Category: Junior Fair

All Hardin County Fair Market Livestock Shows go Partial Terminal

Posted on by Kolt Buchenroth Posted in Junior Fair, Livestock, Updates

The Hardin County Fair Board voted Wednesday to adopt new operating procedures for junior fair market livestock shows. All shows will be partial-terminal. Exhibitors will have the option of taking their livestock projects home at the conclusion of the fair, but must declare such at the scales during weigh in. Exhibitors still do have the option of marketing their project just as they always have. All exhibitors exhibiting a market animal in a market show are eligible to participate in the livestock sale for a premium bid regardless of their decision to take the animal home or sell it to the processor.

Further details and forms will be released as they are developed.

Exact Rule Language

All animals offered in the Junior Fair Sale must be 4-H or FFA projects. Only animals shown in the Junior Fair Market classes are eligible to sell. ALL market animals must be owned, they cannot be leased from a breeder or other owner. All exhibitors must be able to provide documentation of purchase if asked. Junior Fair exhibitors are responsible for assuring that their animals can be legally sold. Animals may not sell if they are declared ineligible for health reasons or because of drug treatment limitations. See health regulations for drug withdrawal information.

  • All exhibitors who show an animal in a Market Show will have the opportunity to go through the ring for a premium bid.  Grand and Reserve Grand Champion animals will be the only actual animals that go through the sale ring.
  • Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Market Steers, Market Hogs, Market Lambs, and Market Goats will go directly to the slaughterhouse determined by the Agricultural Society.
  •  The Dairy Beef Feeders will go to the rebuy bidder and will not be slaughtered. The rebuy bidder for each Dairy Beef Feeder sold will be determined at a separate auction held prior to the main Sale.
  • The Junior Fair Market Hog, Market Goat, Market Lamb, Market Steer and Market Dairy Steer Shows are classified as partial/terminal shows. Exhibitors may elect to take animals home or sell for commercial slaughter. That choice must be declared at weigh-in. An Animal Destination form must be signed by the exhibitor and a parent if the exhibitor is under 18 and given to the scale operator or the Arena Office by no later than one hour after weigh-in. If this form is not received by the designated time, the animal(s) in question will automatically be declared for commercial slaughter.

The Hardin County Junior Fair Livestock Sale is a premium bid, terminal sale.

Four Swine Champions Test Negative for Ractopamine

Posted on by Kolt Buchenroth Posted in 2020 Fair, Junior Fair, Livestock, Swine

The Hardin County Fair is announcing that all four swine champions tested negative for ractopamine following the 2020 Hardin County Fair. In collaboration with the fair veterinarian’s office and the processing facility, each animal’s kidney was collected for testing. These tests –  commonly referred to as the “lifetime test” – evaluates the use of ractopamine throughout the animal’s life. Each exhibitor was required to produce an affidavit certifying that the animal hadn’t been fed ractopamine, the active ingredient in brand-name products like Paylean® and OptaFlexx®. Breeders were also required to submit an affidavit certifying the same.

“We said we were going to test as testing allowed, and that’s exactly what we did. Ractopamine is a banned substance at the Hardin County Fair. We believe that because of this, our fair saw one of the highest rebuy bids on hogs in Northwest Ohio,” said Charlie McCullough, Swine Committee Chairman. “We are proud of our exhibitors for abiding by this new guideline. We know this required altering feed programs and generated some uncertainty. Thank you for sticking with us.”

To avoid positive tests, all surfaces that hogs would come in contact with were deep-cleaned prior to the start of the fair to prevent ractopamine contamination.

More information on the ractopamine policy, resources on a ractopamine-free swine project, and more can be found at hardincountyfair.org/ractopamine.