The 2020 4-H Meat Animal Sale will be an online-only auction beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 16, and ending at 6 p.m. Friday, July 17.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Chautauqua has contracted with Peterson Auction to host the auction.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Chautauqua staff and volunteer members of the 4-H Meat Animal Sale committee reviewed multiple options for the sale. In the best interest of safety and in accordance with health officials’ recommendations Cornell Cooperative Extension Chautauqua will not be conducting in person programming at this time.

“We ask for your understanding as we have come to this difficult decision and ask for the community to continue to support our 4-H youth in this way,” extension staff members said in a news release. “Information will be made available closer to the auction date regarding registering for the auction using the Peterson Auction website.”

4-H youth are not required to participate in the 4-H Meat Animal Sale. Youth who opt-out will receive no penalty and it will not affect their eligibility to participate in 4-H in the coming year.

Youth who wish to participate in the 2020 4-H Meat Animal Sale must follow these guidelines:

¯ Youth must be currently enrolled in the respective animal project and already be raising a 4-H animal.

¯ Youth must complete the Intent to Sell form to commit their animal(s) to the 2020 4-H Meat Animal Sale by June 15. The form can be found online at cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV–eyXuhD4 or a paper copy can be mailed to youth.

¯ Beef and hogs will need a federal ID tag and goats and sheep will need a Scrapie tag for proof of animal identification. Poultry will use leg bands.

¯ Youth can submit a maximum of four photos and one video of each animal to the 4-H Office that they will sell by July 1. The information will be used to market the animal on the Peterson Auction website. Contact the 4-H Office for help photographing or videoing an animal.

¯ Youth must complete the required Meat Animal Sale Statement and submit it by July 1.

¯ Youth may only sell one animal per species.

¯ Trucking to processing facilities cannot be provided by Chautauqua County 4-H. Each youth/family is responsible for transporting their animal(s) to a processing facility. Processing facility assignments will be shared with families no later than 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 18.

¯ To better accommodate area processing facilities 4-H meat animals may need to be delivered to the processor on Sunday, July 19, with the majority of animals delivered on Sunday, July 26.

¯ The sale commission will remain at 6% per animal.

Review the 2020 4-H Meat Animal Sale Policy on the 4-H website or at the 4-H Office for complete details on the 4-H Meat Animal Sale. For more information, call Kate Ewer at 664-9502, ext. 212, or emailing kde32@cornell.edu.