systems block external emails generated by the Scarlet site.
    • If the child completed the 2020 QA Test-Out on Scarlet in May, please feel free to use their same email address, as they will already have an account…
  • If you have any questions, please contact 4hanimalscience@osu.edu.

Skillathon Rules:

  • All Skillathons are open to any Ohio 4-H member, age 8 and in the 3rd grade, or 9 years old and older regardless of grade level, to age 18 as of January 1, 2020, and FFA members.
  • You do not have to exhibit a particular species to participate in that species Skillathon.
  • Any specific rules for an individual species will be outlined on the testing site.
  • Skillathons will be delivered through Scarlet, a university-approved distance learning site. You must have access to a mobile device or computer with ability to access the internet.
  • Even though the Skillathons are online this year, each Skillathon must be taken by the youth only without assistance from family or friends.
  • There will be 4 stations in each Skillathon that will make up 4 separate, timed modules. Each station will have a time limit (typically 5 minutes per station).
  • If your child requires any testing accommodations, please contact us in advance at 4hanimalscience@osu.edu and we will work with you to make accommodation arrangements.
  • Results will be posted for each age category, age division, and overall after the Skillathon is completed. Participants will receive an email with a link to view the results.

Plans are incomplete at this time regarding whether or not livestock project books will be collected and graded, or project interviews held, during the Hartford Fair – and it may indeed vary by species. Additional details will be shared once more information is known.