R&V Harvest: Fair Season in America

It’s fair season in America, time to strap on your chaps and cowboy boots, deck yourself out in plaid and Levi’s, and get your share of fresh squeezed lemonade and fair fries!

There are over 3,000 fairs in the United States, but for me, there’s none greater than The Great Geauga County Fair, Ohio’s oldest fair, started in 1823. I may be a bit biased since that’s my home county, the fair I attended as a child with my family every Labor Day weekend for as long as I can remember.

I hope you have a fair of your heart, but if you don’t, you can borrow mine.

There’s far more to fairs than exhibition and entertainment. Behind the carousel and carnival rides, after the Midway, beyond the Main Grandstand… that’s where the true fair begins—away from the noise and rattle of Skeeball and arcade games, down the long halls of equestrian stalls, through the poultry building and beef barns, where pigs snort and goats bleat and sheep bah and their small handlers make sure their animals are cool, clean, watered, and fed.

Fairs are a great place to connect with your local community and the farmers who produce the food you consume. Here are several ways you can take advantage of the benefits of fair season in your community:

County Fairs Connect Consumers with Area Produce

In the produce halls, you can see the variety of produce grown locally and the types of seasonal fruits and vegetables available in your area. Often, you can even sample some of the season’s best offerings. Local chefs might show you how to prepare dishes using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Community members submit pies, preserves, and pickles to compete for awards and highlight the culinary creativity of the community.

Eating locally grown produce means fresher and more nutritious food that has a better flavor because it’s allowed to ripen naturally instead of being picked early and ripened during transport. That also means your locally grown produce has a reduced carbon footprint, since it has a shorter distance to go from farm to table.

Connect with local farmers while you’re perusing the produce halls to learn how you can get fresh produce, dairy, and other farm products throughout the year. Some of these farmers offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs that allow you to subscribe to receive regular boxes of produce directly from the farm. Other farmers have farm stands or participate in the local farmer’s market.

Support Future and Local Farmers at the Livestock Auction

Every year at The Great Geauga County Fair, my parents bid on the animals that have been raised by children in the community. Often they know the future farmer, who participates in 4-H or FFA (Future Farmers of America), which makes it an even more meaningful event.

The 4-H livestock auction is an opportunity for young agriculturalists to showcase the animals they’ve raised. Through the 4-H program, children receive hands-on experience in animal husbandry, giving them the educational resources, passion, and training they need to become the next generation of farmers. The funds raised by these young farmers at auction often go towards college scholarships or are reinvested into their agricultural projects.

You’re not just supporting young farmers, though—just like locally sourced produce, locally sourced meat is typically fresher and healthier than store-bought options. Livestock auctions give you the opportunity to bid on and purchase high-quality meat, including beef, pork, turkey, and chicken. In the spirit of our responsibility to tend and keep all of creation, these animals are raised with exceptional care, which ensures superior quality. 

These young farmers are the future stewards of our land. Their success is critical to maintaining a stable and sustainable food supply. Plus, your kiddos might have some friends in one of those barns, providing yet another opportunity to foster relationships and expand your family’s grasp of community and agriculture’s important role in their lives.

While you’re walking through the barns, go ahead, reach out and pet a goat, feel the soft wool of a sheep, or let yourself be nuzzled by the wet snout of a pig. And then use some hand sanitizer on your way out.

Find Your Fair and Support Your Local Agricultural Community

The environmental benefits of local agriculture are substantial, and your local fair is one of the best places to both witness that world on display and support those efforts for your community. Local farmers are far more likely to be practicing sustainable agriculture, organic, and regenerative ag practices that reduce the carbon footprint and produce fresher, healthier foods with fewer preservatives. We should do whatever we can to support our local farmers and their hard work. Doing so ensures a greener and more sustainable future. 

Take time to explore, learn, and support your local agricultural community this fair season. If you are unsure when your county or state fair takes place this year, hop on over to County Fairgrounds USA to find your fair.