Specialty Crop

Participation in the Carbon County Fair dropped quite significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but entries in most of the classes, including those relating to specialty crops, increased sharply in 2022 and 2023. “That has really been nice to see as the county fair is traditionally the biggest event in Carbon County for the summer,” says Julie Webb, administrative assistant for the Carbon County Fair Board.

When it comes to foods and beverages, four of the most popular contests are the ‘Shootouts’ in (1) pies, including fruit and other fillings; (2) cookies and cakes; (3) chili cookoff; and (4) home brews, including beer, ale, red and white wines, and coffee-, fruit- and herb-based liqueurs.

Other specialty-crop-related contests include the Open agronomy class (vegetables, fruits, berries, and herbs); floriculture class (including cut flowers and others); foods class (including canned vegetables and fruits, jellies, marmalades and preserves, butters and jams, pickles and relishes, fruits pies, and many others).

There are many contests for 4-Hers, including ones directly tied to specialty crops (nutrition, food preservation, gardening, and horticulture); and FFA members (agronomy).

The county fair is held around the last week of July and first week of August each year. Those participating in the Open, FFA, and 4-H contests can compete at the state fair, and prizes are awarded at both the county and state levels.