Fair Display Ideas

[RustyRanch]

So, I am not sure if this is where I should be posting this but I figured it was a good general question

So, here is my question to you all what if any do you include in your fair display? ( I am not talking about farm name, animal name stuff, we already do that) I am wondering what information stuff you include.
I would like to have a sign that is in the shape of an milk can with the the average daily yield of milk. A sign that is the shape of a steak that has the average take home weight of beef. ( I am talking about the poundage that goes into the freezer not hanging, or should it be the average weight at slaughter time) Along those lines I thought about having a sign that has the picture of a cow with where all the cuts come from.
I thought about a sign that has what a cow, heifer, bull and steer are. I think that is one of the most asked questions. A sign that tells what is horned vs. polled. A sign that has all the colors of the breed, with pictures to show what is what.
Now on the little table I set up, I have a digital picture frame that is housed inside of a frame I built that looks like a barn, on that I have pictures of my animals, and those of some of the other people who breed and show. Fun pictures, animals, and milk/beef.
I have also been in contact with the WA Cattleman's Beef Board and the Nation Beef Board and both have sent me all sorts of yummy recipe cards to hand out.

So, now the real question, am I over thinking all this? I was big into showing while in FFA and setting up displays, and it was always pounded into me that you are there to promote your animals and what they can do. Not just be in the barn looking all pretty. But that was over 10 years ago. I ask this because most of the people I show with do not have this type of info out. Then again maybe it is a different world showing as an adult and breeder vs FFA or 4-H.

Thank you for your input, this is something that I love and am now getting my kids into doing. I just don't want to be the crazy Dexter lady in the barn ;D

[RustyRanch]

OK, so with fairs coming up in the next few weeks here I am just going to bump this. Any input?

Thanks, Laaci

[theburrowfarm]

The milk would be 1 to 3 gallons .The actual take home amount of beef varies so much 38% to 40% give or take .

[littlecowfl]

Thanks, Gene!

Here's my fair display:







I like to play with green and shamrocks a lot. But if you have a farm theme, that could be nice, too. Kids love free stuff and you can find cheap little toys, silly bands, coins and plastic necklaces to go with any theme you choose if you order from Oriental Trading.

Great job getting them into your fair. It can be challenging.

[littlecowfl]

Here's a display I did when I took a cow and calf to our local Irish Festival:





I'll have to re-do my poster board after these two events because those things just don't last very long, but I was pleasantly surprised at how many people actually read it. ;D

[RustyRanch]

Thank you all for the ideas, I just wanted to make sure I was not over thinking/doing it. First fair is going to be this coming weekend at the South West Washington State Fair in Chehalis, WA. Then will have a week off and then to The Evergreen State Fair in Monroe. Those two fairs will be showing and everything. And then I will be doing a display with just two of them at the Puyallup Fair in September for their animals of the world barn. I will be sure to take pictures and show what I have done.

Thanks Again!
Laaci

[lakeportfarms]

We'll be taking some to the Armada Fair in Michigan starting tomorrow, it's going to be our first experience too, so this thread is very helpful. We're nowhere near as prepared as littlecowfl, but one thing that I haven't seen that we have set up are a large printout of "QR" codes, which are those funny looking barcode symbols you're seeing that Android and IPhones can scan to input contact information, website addresses, Facebook pages, etc... There is software readily available to print these out from your computer.

[littlecowfl]

Okay, I feel like a dinosaur.....hehehe! No, I had nothing technological set up except an old *cough* CD player spouting Irish music.

[hollydzie]

littlecow what a nice set up you have. Was that at the FL State fair in Tampa?? If so you saw my heifer calf there. She was only a few days old when the breeder took her and her mother. I hope to go next year. We also love Irish festivals. My daughter is an Irish step dancer. Maybe we could put together something with the dance the cows and the Irish music LOL......

[littlecowfl]

Nah, that was just our local fair. I have never made it down to Tampa.

The Irish Festival is in St. Augustine, the weekend before St. Patty's Day. It's still pretty new but growing very fast.

[RustyRanch]

OK so here is what I came up with for the last two fairs. I am going to change it up a bit when I do Animals of the World at the Puyallup Fair the end of September. I will use more green and shame rocks for that one to really play up the Irish theme.
I hand panted all the wood signs, and well between running out of time and my hand killing me had to do some poster type signs, but the plan is to have those painted into wooden signs by the spring when fairs start up again. I can say though that at the SW Washington Fair in Chehalis I won Premier Exhibitor and then Evergreen State Fair I did win herdsmanship and display for the barn ;D

[Morning Star Farm]

Nice display Rusty Ranch....what does the "Dexterits" sign say?

[hollydzie]

Wow that is really nice

[RustyRanch]

Thanks everyone.
Morning Star, it is a part of a quote from the book,"Dexter Cattle A Breeders Handbook" written by Gabriella Nancy and Stefani Millman. Stafani is the one who got me into dexters and then got me into showing them, she also is one of the people I show with.

The the sign reads: "Dexterits: A disease that creeps over you and before you know it you have a small heard of cattle. Two turns to three, then four, then nine. This disease is highly contagious; you will pass it onto family and friends. Once you have it there is no cure"

It's just a little something fun and funny to have around.

On the table is a bunch of beef recipes from the Cattleman's Association, the binder has two pages for each animal I have, one with the animals pedigree and the one next to it has a Costco photo collage of the animal. They are only $1 for an 8x10 and can have all the pictures you want, so I have front, side, rear views along with some fun/funny pictures of them. I am working on having some milk recipes to have also. I have a "pot of gold" with candy chocolate coins in it. But when I took this picture my youngest son who is 20 months had figured out what was in that pot and I had to hide it ;D

[Maple View Farm]

I love the display Rusty Ranch. We just showed with Morning Star. I think the two of us have new ideas for our displays for next year. I too have a candy muncher. Ha Ha