What the Curry County Fair Is
The Curry County Fair is the county 4-H and FFA junior livestock fair in Clovis. The 2026 fair ran August 10 to 15 at the Curry County Fairgrounds and Livestock Pavilion, with the Junior Livestock Sale on Friday, August 14 at the Curry County Events Center. Exhibitors show beef, dairy, swine, sheep, goats, rabbits and poultry, and FFA members can enter a Farm Mechanics contest.
Who Can Enter
Exhibitors must be Curry County residents enrolled in 4-H or FFA organized in the county and in good standing, and must not have reached their 19th birthday as of January 1 (or be age 8 and in 3rd grade). Youth who are 7 as of October 1 may enter market shows only after attending four 4-H or FFA events and submitting a verification form. Showmanship divisions are Novice (7 to 10), Junior (11 to 13) and Senior (14 and up). Booster classes for younger children are showmanship only. FFA Farm Mechanics is for ages 14 to under 19.
How It Works: The Timeline
- July 1: online entries open at currycountyfair.fairentry.com.
- July 21: rabbit and poultry validation, 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., Curry County Extension Office.
- August 1: entry deadline with fees. Late entries are $25 each until 11:00 a.m. on Monday of fair.
- August 8: indoor entries 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Home and Arts building; county horse show.
- Monday, August 10: livestock arrive 6:00 to 11:00 a.m.; hog weigh-in; sheep 1:00 p.m., dairy 3:00 p.m., beef 5:00 p.m.; exhibitor meeting 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, August 11: rabbit and poultry shows 9:00 a.m.; swine shows from 4:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, August 12: dairy 9:00 a.m.; goats 4:30 p.m.; sheep and lambs 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday, August 13: wether dam and doe show 9:00 a.m.; production steer show 4:00 p.m.; beef shows that evening.
- Friday, August 14: sale meeting 8:30 a.m.; sale dinner 6:00 p.m.; Junior Livestock Sale 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, August 15: livestock released 2:00 p.m.
Fees and Weights
Market beef, breeding beef, dairy, market sheep, market swine and market goats are $10 per head; showmanship is $10 per contestant; rabbit and poultry singles and pens are $10. Maximum 12 entries per species per exhibitor. Minimum weights: hogs 200 to 280 pounds, goats 40, lambs 80, steers 950. No sale animal may exceed 1,300 pounds. Animals must be owned by June 15, 2026 (rabbits 30 days and poultry 60 days before the fair).
Production Steer Contest
Open to Curry County 4-H and FFA steers with current Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) certification. Steers are weighed in January or February to verify ownership, then scored on average daily gain (35 percent), grid carcass value (35 percent), visual appraisal (20 percent) and record book and YQCA (10 percent), with an ultrasound scan for ribeye and backfat. Results are announced at Friday's sale meeting.
Awards and Sale
Rabbit and poultry premiums are $10, $8 and $6 for first through third, and breeding beef premiums run from $40 to $20. Breed champion beef females earn $100 and the Supreme Female a buckle. County-bred champions in swine, lamb, beef and dairy earn cash prizes. The Casey Hollaway Memorial Herdsman Award gives a belt buckle per species.
The sale takes 75 percent of exhibitors per species, capped at 102 animals, one animal per exhibitor. Packer bids are posted Friday morning, and buyers settle in cash with the sale manager. Animals that do not qualify can sell to the packer at its bid.
Questions
Where can I get the rules?
Fair books are at the Extension Office, curryextension.nmsu.edu and currycountyfair.com. Livestock contacts are Kandy Hutchins and Morgan Latimore.
Can I enter from outside the county?
No. Curry County residency is required.
Official Links
New Mexico County Fairs: The Essentials
New Mexico county fairs are run through local NMSU Cooperative Extension offices, and every county publishes its own fair book. Check yours before buying an animal, because rules differ.
2026 dates
Chaves County ran July 24 to August 1, Eastern Navajo held its show July 23 and 24, Curry County ran August 10 to 15 and Socorro County ran August 31 to September 6, per their fair books.
What varies
Minimum market steer weights range from 800 pounds in Chaves to 950 in Curry County. Ownership deadlines, tagging, health papers and entry fees also differ, and Curry requires YQCA for production steers.
Sale and state fair
Each fair holds a junior livestock sale; Curry caps slots at 102 and lets each exhibitor sell one animal. Blue ribbon winners and qualifying livestock exhibitors can go on to the New Mexico State Fair at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque. Entry deadlines run from mid-June to August 1, so mark them early. Ask your Extension office for next year's fair book and deadlines.
Other Upcoming Events Nearby
- Curry County 4-H Show Savvy Workshop
Spring workshop at the Extension Office that prepares young exhibitors for the show ring. Held each year; the most recent workshop was April 10, 2026.
Clovis, NM | Organizer: Curry County Extension Office Official event details - Curry County Junior Livestock Validation at Texico Ag Farm
Morning validation for tag-in and DNA of 4-H and FFA animals at the Texico Ag Farm, one of five Curry County sites. Held each year; the most recent session was June 5, 2026.
Texico, NM | Organizer: Curry County Extension Office Official event details - Curry County Junior Livestock Validation at Clovis Ag Farm
Early-morning tag-in and DNA validation session for Curry County junior livestock projects. Held each year before fair season; the most recent session was June 1, 2026.
Clovis, NM | Organizer: Curry County Extension Office Official event details - Curry County Junior Livestock Validation at Melrose Ag Farm
Evening validation session at the Melrose Ag Farm for youth market animals headed to the fair season. Held each year; the most recent session was June 1, 2026.
Melrose, NM | Organizer: Curry County Extension Office Official event details - Curry County 4-H County Contest Awards Night
Awards evening for the county 4-H contests held at the Extension Office; families RSVP by phone. Held each year; the most recent night was June 8, 2026.
Clovis, NM | (575) 763-6505 | Organizer: Curry County Extension Office Official event details
Listing checked Nov. 11, 2026 against this source. Details can change; confirm with the organizer.