Guest column by Amy Wadding

It is true; the 4-H poultry show will still go on, only without live birds.

Most every household in Freeborn County received the Shopper and included on the June 23 edition was the 2015 Freeborn County Fair Book.

It is filled with schedules, events, descriptions, entry forms, line-ups, entertainment, a coloring page, open class information, FFA details and when you get to the last half of the book, the 4-H portion, you will see a big black box over the 4-H poultry information. You may have seen the black X on the open class poultry information as well prior to the 4-H info.

It is true, the 2015 LIVE bird exhibition at any county and state fair for the 2015 showing season has been canceled due to the Avian Bird Flu. 4-H still has poultry trips to fill to send youth to the Minnesota State Fair. We want to change how poultry is done this year while still exhibiting poultry at the county fair.

We will still have our grand and reserve poultry project members on the sale of champions in our county auction on Saturday of the county fair. We will still hold our poultry show at 1 p.m. on Friday.

We will do things based on a point system and the more poultry related areas you participate in the more points you earn.

The grand and reserve point earners will earn the spot in the livestock sale. The top five points earners will earn the state fair trips. Poultry is a project area that was growing very fast. We want the poultry project members to participate this year as the learning experience and knowledge is still an important part of the project.

If you wish to find more information about the 4-H poultry project, check out the Minnesota 4-H page at http://www.extension.umn.edu/youth/mn4-H/projects/animal-science/poultry/ or give the Freeborn County Extension Office a call at 507-377-5660.

 

Amy Wadding is a 4-H program coordinator with the Freeborn County Extension Office.