Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun has written extensively about the poultry exhibition ban since it was first announced last summer.
The state has lifted its ban on bird exhibits, meaning local youth should be allowed to show their poultry at the Clark and Champaign county fairs next summer.
Last June the state canceled all bird exhibits in order to protect Ohio poultry from the spread of the deadly avian flu.
The ban was meant to stay in place until April of 2016, but with no confirmed cases and no immediate threat of the virus in Ohio, it was lifted.
About 500 Clark County youth were expected to show birds last year, but had to participate without their animals due to the ban. The youth instead created education displays, competed in showmanship with stuffed birds and went to the auction without animals present.
“It’s absolutely great news,” Clark County Fair Executive Director Allan Hess said. “If you were out here, the barn looked kind of sad without those birds in there. We’re excited to have them back.”
Ohio is the second largest egg producer in the country and home to 28 million laying chickens, 12 million broilers, 8.5 million young hens and 2 million turkeys. Ohio’s egg, chicken and turkey farms employ more than 14,600 people and contribute $2.3 billion to the state’s economy, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
The avian flu has killed more than 40 million chickens in the U.S. and is believed to have been spread by migrating birds like geese and ducks. It can be spread through direct contact with contaminated materials coming from other infected birds. Areas where birds co‐mingle, including fairs, create a higher risk of spreading the disease.
The deadly avian flu outbreak was closed by the World Organization for Animal Health on Nov. 18. An outbreak in Ohio or nearby states could mean the reinstatement or even an extension of the ban, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Poultry exhibits have become one of the fastest growing at the fair due to the low cost and short length of the project compared to a steer or a hog, said Patty House, 4-H educator with the Clark County OSU-Extension Office.
“It’s less expensive and it takes a lot less space,” House said. “You don’t need the same facilities.”
The fair saw fewer youth poultry exhibits last year, but Hess believes the numbers will rise again next year.
“They didn’t have any choice but to do it,” Hess said. “It was a shame, but at the same time, they did the right thing.”
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