GOAT PROJECTS

2026 Goat Project Important Dates

December 1st, 2025 Born After Date Posession Date: May 1st, 2026
May 2nd, 2026 Market Goat Weigh-In 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM, Fairgrounds
May 2nd, 2026 County Bred and Market Goat Carcass Contest Entry Forms Due  
May 15th, 2026 Breeding Animal Registrations Due CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FORM
July 18th, 2026 Drug Use Notification Forms (DUNF) Due CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT ONLINE FORM
July 21st, 2026 Junior Fair Goat Show see full fair schedule for detials

 

Goat PROJECT RESOURCES & FORMS

 

SPRING WEIGH-IN: 

Market Goats, Market Lambs, Market Hogs, Market Beef Feeder Calves, & Dairy Market 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.  

  • Carcass Contest entry forms must be filled out and turned in. Forms can be found below. 

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

  • All animals 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 goat 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. 

 

National Scrapie Eradication Program and Scrapie ID's

ALL lambs and goats coming to the Jackson County Fair or Ohio State Fair MUST be Scrapie-Free and are required to have a Scrapie Ear Tag with a valid Flock ID. Any lambs & goats that show up to Spring Weigh-In/the Jackson County Fair/Ohio State Fair without valid Scrapie ID's will be turned away. More information can be found online on the USDA website. If you have recieved a lamb/goat from a breeder without a Scrapie ID, please forward this information to them so they may provide you with a Scrapie ID ear tag. If you are a breeder, Scrapie ID tags can be ordered through the USDA here.

Josh Winters, our Extension Educator for Agriculture & Natural Resources, can provide you with more information should you need it. You can reach Josh at his direct line, (740) 688-5029, or via email at winters.249@osu.edu. He is very knowledgeable about small ruminants and can provide you more information about care, scrapie, and more.

 

OHIO STATE FAIR: 

4-H youth interested in exhibiting goats at the Ohio State Fair should visit: https://www.ohiostatefair.com/p/get-involved/livestock/livestock-competitions.

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

Market Goat Possesion Date for OSF: May 1st, 2026.