Why Should You Show at the Fair?

Thousands of farmers nationwide show their cows at various county, state and regional fairs, but why? Why spend countless hours of time and hundreds of dollars preparing and transporting animals for a few moments of glory and a chance at a blue ribbon? 

Ashley Boyce, co-owner of B&M Cattle in Farmington, New York, helped prepare their family’s Angus for the Ontario County Fair in Canandaigua, New York. 

“It’s important because it allows us to connect with other farms in the county and get our name out for the brand,” Boyce said. 

Educating the public is also an important factor for Boyce. 

“We need to help educate them about misconceptions on agriculture, so they know that food doesn’t just come from the store; it comes from farmers,” she said. “It doesn’t just appear on the shelf.”

Even a few judges the Boyces have encountered appeared unfamiliar with red Angus, and one who did not know that her animal represented red Angus. 

The family also likes involving their nieces and nephews in 4-H and raising animals. 

Involving youngsters in showing is also important for Bryan Stocks, owner of Tuckaway Farm, LLC in New Woodstock, New York. His son Henry uses animal showing to promote the self-named effort The Henry Project, which raises funds for Future Farmers of America (FFA). The family began the project a few years ago to help fund sending FFA students in the Cazenovia school district to Camp Oswegatchie, an FFA facility in Croghan, New York.

Showing also helps the Boyces share their Simmental beef herd. Henry won Supreme Heifer and Reserve Supreme Female overall: a sign of the farm’s superior genetics.

“It’s all about advertising and promoting the herd, genetics and the farm,” Stocks said. “We possess the ability to share about our farm and our story.”

Although the pandemic dampened the enthusiasm for showing, Charlie Luchsinger, partner at Silver Spring Farm near Syracuse, New York, and New York State Fair cattle show co-superintendent, said that entries have tripled since 2021.

“We’ve done a lot of rebuilding of the show since COVID,” he said. “We want to draw more dairy farmers back to the Fair to promote our industry and our products. For the public to come and see a bunch of cows that are clean, and have plenty of food and bedding, they can see the care our cows receive. It’s a great image for the public. Plus, the farmers can clear up any misconceptions people have.”

Although cows on the farm aren’t perfectly clean all the time, the image of clean, well-cared-for cows sticks in the fairgoer’s mind and presents a wholesome ideal of American dairying. 

His family farm has shown dairy cattle at the New York State Fair since 1921 and has won 80 Premier Breeder banners, the first of which was in 1938. At one point, the farm had 39 years of consecutive Premier Breeder wins at the Fair. 

“It’s a tradition we’d like to keep going,” Luchsinger said. “We’ve had a lot of success there. It’s a way to promote our genetics. Besides the competition, it’s a nice place to reconnect with old friends.”

He also views showing at local fairs as “a great way for 4-H kids to get involved in showing,” he said. “A lot of people successful on the national stage are those who came through state fairs as steppingstones to learn the trade and compete at a national level.”