BEEF PROJECTS

2026 Beef Project Important Dates

December 1, 2024 Born After Date (Market/Dairy Steers/Heifers) Posession Date: January 9th, 2026
December 1st, 2025 - March 1st, 2026 Born Between Date (Beef Feeders/Dairy Beef Feeders) Posession Date: May 1st, 2026
January 10th, 2026 Market Beef Weigh-In 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Fairgrounds
January 10th, 2026 Carcass Steer Entries & County Bred Forms Due  10:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Fairgrounds
May 2nd, 2026 Dairy Beef Feeder/Beef Feeder Calf Weigh-In 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM, Fairgrounds
May 15th, 2026 Breeding Animal Registrations Due CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FORM
July 12th, 2026 Live Carcass Steer Contest 6:00 PM, Fairgrounds
July 7th, 2026 Livestock 4-H Project Book Judging & Interviews CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
July 18th, 2026 Drug Use Notification Forms (DUNF) Due CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT ONLINE FORM
July 18th, 2026 Hanging Carcass Contest & Results 3:00 PM @ Circle M Meats
July 22nd, 2026 Junior Fair Beef Show See full schedule in fair book

Beef Project Forms & Resources: 

  

Market Beef & Dairy Steer Weigh-In (2026): 

Market Steer, Market Heifer, and Dairy Steer Weigh-in will be Saturday, January 10th, 2026 at the Jackson County Fairgrounds from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM.

PLEASE READ THESE IMPORTANT NOTES: 

  • Exhibitors must register their cattle ahead of the weigh-in at: https://go.osu.edu/janweighin

  • If we need to cancel due to bad weather, the weigh-in will be rescheduled for January 24th, 2026 from 10 AM-12 PM. 

  • There is a $5 pen fee per animal. Tag fees were increased to $10.00 this year due to the new ODA RFID tag requirement, however, thanks to the 4-H Advisory Council's sponsorship, the tag fee will remain at $5.00 for this year.

  • County Bred forms must be filled out and turned in at the weigh-in. County Bred forms can be picked up at the Extension Office ahead of time. Must be triplicate form.  

  • Carcass Class forms must be filled out and turned in at the weigh-in. Carcass Class forms can be found above under "Carcass Class Rules & Entry Form"

  • Market Beef animals must be born after December 1st, 2024. 

  • All steers must be castrated by 8 months of age per ODA guidelines. 

  • Please see the Jackson County Fair Book and ODA Livestock Exhibition Rules for further rule clarifications, required birthdates, and possession dates.

  • All cattle must have a halter with a lead strap on before exiting the trailer or they will not be weighed. Any animals deemed too dangerous to handle will not be weighed or exhibited at the Jackson County Junior Fair. 

 

Spring Weigh-In (2026): 

Market Goats, Market Lambs, Market Hogs, Beef Feeder Calves, & Dairy Beef Feeder Calves weigh-in will be Saturday, May 2nd, 2026 at the Jackson County Fairgrounds from 9:00-11:00 AM.

PLEASE READ THESE IMPORTANT NOTES: 

  • There is a $5 pen fee per animal. Tag fees were increased to $10.00 this year due to the new ODA RFID tag requirement, however, thanks to the 4-H Advisory Council's sponsorship, the tag fee will remain at $5.00 for this year.

  • County Bred forms must be filled out and turned in at the weigh-in. County Bred forms can be picked up at the Extension Office ahead of time. Must be triplicate form.  

  • Please see the Jackson County Fair Book and ODA Livestock Exhibition Rules for further rule clarifications, required birthdates, and possession dates.

  • All cattle must have a halter with a lead strap on before exiting the trailer or they will not be weighed. Any animals deemed too dangerous to handle will not be weighed or exhibited at the Jackson County Junior Fair.

 

Market Steer Carcass Class (2026)

Carcass Class Rules & Entry Form DOWNLOAD: PDF

  • Live, on-hoof show: Sunday, July 12th (weigh-in begins at 5:00 PM, show to begin at 6:00 PM) at Jackson County Fairgrounds
  • Hanging carcass show: Saturday, July 18th, 3:00 PM at Circle M Meats

Carcass Class Exhibitors: When entering the fairgrounds for the live show, please enter the fairgrounds through Gate 4. Cattle are allowed to be shown from their trailer or, if they are showing another beef animal later in the week, the pen assigned to them. Animals must be cleaned up after before leaving the fairgrounds. Exhibitors can arrive to the fairgrounds at any time the day of the live show to prepare. 

 

Ohio State Fair:

The Ohio State Fair (OSF) Beef Department is once again using EID ear tag and DNA sample protocols for identifying market beef animals for the Ohio State Fair. These protocols include the use of an electronic identification (EID) ear tag that has a unique 15-digit number and a DNA sample that will be submitted for all market beef animals that exhibitors plan to enter in the Ohio State Fair Junior Market Beef show. EID tags and DNA sample kits can be picked up at the Jackson County OSU Extension Office, and are available at Market Beef Weigh-In. 

The DNA collection will be in the form of a hair follicle sample that will be submitted to the OSF by January 15, 2026 to meet the state fair ownership deadlines for market beef animals. Along with the DNA hair submission, each market animal’s 15-digit EID tag must also be included on the DNA packet. If you plan on showing at the OSF, contact the office to make arrangements to get your animal tagged early. Entries MUST be received by the January 15 deadline, NOT just postmarked by that day! No DNA samples will be collected by Jackson County staff. The owner will be responsible for collecting the DNA sample (instructions provided), completing the requested registration information on the packet, having the entry signed by an FFA advisor (for FFA entries) or the Extension Educator (for 4-H entries), and submitting their completed packet to the OSF by the deadline.

Market and Breeding Beef class entries for the Ohio State Fair are due ONLINE by June 21st, 2026.

For more information about the Ohio State Fair Market Beef nomination process visit the State Fair website at http://www.ohiostatefair.com/.