By: Heather Hetterick

This year you’ll see more animals in the poultry and rabbit barns.

“We are up overall in our junior livestock entries,” Alicia Shoults, Marketing & Public Relations Director for the Ohio State Fair said. “Poultry is up with the most. We have  79  more entries this year in the junior show so we are up to  714 total entries in poultry.”

The open poultry show has more than 500 additional entry’s this year.

Rabbits entries are up significantly as well.

“Rabbits are up 55, which is a significant jump, so we’re up to 527 entries,” Shoults said.

Hogs, sheep, beef and horse entries remain around the same.

Shoults said there are more than 1,600 hogs and 1,300 lambs entered in each of those Jr. Fair shows.

The Jr. Fair beef show will see several changes this year.

There will be four additional heifer divisions, Lim-Flex, MaineTainer, ShorthornPlus and Percentage Simmental, that will be eligible to compete in the supreme champion beef breeding female competition on Saturday, Aug. 4 prior to the selection of the grand champion market animal, a notable achievement in the breeding industry paying premiums of $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second place, $500 for third place, $300 for fourth place and $200 for fifth place. Along with the four new breeds, Angus, Chianina, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Limousin, Maine Anjou, Simmental and Shorthorn breeds will be eligible to compete in the beef breeding female division.

The arrival period for market animals will begin later this year – opening on Wed., Aug. 1 and closing promptly at 10 am on Thurs., Aug. 2. An auction of stalling rights under the viaduct or in the Voinovich Livestock & Trade Center will not take place for 2012.  Breed champions will compete for the overall market animal champion. There will not be a purebred breed champion and reserve champion named in the show.