The 2013 butter cow and calf. Photo by Josh Couper
The dairy products barn, built in 1925, is where fairgoers can go to get dairy products like milk, cheese sandwiches, and ice cream, as well as seeing the annual butter cow and calf sculpture, which is themed yearly to a specific theme.
The butter cow and calf and accompanying butter sculptures are a feature of the fair every year.
The sculpture has been a fixture since 1903, when the first-ever butter cow and calf were unveiled at the fair.
Each year, a team of sculptors uses thousands of pounds of expired butter to sculpt the cow and calf and the Ohio-themed accompanying sculptures.
Some previous butter sculptures include:
The 2013 butter cow and calf. Photo by Josh Couper
The 2022 butter cow, with fair exhibitor sculptures.
The 2024 butter calf.
The 2014 Ohio state symbols sculpture.