Go to nearly any state fair in the United States and you’ll probably see a butter sculpture. A must-see crowd favorite attraction - butter creations range from cows to movie stars to presidents.
The 2022 Ohio State Fair in Columbus debuted more than 2,500 lbs. of butter that features 10 life-size sculptures of kids and animals, including the iconic butter cow, a goat and a pig. This is the fair’s largest butter display to date and the first butter displayed in two years.
The butter sculptures are maintained in a 46°F temperature case and more than 600 hours went into creating this year’s creation.
The American Dairy Association Mideast chose five participants showing their animals to reflect on the true meaning and traditions of the fair, which date back to 1850.
“On behalf of Ohio’s dairy farmers, we are proud to sponsor the butter cow display at the Ohio State Fair,” says Jenny Crabtree, senior vice president of communications with American Dairy Association Mideast. “This year we are paying a tribute to the fair’s agricultural heritage. For many, the fair is about the midway and carnival rides, but fairs were initially held for farmers to gather, exhibit livestock and learn from each other, and today that still holds true.”
The Ohio State Fair butter display is expected to attract more than 500,000 fairgoers to the Dairy Products Building, where they can also learn about Ohio’s dairy farmers and enjoy delicious dairy foods including ice cream, milkshakes, cheese sandwiches and milk.
The Ohio State Fair runs through August 7.
At the conclusion of the State Fair, the butter, along with used cooking grease is collected and refined into an ingredient that is used in a variety of non-edible products, like soap and grease for metal forging.
