SYRACUSE
—
During
the
2026
New
York
State
Fair
in
Syracuse,
Chenango
County
4-H
youth
represented
the
county
by
exhibiting
dairy
cattle,
dairy
goats,
beef
cattle,
sheep,
horses,
poultry,
and
rabbits. The
New
York
State
Fair
represents
one
of
the
highest
levels
of
competition
for
New
York
4-H
animal
science
participants,
allowing
youth
to
showcase
knowledge,
skills,
and
dedication
developed
through
years
of
project
work
and
animal
care. “Because
the
New
York
State
Fair
is
ongoing,
several
shows
and
contests
have
not
yet
occurred,
and
some
official
results
remain
unreleased,”
said
4-H
Youth
Development
Educator
Micaela
Meseck.
“However,
several
Chenango
County
youths
have
already
earned
significant
recognition.” “The
experience
allows
youth
to
meet
and
learn
from
exhibitors
across
New
York
State
while
representing
their
county
and
local
communities,”
said
Meseck. Jake
Beers,
age
12,
exhibiting
at
the
New
York
State
Fair
for
the
first
time,
said
he
worked
hard
to
earn
the
opportunity
and
learned
a
lot
throughout
the
competition.
“This
is
a
milestone
in
my
life
of
showing
after
working
hard
to
get
here
for
several
years.
I
still
have
a
lot
to
learn,
but
by
being
here,
I’m
learning
a
lot
from
showing
with
experienced
showman
and
breeders,”
said
Jake. Jake’s
younger
siblings
Emma
Jane,
age
14
and
John,
age
eight,
were
also
able
to
participate
for
the
first
time
this
year. EmmaJane
said,
“It
is
exciting
because
there
is
more
competition
and
it
is
not
the
same
people
every
year,
like
back
home
there
is
the
same
competition
every
year.” John
said,
“I
love
showing
at
fairs,
especially
state
fair,
and
I’ve
worked
very
hard
to
get
there.” Their
youngest
brother
Jackson,
age
six,
is
currently
a
Cloverbud
and
has
a
few
more
years
before
he
can
participate
in
the
4-H
shows
at
the
state
fair
but
can
show
in
open
classes
and
said,
“I
feel
good
at
showing
at
state
fair.”
Show
participants
included: Beef:
Beth
Wilcox Beef
and
sheep:
EmmaJane
Beers
and
Jake
Beers Sheep:
John
Beers Dairy
cattle:
Adrienne
Hodge,
Cora
Hodge,
Grace
Hodge,
Taylor
Hodge,
Addison
Dickey,
Lily
Marshman,
and
Zoey
Dart Dairy
cattle
and
miniature
horse:
Macie
Vincent Dairy
cattle:
(shown
by
Macie
Vincent):
Elizabeth
Vincent Dairy
goats:
Jakobie
Beckwith,
Noah
Brandt,
and
Lucas
Meseck Poultry:
Trevor
Hess Rabbits:
Alexis
Stemke
The
following
placed
in
challenge
and
showmanship.
Dairy
Challenge:
Addison
Dickey
earned
1st
Place
in
the
Junior
Division
of
the
New
York
State
4-H
Dairy
Challenge.
Story Continues Below Adverts
Dairy
Showmanship: Zoey
Dart
placed
2nd
in
the
9-year-old
Dairy
Youth
Showmanship
class
and
advanced
to
represent
Chenango
County
in
the
Master
Showman
competition. Addison
Dickey
placed
4th,
earning
a
Blue
Ribbon
in
the
12-year-old
showmanship
class. Cora
Hodge
placed
6th,
earning
a
Blue
Ribbon
in
the
15-16-year-old
showmanship
class. Grace
Hodge
placed
7th,
earning
a
Red
Ribbon
in
the
10-11-year-old
showmanship
class. Macie
Vincent
placed
7th,
earning
a
Red
Ribbon
in
the
12-year-old
showmanship
class. Youth
Holstein
Show: Taylor
Hodge
earned
1st
Place
in
the
Summer
Yearling
class
and
1st
Place
in
the
Fall
Yearling,
Not
in
Milk
class. Dairy
Goat
Results: Noah
Brandt
placed
first
in
his
Intermediate
Showmanship
Class
and
received
Honorable
Mention
in
the
Master
Showman
competition. Noah’s
Nigerian
Dwarf
does
were
1st
place
in
their
age
classes
and
earned
Senior
Champion,
Reserve
Senior
Champion,
Best
of
Breed,
and
Reserve
Best
of
Breed
Nigerian
Dwarf. Jakobie
Beckwith
placed
7th
in
his
showmanship
class
and
his
Nigerian
Dwarf
doelings
were
both
1sts,
in
their
age
classes
and
earned
both
Junior
Champion
and
Reserve
Junior
Champion
Nigerian
Dwarf. Lucas
Meseck
placed
3rd
in
his
showmanship
class,
and
his
Nigerian
Dwarf
doe
received
1st
place
in
her
age
class.
Poultry
Results: Trevor
Hess
was
named
Champion
Junior
Showman
in
the
Youth
Open
Poultr
Show
and
earned
Grand
Champion
of
Show. His
birds
were
also
named
Champion
Feather
Leg,
Champion
Asiatic,
Champion
English,
Champion
Old
English
Game
Bantam,
and
Reserve
Champion
RCCL. In
the
4-H
Poultry
Show,
Trevor
earned
both
Grand
Champion
of
Show
and
Reserve
Grand
Champion
of
Show
and
placed
5th
in
Senior
Poultry
Showmanship. His
birds
also
earned
Champion
Feather
Leg,
Champion
Asiatic,
Champion
English,
Champion
Old
English
Game
Bantam,
Reserve
Champion
Bantam
Duck,
and
Champion
RCCL. Meseck
also
noted
six
Chenango
County
4-H
members
participated
in
the
New
York
State
Fair
Dairy
Goat
Judging
Contest
and
included
Noah
Brandt,
Jakobie
Beckwith,
Lucas
Meseck,
Jamie
Funk,
Katie
Funk,
and
Maria
Funk. She
said
the
contest
allowed
youth
to
apply
skills
developed
throughout
their
4-H
careers,
including
dairy
goat
evaluation,
critical
thinking,
decision-making,
and
communication.
Participants
evaluated
classes
of
dairy
goats,
comparing
animals
based
on
dairy
characteristics,
structure,
and
overall
functionality.
“The
event
is
one
of
many
educational,
knowledge-based
competitions
available
to
4-H
members
during
the
fair,”
said
Meseck.
The
dairy
goat
judging
allowed
youth
to
apply
skills
developed
throughout
their
4-H
careers,
Meseck
explained,
including
dairy
goat
evaluation,
critical
thinking,
decision-making,
and
communication.
The
accomplishments
of
Chenango
County
exhibitors
reflect
the
strength
of
the
local
agricultural
community
and
the
support
of
families,
volunteers,
club
leaders,
and
producers
who
help
local
youth
succeed. Results
for
other
species
and
activities
are
still
pending.