State Fair Animal Nomination Sites Announced

Anyone planning to show livestock at the State Fair needs to read the nomination information carefully. This includes market and commercial breeding animals for beef, sheep, meat goat, and swine.

Check out the following documents online:

Nomination Information Letter

2019 Nomination Sites (Madison & Louisa are closest to us)

State Fair Info Sheet for Exhibitors

Swine Nomination Procedures

PDF Calendar Showing All Sites & Dates

Tentative 2019 State Fair Livestock Schedule

Shown below is the full text of the email sent to agents by the state youth livestock staff:

It’s time to start thinking about the 2019 State Fair of VA and the required nomination process for youth livestock entries.  Attached you will find an informational letter that explains which animals need to be nominated and details for doing so, the location of the thirteen nomination sites with respective dates and times, an exhibitor nomination information sheet, specific procedure for self-nominating hogs, and tentative schedule for this year’s State Fair of VA Youth Livestock Weekend.  This information can also be found on the Virginia Youth Livestock Website at https://ext.vt.edu/4h-youth/youth-livestock/shows/state-fair.html .  The first nomination date is June 4, 2019 and the last is June 27^th, 2019, with 13 sites in various locations across the state.  Check dates and locations to find one that is convenient for you/your family.

Please take time to read all of the attached information carefully, determining which site date and location works best for your schedule.  Several important factors to remember:

·         ALL market beef (steers and heifers), commercial heifers, market lambs, commercial ewes, market goats, and commercial does MUST be nominated by attending one of the nomination sites.  Failure to nominate will result in ineligibility to show at the 2019 SFVA.

·         All swine (market hogs and breeding gilts) must be self-nominated using the attached procedure “Swine Nomination Information” – the deadline to request swine tags is July 15^th, 2019 and all hogs must be nominated by August 1, 2019.

·         Commercial heifers that were nominated and shown at the 2018 SFVA, but are still age eligible (born after 9/1/17) for the 2019 SFVA are required to and MUST be re-nominated for the 2019 SFVA at one of the June nomination sites.

·         Exhibitors are required to nominate all animals of one species at one nomination site.  In other words, you must nominate all of your lambs at the same site, but can nominate your beef or goats at another site if necessary.  You should NOT nominate different animals of the same species at different sites.

·         IMPORTANT – Nomination does NOT equal entry into the State Fair of VA.   The online entry system for the 2019 State Fair of Virginia will open on July 1, 2019 athttps://fairentry.com/ .  ALL YOUTH LIVESTOCK entries go through this system, not the State Fair of VA website.

·         Nomination = ownership:  The youth whose name is on the nomination form is the youth whose name the entry must be made in, and the youth who must show that animal at the State Fair.  We strongly encourage each exhibitor/family to take a digital picture of their completed nomination forms prior to leaving the site to help keep track of which child nominated which animals.