Fair Season Recap!

Canfield Fair - Orchard Displays

Now that the local fair season wrapped up, here are a bunch of random pictures of the season. Thanks always to the folks who take the time to bring their animals, produce, crafts, & baked goods to the fairs!

Yarn Ball Wreath - Big Knob Fair

How about this interesting wreath for my fiber friends... and perhaps some inspiration!

Canfield Fair - Lovely Horned Dorset Ewe!

Canfield Fair - Bold Horned Dorset Ram

It's nice to see a big variety of sheep in the Canfield Fair sheep barns!

Merino Rams At The Canfield Fair

Tunis Ewe Lamb Waits For The Canfield Fair Show

This year, despite the drought in the tri-state area, the largest "pumpkins" weighed in at almost 1,300#.  Of course these giants grow in secret locations on pallets, under canopies, and with double top secret special feedings, lol! 

Grand Champion 1283# & Reserve Grand Champion 1273.5# !!!

How about this idea for an old, unused sewing machine? Where do people get these ideas?!?

Not Even Sure What The Category Is For This Entry! :)

Finally, from the Hay & Grain Building comes the largest ear of field corn. Someone had to COUNT all 1144 kernels on this ear (plus the other closest entries!). Thanks to the folks who do the preparation and judging for all of us to enjoy! 

Enlarge To Count 1144 Kernels!  :)

Cow Pies, Sheep, & A Goat Competition!

Canfield Fair Dairy Exhibit

Yes, we endured the heat for our annual visit to the Canfield Fair last weekend.  The trick is to go early in the day and be on the way out after lunch.  Passing through the dairy barns on the way in, we came across this sign & it couldn't have been more nicely framed! 

Use Caution On Ye Olde Cow Path - Watch Thy Step!

We chatted with some Tunis sheep who were waiting for their part of the sheep show to start ...

Canfield Fair - Tunis Sheep Ready To Show!

We'll end the post today with a contest that we stumbled upon back behind the 4-H area and next to the llama & alpaca tent.  It was a Pack Goat Obstacle Course!  The first competitor was a white goat who had done well up to this point, but was not happy with the water hazard ...

Ain't No Way I'm Go'in In There!

The next competitor was a little black goat that knocked off both hurdles (was he a tad too short legged for the course?), but was happy as a clam to do everything else!

Happy Goat Pole Bending - Note Fallen Hurdle In Background!

Next they walk the elevated plank ... the judge in the purple outfit is scoring each component of the course as they go along.

"Spotting" The Goat As It Walks The Plank!

Up & Over The Ramp With No Trouble

They were through next station and only the water hazard remained.  It was over so quickly that I almost missed the shot!  She scampered right through, popped over the end, and headed for the home stretch ...

The Audience Was On Their Feet Cheering! 

It turns out that we saw the class winner dominating the course.  Whoo-hoo! Now if you want to try this at home, here is a llama packing class schematic for those of you with intermediate & advanced skill sets.  ;)   Remember, it's all about having fun at the fair! 

Canfield Fair 4-H Llama Pack Courses

You've Been Given Fair Warning!

"Fair Warning" Sign!

This is our 3rd county fair in two weeks and we've seen all of the signs on the livestock displays.
Rabbits bite - keep hands out of cages.  Chickens peck - keep hands out of cages.  Horses & ponies - some bite, some don't want their ears touched ... you get the picture.  Just common sense, but if you don't know animals, sometimes not so common!   :~0
This sign was on a nice display pen of horned Shetland sheep and we were amused.  Turns out that the lady who owns the sheep also trains her Standard Schnauzers to herd sheep.  Interesting!

Big Knob Fair - Shetland Sheep

Then it was on to our 4th fair today ... the big Canfield Fair in Ohio.  More sheep ...

Canfield Fair - Preparing To Show Horned Dorset Rams

The judge was making a point in this Suffolk ram class pictures below- note the 1st place ram on the left is younger & shorter in stature in this class, but he was more structurally correct, heavier muscled, etc.  There's a bone of contention when the discussion comes up on the difference between what are referred to as "show" sheep and "production style" sheep.  We see the judges go both ways and, in fact, the larger framed Suffolk ewes came out on top in their classes.  The judges weigh all aspects of the sheep and make their decisions ...

Canfield Fair - Suffolk Ram Class

After the sheep, it was off to the Largest Squash display, which we faithfully document each year!

Canfield Fair 2014 - Largest Squash 1,124#

 A final note ... look above the 2014 Canfield Fair Grandstand Sign Board.  WPA - 1936.  I'd forgotten about that.  Are there WPA or CCC projects in your town? 

2014 Canfield Fair Grandstand

Another Drought Casualty

Here we were yesterday talking about the size of the "Largest Squash" at the Canfield Fair, and I stumbled upon this Midwest tragedy related to the drought.
Wisconsin had a Cow Chip Throw competition in trouble .........
Click the link to read about the shortage and the plans to recover for next year!
;)

2012 Canfield Fair Pics!

Canfield Fair - Largest Squash "Only" 891 Lbs - Under Drought Conditions!

Wild Rose Farm was off to the Canfield Fair Saturday morning ....... it's an annual tradition and we go in the morning to beat the heat.  As large as this fair is, we actually manage to run into people we know every year.  This year it was a couple of friends who are normally vendors at the Sewickley Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings.   Even farmers need to get out sometimes!
The drought this summer did a number on the squash competition for the year.  Usually 891 lbs won't even get you into the building for 2nd place!  We don't usually study the other "largest" fruit & veggie section, but here they are ........

Largest Watermelon & Other Veggies!

One of the things apparently unaffected by the weather was the "Tallest Sunflower" category.  This was more of a Jack & The Beanstalk story!  All of the other sunflowers lined the side of the building where they lean against the wall with their heads in the rafters.  This is the 1st time we've seen one in the middle of the building supported by 2 x 4's!    How do you haul this to the fairgrounds?!?  I suspect it was tied to the 2x4 and came in on a trailer .......  :)

Canfield Fair Tallest Sunflower - 198 5/8" Tall! 

More of my favorites ........ Jersey cows .........

Canfield Fair - Jersey Cows

Canfield Fair - Jersey Cow Class

And finally, it's time to leave when we all feel like these sheep ..... all faired out!

Suffolk Sheep - All Faired Out!

2011 Fair Wrap-up

2011 Hookstown Fair

Wild Rose Farm got in a couple of fairs this summer.  The Hookstown Fair had great weather & we got some good pictures of the 4-H kids showing market lambs.  What was the new catch phrase this year from the judge?  As readers know, we're alert to new trends in livestock judging and the show ring this year did not disappoint!  In separating a 1st place lamb from the 2nd place lamb, the judge indicated that "my second place lamb would have had to have been a couple of clicks better to win the show tonight" over the first place lamb.  Love it! 

Good Sportsmanship - One Click Better!

We got shut out of the bidding on the market poultry pens at Hookstown - prices went way up - so we ended up at the Big Knob Fair the following week.  We successfully bid on a market hog that we are splitting with friends.  It's a great opportunity to support the 4-H youth who work hard on all of their projects.
Our final shot is from the Canfield Fair.  It was really hot on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, so we got there early and were leaving by 1PM.  Whew .......
The Largest Squash contest is always impressive, but if you look, the weight was down this year.

2011 Canfield Fair - Grand Champion Largest Squash!

All Faired Out!?!

The fair season is winding down now & we're into typical September weather.  The clouds were fluffy and the wind was blowing on Saturday morning when we got to Canfield.  Our first stop was the Jersey & Guernsey dairy cattle show where we got out of the wind for a while. 

I just love the "colored breeds" of dairy cows.  Looks like the Guernsey breeders are having fun with the judge .......
Speaking of judging, we talked about "reasons" in the blurb about the market hog about a week ago.  Here is the scorecard from the hay & grain judge for the Grand Champion Hay.  I would guess that 100 is perfect in this particular scorecard  ...... it sure looked tasty!

I suspect that Wild Rose Farm was one very few people snapping pictures of champion hay, but we had to get in line to wait for the next picture.  This is the 2010 Canfield Fair Grand Champion Squash!  Can you imagine loading this one up for the journey to the fair?  Wow.  Those world champion growers keep pushing the limits. 

On our way out of the fair, we passed this colorful exhibit near the old fashioned steam engine displays ....

So, another year, and another Canfield Fair is almost over.  After traipsing around all day enjoying the food and exhibits, we felt a little like these sheep.  I bet it's their last fair of the season too! 

Seen @ Big Knob Grange Fair

A TRUE FAIR CLASSIC !!!!!

Look at the shine on that Caddy ....

Country Commentary - It Speaks For Itself !!!

Dear Wild Rose Farm followers ........ it's off to the Canfield Fair on Saturday, so stay tuned.  What will we find to share with you next time???

Annual Canfield Fair Outing

It was off to the Canfield Fair on Saturday, our annual pilgrimage. We raise sheep, but I love to see the judging of the colored breed dairy cows ..... something different that the ubiquitous black & white Holsteins for a change. Is it me, or are the 2 Guernseys above bigger than I remember them in my Penn State "College of Ag" days? I showed a Holstein back then at the annual spring dairy show, but these Guernseys look just as big. My favorite class is the "Aged Cow" class ...... these "girls" are 6 years old and older. When they stay in the herd that long, they're good sound producers. The Jersey cow in the left center of the picture is 12 years old. If you doubt for a minute that she's well cared for, look at her owner holding her. Something tells me that she was the first 4-H heifer project that this young woman had 12 years ago ...... Which brings us to this sign from Ohio Farm Bureau. Yes, those of us with animals have to care about them and make sure that they're doing well.

And finally, we have one of the unsung heros of the dairy cattle show ring ..... the requirements for this job are a keen, watchful eye, a fleet foot, and the skill & knowledge to know how much is enough! Enough sawdust, that is, to firm up the consistency of the cow pie, but not so much as to be wasteful. Our man had to "flip" most patties, make a scoop, smooth over the divot with his boot, and scamper off to the wheelbarrow while balancing the cargo. All of this while staying out of the way and not startling our slowly circling bovine friends and their handlers.
It looks like it helps to have a sense of humor too! Love the t-shirt!

923 lbs and you're an "also ran" ?!?

Since we're on vacation this week, we took a trip to the Canfield Fair in Mahoning County, OH today. http://www.canfieldfair.com/ One of the must see items at the fair is the "Largest Squash" competion. The 3rd heaviest Hungarian squash ends up on the porch outside of the building with all of the other "also rans" .......... imagine raising a 923# monster and being relegated to 3rd place. That said, here is a look at the King & Queen squashes for 2008.

Zoom in on the second picture to see the winning weights increasing over the years!

BTW, it takes a while to get any kind of picture, since folks are in a line streaming by constantly. The building is also manned so that they can answer questions and keep watch over the squash royalty.

Interested in trying this at home?

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1646.html for "research-based information" - ho-hum.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ for a fun site!

http://www.howarddill.com/ hey, this is serious stuff!