a sheep being shown.

2022 4-H Livestock Sale

April 5, 2022--Attention 4-H livestock members. There is an upcoming, mandatory information session about the 4-H Livestock Auction at the Columbia County Fair this year. Any 4-H members interested in selling an animal during the annual 4-H Livestock Auction at the Columbia County Fair have to attend an information session scheduled for Monday, April 25 at 5:00 pm at the CCE Hudson office meeting hall. Participants will also have the option to participate via zoom.

The information session will include everything you need to know, including mandatory requirements in order to sell an animal during the auction. To register, please contact Rebecca Polmateer at 518-622-9820 X117 or rp328@cornell.edu. A parent may come in their youth’s place if they have a legitimate reason the youth is unable to attend (illness, previous commitment, etc). In addition, if neither the parent or youth are able to attend for a legitimate reason, please reach out to Rebecca Polmateer to schedule a make-up session.  

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HPAI (Avian Flu) Detected in New York State (3/25/22)


The detections of HPAI in New York prompt reminders for commercial and hobby poultry farmers to increase their biosecurity measures to help prevent the spread of the disease. Poultry owners should keep their birds away from wild ducks and geese and their droppings. Outdoor access for poultry should be limited at this time.

Additionally, the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets encourages all poultry producers, from small backyard to large commercial operations, to review their biosecurity plans and take precautions to protect their birds. Poultry biosecurity materials and checklists can be found on the USDA’s “Defend the Flock” website.

  

Best practices include:

• Discourage unnecessary visitors and use biosecurity signs to warn people not to enter buildings without permission.
• Ask all visitors if they have had any contact with any birds in the past five days.
• Forbid entry to employees and visitors who own any kind of fowl.
• Require all visitors to cover and disinfect all footwear.
• Lock all entrances to chicken houses after hours.
• Avoid non-essential vehicular traffic on-farm.
• After hauling birds to processors, clean and disinfect poultry transport coops and vehicles before they return to the farm.
• Report anything unusual, especially sick or dead birds, to AGM.
To report sick birds, unexplained high number of deaths, or sudden drop in egg production, please contact the Department’s Division of Animal Industry at (518) 457-3502 or the USDA at (866) 536-7593.
The Department will be reevaluating the situation in late-May to determine its impact on fair season.

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August 3, 2021

Dear Columbia County Fair 4-H Trophy/Banner/Award Sponsor,

Fair time is just around the corner!  We wish to express our deepest thanks to you for having sponsored
4-H trophies and awards in the past.  We are asking for your support of the 4-H Animal Shows at the 2021 Columbia County Fair by making a donation to our Trophy Fund.

With your support, we will be able to maintain the awards for not only Champion and Grand Champion but many of the class trophies/prizes that are given out during the fair. We would like to extend an invitation for you to join us and see how your sponsorship affects and motivates our 4-H members. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Abby Langdon at 518-828-3346x211 or al2294@cornell.edu. If you are interested in sponsoring, please complete the sponsor form and return it to Abby along with your donation by August 20, 2021. Thank you so much for your support of Columbia County 4-H members!

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Information Coming Soon!

Animals For Sale

  • Beef - 4-H Livestock Sale
  • Lamb - 4-H Livestock Sale
  • Swine - 4-H Livestock Sale
  • Poultry - 4-H Livestock Sale

Forms

  • Bidder Registration Form
  • Sale Brochure
  • Sale Flier
  • Letter to Prospective Bidders

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The Livestock Sale is part of the 4-H Market Livestock Project, designed to teach youth about raising animals for meat production. They attend educational meetings about proper handling, market specifications and business aspects. Throughout the year the youth use this knowledge to care for their animals – feeding, grooming, exercising and working with them so they are ready for the show and sale.

On the business end, the 4-H livestock owners keep financial records and recruit prospective buyers to join us for the sale. Each 4-H member must complete this project to be able to participate in the auction sale and only blue ribbon animals with a rating of “excellent” qualify for sale.

The proceeds of the sale benefit Columbia County’s 4-H youth livestock producers, the next generation of farmers in Columbia and Greene Counties. These 4-H members use their sale profits to invest into their herds and flocks by purchasing more animals and to save for their college or other future expenses.

You may purchase a live animal for processing, to take home or give to a local food bank OR you can donate the animal back to 4-H. If you choose to have the animal processed, you will decide on how you want it cut with an expert at the auction to assist you. For this option, you will pay the processing fees and the 4-H’er will hand deliver your meat, all vacuum-packed and labeled! If you decide to donate the animal back to 4-H, it will be re-sold later in the auction to support the Columbia and Greene 4-H livestock program.

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The 4-H livestock program has continued to be successful because of the caring individuals who are members of the 4-H Livestock Work Group. They meet monthly to help create the educational programs that support the growth of the 4-H members. And they keep on doing this because they see and hear about the benefits of the program from the 4-H members themselves.

Last updated April 20, 2022