Berkeley County Youth Fair Association

2010 Livestock Rules and Regulations

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Please read carefully, as there have been numerous changes regarding these rules.
These Rules and Regulations are subject to change.
Updated January 20, 2010

The Berkeley County Youth Fair Association reserves to its Executive Board the final and absolute right to interpret these rules and regulations adn arbitrate, settle, and determine all matters in regard to and to add or amend them as they may deem advisable.

  1. All animals must be pre-registered by May 10, 2010.
  2. All market animals must be ear tagged by the Berkeley County Youth Fair on the scheduled ear tagging date in order to be shown and sold at the 2010 fair.  An exhibitor may tag two animals per species.  Market steers will be ear tagged on December 5, 2009 between 9:00 am and 12:00 noon.  Market hogs will be ear tagged April 10, 2010 between 9:00 am and 11:00 am.  Market goats and market lambs will be ear tagged on May 14, 2010 between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm.  A $1.00 ear tag fee will charged per animal.
  3. Exhibitors may only bring one market animal per species to fair registration on Saturday, July 31, 2010.  The market animal that is to be shown must be determined prior to the arrival on the fairgrounds.
  4. An exhibitor may consign one species to sell on Friday, August 6, 2010.  Market animal must be consigned during registration on Saturday, July 31, 2010, prior to weigh in.  If an exhibitor is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must cosign the form.
  5. No animals shall be unloaded until health papers are checked and approved by a state official designated by the fair.  Fair officials reserve the right to reject any animal which is designated or otherwise undesirable.  All animals arriving on a truck with contaminated animals will be sent home.
  6. Breeds will show separate for breeding classes.  All market animals will be shown by weight.
  7. Animals not properly cared for will be sent home, decision made by Executive and Livestock Committees.
  8. Market steers must have been born in 2009.  Market goats, market lambs and market hogs must be born on January 1, 2010 or after.
  9. No under weight or over weight market animal will be sold but will be shown in own class and receive a green participation ribbon.  They will not be eligible for grand or reserve champion.  Weight requirements:  Steer - must weigh 950 lbs;  Hogs - must weigh between 225 lbs and 295 lbs; Lambs - must weigh 100 lbs; Goats - must weigh between 60 lbs and 110 lbs.
  10. Feeder calves will be weighed in on Saturday after the market animals.  Must weigh between 350 lbs and 650 lbs.
  11. All beef animals will have no horns.
  12. No intact male animals will be allowed with the exception of:  Goats - nursing kids under three months of age; Beef - nursing bulls under six months of age; Horses - nursing colts under six months of age.  (Excludes rabbits and llamas.)
  13. Nursing beef calves under five months old may be brought with mother if calf is pre-registered.
  14. Nursing goat kids under five months old may be brought with mother if goat kid is pre-registered.
  15. Nursing dairy calves are not allowed.
  16. Exhibitors with hogs must have a self-waterer.
  17. The Berkeley County Youth Fair will follow the West Virginia Department of Agriculture Fair & Festival Regulations and Recommendations in regards to health requirements.
  18. Good sportsmanship should prevail at all times.  Unsportsman like conduct will result in forfeiture of premiums and dismissal of the exhibitor from further competition in that show.
  19. All livestock must stay in the defined area (fenced in area).
  20. All beef sale animals will have a serviceable rope halter on the animal, to be left on for personnel to move animals after the sale.  Halters will be returned to fair grounds Saturday morning for pick up.
  21. There will be limited movement in the barn area from 5 pm to 10 pm.
  22. No grooming chutes or tack/show boxes will be brought to fair grounds until after weigh in on Saturday.  Feed, hay and straw is to be limited to only what is needed for bedding and feeding on Saturday until after the weigh in.
  23. There will be a mandatory livestock exhibitor meeting on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 2:30 pm in the indoor arena.  All livestock exhibitors need to attend this meeting.
  24. Only Berkeley County Youth Fair issued awards (banners, trophies, ribbons, etc) are allowed to be hung or displayed in the barn, show ring and sale ring.
  25. All market animals must be clean and dried properly to weigh in on Saturday.
  26. Exhibitors of any livestock animals will not be permitted to apply and/or use any type of adhesives, glue, dyes or paint products on breeding or market animals for confirmation classes, showmanship classes or the market animal sale.  (Excludes horses)
  27. Up to individual chairpersons to select judge for herdsman's awards in his or her division.
  28. Exhibitors of livestock shall be required to show their animals in confirmation classes.
  29. All animals must be brought into the ring and shown properly and safely by the exhibitor.  Animals that can not be shown properly and safely by the exhibitor may be disqualified and awarded a green ribbon.  Market animals not brought into the ring will not be sold and will not received any ribbon premiums.  Decision will be made by the Executive Youth Fair Board and/or Livestock Committee.
  30. Only youth exhibitors may show their animals in the judging ring: except in championship classes where an exhibitor may have two or more animals qualified, another youth, eligible for participation in the Youth Fair, may show the other animals(s).  No other person may be in ring except those designated by the persons in charge of the event.
  31. Exhibitors or eligible substitutes must be present during judging.  If an exhibitor is unable to show an animal because of health or other unforseen reasons, another participating exhibitor may show the animal with special permission from Executive Board and Livestock Committee.  Request must be in written form and given to appropriate chairperson by Saturday, July 31, 2010, if time permits.
  32. All animals which require health certification shall be certified as specified by the State Department of Agriculture.
  33. Grand Champion and Reserve Champion market steers, market hogs, market goats and market lambs must be sold.
  34. In the livestock classes, Grand and Reserve Champion awards will be given.  The first place individual in each class will show for Champion and Reserve Champion unless otherwise designated by the judge.  Second place animal in class will stand by for Reserve Champion.
  35. Advanced entry is required for all animal exhibits.  Deadline is May 10, 2010.  Entries must be RECEIVED by this date.  Late entries will not be accepted.  Entries sent to Berkeley County Youth Fair, c/o Lisa Duvall, 5711 Tabler Station Road, Inwood, WV 25428.
  36. To ensure the opportunity for exhibitors to finish fitting their project animals on their own, an adult "hands off policy" on show days is strongly encouraged.  Adults and/or other exhibitors assisting are encouraged to involve the exhibitor in the animal preparation thus providing a "learning by doing" experience.  Adults and/or other exhibitors should serve as mentors and the exhibitor should be actively participating.
  37. Animals should be cared for by the exhibitor with adults acting as mentors and only assisting the exhibitor when the need arises.
  38. No person or exhibitor will be permitted to stay overnight on the Youth Fair grounds without special permission from the Youth Fair Association.
  39. No physical barriers between animal exhibits.
  40. Pictures for market animals can be picked up Monday, August 9, 2010 between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm at the picnic pavilion.  Checks can be picked up August 21, 2010 from 10:00 am until 12:00 noon.  Exhibitor must bring the signed postcard that the buyer has received their pictures and thank you note from the exhibitor.  Picture money and the 2% yardage fee will be deducted from the market checks.  If the exhibitor does not have the postcard signed and returned to the Fair Board Treasurer by August 21, 2010, the exhibitor will not sell a market animal at the 2011 fair nor will the exhibitor receive their check until the postcard is signed and returned to the Fair Board Treasurer.
  41. Exhibitors must get approval from the Livestock Chairperson or Fair Board President before securely hanging fans.  Air flow direction will be specified by Livestock Chairperson or Fair Board President.  Only one fan per animal is allowed.  Exhibitors are not allowed to bring generators to the fair without prior approval from the Livestock Chairperson or Fair Board President.
  42. Announcements made prior to the day of show takes precedence over printed material.
  43. Exhibitors are requested to have a Premise ID for all livestock listed on the Premise ID application form for the 2010 fair.
  44. The policy stated for the youth sheep projects (both breeding and market lambs) and for exhibition of animals by youth at fairs and shows in West Virginia is:
    1. "Lambs born after January 2002, must be properly docked.  Lambs will have a minimum tail length of 0.7 inches at show, measured by the approved measurement device, which will be placed against the base of the tail and pinbones."  It is strongly recommended that tails should be at least 1.4 inches in length at weaning.
  45.  Only market animals sold through Berkeley County Youth Fair Livestock Auction will be transported to slaughter houses or other livestock auction venues.
  46. Only animals that are to be shown at the 2010 fair can be housed at the fairgrounds during the current fair week (No companion animals are allowed).
  47. All market animal Grand and Reserve Champions will have a blood sample drawn following the completion of each show (random sampling could occur on any market animal).  Immediately following award presentation and pictures, the chair or fair representative will escort the handler and animal to the designated area to obtain blood samples.  If the exhibitor is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must be present during the blood sampling.  The samples will be sent to an independent lab for drug screening.  Grand and Reserve Champion (as well as the market animals that are randomly tested) award checks and sale checks will not be released until the test results are returned to the Berkeley County Youth Fair.  If test results are returned unfavorable, the exhibitor will not receive award money or their sale check.  The sale check will be returned to the buyer.  The exhibitor is then prohibited from exhibiting any future indoor or outdoor exhibits for the remainder of their eligibility.  Animals shall be presented to show events where they will enter the food chain free of drug residues.  The act of entering an animal in a livestock show is the giving of consent by owner, exhibitor, fitter, trainer and/or absolutely responsible person for show management to obtain any specimens of urine, saliva, blood, or other substances from the animal to be used in testing.  Animals entered in an event which culminates with the animal entering the food chain shall not be administered drugs other than in accordance with applicable federal, state and provincial statutes, regulations and rules.  Livestock shall not be exhibited if the drugs administered in accordance with federal, state and provincial statutes, regulations and rules affect the animal's performance, or appearance in the event.  If the laboratory report on the analysis of saliva, urine, blood, or other sampl taken from livestock indicates the presence of forbidden drugs or medication, this shall be a prima facie evidence such substance has been administered to the animal either internally or externally.  It is presumed that the sample of urine, saliva, blood or other substance tested by the laboratory to which it is sent is the one taken from the animal in question, its integrity is preserved and all procedures of said collection and preservation, transfer to the laboratory and analysis of the sample are correct and accurate and the report received from the laboratory pertains to the sample taken from the animal in question and correctly reflects the condition of the animal at the time the sample was taken with the burden on the owner, exhibitor, fitter, trainer, or absolutely responsible person to prove otherwise.  At any time after an animal arrives on the fair or livestock show premises, all treatments involving the use of drugs and/or medications for the sole purpose of protecting the health of the animal shall be administered by a licensed veterinarian.  This practice is to ensure that we always provide the highest quality product available.

WV State Rules and Regulations

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