Joseph McMillen, of Sunbury, showed the Grand Champion Market Beef at the 2024 Delaware County Junior Fair on Sept. 16 in the Junior Fair Show Arena. If that name sounds familiar to readers, that’s because it is.

“I have one brother, Jacob McMillen, who also is in the same club and shows the same animals as me,” Joseph McMillen told The Gazette. “He won Grand Champion Market Beef at the Delaware County Fair last year.”

Joseph McMillen is a sophomore at Big Walnut High School and is in the Future Farmers of America with Big Walnut-Delaware Area Career Center. He is a member of the Eagle Country 4-H. His parents are Curt and Maggie McMillen. The family raises beef cattle and sheep on their family farm.

“I have been showing at the Delaware County Fair since 2018, and I show market beef, market lambs, and breeding sheep,” McMillen said. “I showed my crossbred market steer, named Larry, weighing 1,368 pounds. He was born January 2023. The judge was looking at his structure and overall finished condition. I want to thank my parents and brother along with 4-H club friends for their help.”

The Junior Fair Exhibitor’s Handbook said the Delaware County Fair is bound by the Ohio Department of Agriculture Livestock Health Exhibition Rules.

Among the many rules is the following:

“Participation in livestock interview judging is mandatory to show and/or sell in the Delaware County Junior Fair for dairy, beef, swine, sheep, goat, alpaca and llama, rabbit, and poultry exhibitors,” the handbook said. “Exhibitors must bring project record book with them to interview. If a record book is not brought with them, the grade will be dropped by one letter. Grades are A, B, or C. Premiums awarded for animals brought and shown at the fair are based on the grade received at interview judging.”

McMillen said he did “many hours of washing and rinsing” of the steer to get the win. The next evening, Sept. 17, the steer returned to the arena as part of the Junior Fair Sale, along with dairy products, rabbits, poultry, baked goods and more beef.

“The steer will be sold at the premium sale at the fair then taken to Hoffman Meats for the Carcass Show,” McMillen said.

He said of the fair, “I enjoy the competition, but also the downtime I can spend hanging out with my friends. There are many activities every day that I can be involved in at the fair. I am going to continue showing market steers and lambs again next year.”

Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He can be reached at 740-413-0906.