Please refer to ww.bedford-fair.com website for additional updates.
1. Dairy feeder steer calves (no heifers) must be born and tagged between December 1st and March 1st of the current project year. Members can tag three calves, but only two calves may be shown in the feeder classes. Animals cannot be replaced after tagging deadline. Any two from the group of three that were tagged may be shown. An exhibitor may show two dairy feeder calves and two finished dairy steers each year.
2. Project animal must be tagged by the 4H Leader or FFA Advisor. Animal must have official Bedford County Fair RFID tag. Fair Tags and project enrollment form will be available at the Extension Office. Project enrollment form must be returned to the Extension Office by MARCH 15th. No late submissions will be accepted. $5 will be collected per tagged animal and returned with the project enrollment form. Checks made payable to “Bedford County Dairy Committee.
3. Project animal can be any breed of dairy, (Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey, Milking Shorthorn, or Red & White) but MUST be pure bred dairy blood. No crossbreeding of dairy breeds or beef parentage.
4. All Steers should be dehorned in time to be healed by the show. Calves should be castrated by May 1. Calves must be either cut or banded – Crimping will not be allowed. Dairy beef must be completely free of testicular development and healed at the show.
5. Feeder Calves must weigh a minimum of 350 lbs. and will be enforced. Must be on a grain fed diet by the Fair in order to show – Calves will be divided in three classes by weight following weigh-in: Light, Medium, and Heavy.
6. Dairy Feeders and finished steers will be weighed immediately after the Market Steers on Sunday afternoon. Both will be shown on Tuesday afternoon, following the Junior Dairy Show. Dairy Feeder Calves will start, followed by Finished Dairy Steers. Showmanship will occur following the Finished Dairy steer show.
7. Members must declare at the scale whether to sell or take their project animal home. For Feeder Calves, the 1st place feeder calf of each class will be eligible to be sold at the Livestock Sale on Saturday. However, to follow the industry standards, NO FEEDER CALF UNDER 450 lbs. will be accepted or sold at the sale. Substitutes will be at the discretion of the Sale Committee. Also, the Grand & Reserve Finished Steers will be sold at the sale on Saturday. All others will not be sold through the livestock sale. The dairy beef committee will seek a predetermined bid for all feeders to be sold. Rope halters must be left with your steers for loading after the fair.
8. Members are responsible for their 4H Project Books or proof that the steer is entered in the FFA AET system. Members must bring documentation with them at the time of weigh-in or you will not be permitted to show.
9. All members are responsible for health requirements. To add value of animals for the buyer:
A. Calves are required to be vaccinated against IBR, PI3, BVD and BRSV using one dose of modified live vaccine or two doses of killed vaccine. Examples: Bovishield & Pyramid. Consult your vet about timing and administering of vaccine.
B. It is recommended that calves be given a rabies vaccination.
C. If your steer has symptoms of ringworm within 4 weeks of Fair, you should have your animal treated by a veterinarian and a statement of date/treatment.
D. A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection is required within 30 days prior to show. Refer to the Fair website at www.bedford-fair.com for specific animal health requirements.
10. A substitute showman who is the same age or younger may be used if the exhibitor has more than one steer in the ring in the same class.
11. All Dairy Beef calves and Finished Steers will be housed together in the Open Show Dairy Barn (unless you are a Dairy Exhibitor). You are responsible for your own bedding, water and feed.
12. Fitting Suggestion: Slick Shearing and be sure to get all the hair removed from all locations of the body with the exception of the switch.
13. Finished Steer Class for 2024 Fair –
• All finished Steers must weigh a minimum of 1,000 pounds.
• ALL FINISHED DAIRY STEERS MUST BE BORN ACCORDING TO RULE #1 of the previous year’s Rules. TO SHOW IN 2024 – Identification of your calf must be recorded by photo ID along with official Bedford Fair ear tag shown in picture. Photo must be both sides of the calf and head shot with tag showing. Pictures are to be submitted to extension office by November 15, 2023 to qualify for the 2024 Bedford County Fair show season. You can email your pictures along with your exhibitor name to Dwayne Hay dxh42@psu.edu If pictures are not submitted by the deadline, you will NOT BE ELIGIBLE for the 2024 Finished Dairy Steer class.
• The steer must be owned by the original Junior that showed the steer as a calf in the 2023 Bedford Fair. No transfer of ownership and/or no purchased steers will be permitted to show. This class was created to be a two-year project for the Junior showman to have an opportunity to bring the calf back as a steer and the opportunity to show that animal two consecutive years. Steer must be shown by the Junior who originally tagged it as a steer.
• Two finished steers may be shown in the second year, and they do not need to have been exhibited at the previous year's fair (but they do need to have been tagged for the previous year's fair).
Class may be split depending on the class entry number at the Dairy Beef Committee’s discretion.