2024 Grand Champion Market Steer shown by Lydia Covert and purchased by Agricultural Transport.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s 4-H Youth Development Program has announced the 61st annual Chautauqua County 4-H Meat Animal Sale will be at the Warren K. Brown Show Arena on the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds Friday, July 18. The sale begins at noon.

The sale will be hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program. 4-Her’s across the county have been working hard since October to raise top-quality animals for the annual sale. This year approximately 60 hogs, 16 dairy product baskets, 15 meat goats, 55 pairs of chickens, 25 sheep and 19 steers will be available for purchase.

Market animal projects offer youth a unique experience to learn animal husbandry, feed and nutrition, animal terminology, cuts of meat, and current industry standards for their species. All the hard work is not only found in the barn, however. Youth keep accurate medical, nutrition, and financial records for every animal project. They are also encouraged to market that animal to people in the community so that they are sure to get a fair price for their hard work on sale day.

For the last couple of years, youth in the Dairy project have sold dairy coolers. The Dairy project youth work all year with their expensive animals and have a chance to raise awareness for their hard work by selling a cooler full of dairy products and coupons. Thank you to our generous buyers for making the sale of the dairy coolers so successful!

Are you thinking of becoming a first-time buyer at the 4-H Meat Animal Sale? You can drop by the Cornell Cooperative Extension Office located in the Carnahan Center on the JCC Campus or reach out to any Chautauqua County 4-H family that sells animals in the sale for a buyer’s packet that contains information about the sale including how much meat to expect from each market animal, the terms of the sale, and information about options for processing of your animal.

When you arrive on the Fairgrounds Friday, you can stop by the show arena to give us your information prior to the sale to make cashing out quicker after your purchase. Feel free to arrive early and walk through the barns to see what animals you may be interested in. Make sure that you get a sale book which lists in order every animal that will be sold during the sale. There are no bidder numbers — simply raise your hand and the auctioneer or a spotter will be happy to take your bid.

Once the gavel falls and you have purchased the animal, head down to the show ring for a photo. After that, you’ll be handed a clipboard with your sales receipt. You’ll need to fill out your contact information as well as processor trucking information for your animal. Once you purchase an animal it stays on display at the fair until Sunday when it is shipped to the processor of your choice. After your photo head into the 4-H Building where you can pay for your animal with cash or check. It’s just that easy!

A small portion of every sale goes to Chautauqua County 4-H programing. 4-H connects youth to hands-on learning opportunities, teaches them valuable life skills, builds their confidence, and helps them develop friendships that last a lifetime. For more information about 4-H or information on how to sign up to participate please visit https://chautauqua.cce.cornell.edu/.

The 4-H Youth Development Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a subordinate governmental agency with an educational mission that operates under a form of organization and administration approved by Cornell University as agent for the State of New York. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. Each Cornell Cooperative Extension association is an independent employer that is governed by an elected Board of Directors with general oversight from Cornell. All associations work to meet the needs of the counties in which they are located as well as state and national goals. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua.