A cookout contest will be held at the 2008 Appanoose County Fair, sponsored by the Appanoose County Farm Bureau. The contest will be held on Monday, July 21, the opening day of the fair. David Haines, contest chairman, says entries must be ready for judging by 6 p.m. There are no entry fees.

Iowa Farm Bureau cookout contest rules will be used for the most part; this means category winners will be eligible for state competition. One exception will be that a recipe will not be required as part of the entry for the county contest. Recipes are required at the state level. Another exception will be that a person will be allowed to enter in more than one category at the county level.

Contestants must be Iowa residents and at least 13 years old. Entrants will compete in six categories: beef, pork, lamb/goat, turkey, poultry, and combo/specialty. Combo is a combination of at least two of the listed meats in one recipe and specialty is any other Iowa domestic raised product (this does not include wild game). The beef entries must use either chuck or round cuts, which may include ground chuck or ground round. In addition, contestants may compete for the showmanship or youth (ages 13-18 as of Aug. 1) titles. Entries can be made as individuals, or teams of two to four people. Contestants must furnish their own meat and equipment, including grill.

Entry forms and complete rules are available at the Appanoose County Farm Bureau office, 1024 N 18th Street, Centerville. Completed entry forms are needed by Tuesday, July 1. This date will allow organizers a better idea of how much space will be needed at the contest site and for other preparations.

If you have questions, contact David Haines, Exline, phone 658-2837, or FB office assistant Barb Peterson, 437-4333.