Department: 120-Agriculture & Urban Farming | Open
Superintendent
Sarah Holden, MSU Extension Horticulture Agent
Prizes & Awards
Best in Show - $50
Champion– $25
Reserve Champion– $10
First Place – $8
Second Place– $5
Third Place– $3
Premiums will be awarded provided there are three (3) or more exhibits in the class. Officials have the authority to move or place exhibits into an appropriate class. Not all classes may merit a placing.
For all exhibitors winning cumulative premium money exceeding $600.00, a completed W-9 form is required, and a check will be mailed within 60 days.
Division A – Grains, Forage, Hay
Division B – Tallest, Largest, Oddest Shape
Division C – Vegetables
Division D – Fruit
Division E – Honey
Division F – Eggs
Division G – Container Grown Gardens
Division H – Wool
Division I – Herbs
Division J – Garden Exhibits
Division K – Garden Friends
Important Facts & Dates
Age & Ability Groups
Amateur
Age 11 & under (Dept. 120A)
Age 12 to 17 (Dept. 120B)
Age 18 & older (Dept. 120C)
Persons with Disabilities Age 11 & under (Dept. 120D)
Persons with Disabilities Age 12 to 17 (Dept. 120E)
Persons with Disabilities Age 18 & older (Dept. 120F)
Professional (Dept. 120G)
No age classes. Either employed or selling to qualify as a professional.
Teacher (Dept. 120H)
No age classes. Employed as a teacher to qualify.
AUGUST 1 – FINAL DAY FOR ONLINE ENTRIES
Pre-registration required. Enter online by 5 p.m. Sunday, August 1, 2026 using the online entry system. Walk-in entries open Monday, August 3 no later than 6pm. Parents must sign if exhibitor is under 18 years of age. Following registration, print and save your receipt for entry confirmation.
AUGUST 2-3 – DELIVER EXHIBITS TO FAIRGROUNDS
Bring exhibits between 9am – Noon on Sunday, August 2 or between 11am to 6 pm on Monday August 3 to Exploration Center - Lupine Lab, Missoula County Fairgrounds, 1075 South Ave. West.
AUGUST 8 – PREMIUM PAYOUT
Premiums are available for pickup 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, August 8 at the Fair Office (Bldg. #12). Premiums are also available 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday of the following week. Any unpaid premiums after 6 p.m., August 12 will be forfeited.
EXHIBITS RELEASED
Due to the perishable nature of Department 120, exhibits will be composted unless arrangements are made with the Superintendent during check-in. You may pick up your awards Sunday, August 9 10am to 6pm or Monday, August 10 from 10am to 5pm.
General Exhibiting Guidelines
Entries are limited to one (1) per Class.
The entry exhibited must be the work of or grown by the exhibitor and harvested in the current year. Entries must follow the quantity, container, and display requirements.
All vegetables entered must be:
Clean
Pest free
Trimmed for display according to the specific class
The Agriculture Superintendent is authorized at any time to dispose of any produce that is wormy, unsightly or spoiled. Wormy produce will be disqualified. Produce must be marketable, free of decay, and true to variety.
The Superintendent and Fairgrounds Staff reserve the right to reject any exhibit that poses health risks or is unsuitable for family viewing.
By submitting your content to this contest, you consent to Missoula County Fairgrounds posting and/or sharing images or videos of your exhibit for promotional purposes.
Officials reserve the right to reclassify entries not entered in the correct division or class, or as otherwise needed for competition. Officials have the right to exclude any content from consideration if it includes explicit content that is not family friendly.
All exhibits will receive care and protection in the surroundings, but always are subject to owners’ risk, and the Missoula County Fairgrounds nor Western Montana Fair can’t be held responsible for damage that may occur.
Space/capacity may be reached before the entry deadline and may limit the number of exhibits permitted. In this instance, exhibits will be accepted in the order the entries were received.
Division Guidelines
Numbers in parentheses (#) dictate the number of items required to submit for that class. For example, Class 19: Garlic (3) means you must submit three (3) heads of Garlic.
All entries must be free of dirt to be accepted.
All entries will be displayed in paper bowls or plates provided by the Superintendent. Any personal containers will be given back to you during the check in process.
Division A – Grains, Forage, Hay
Guidelines & Reminders
Sheaf not less than 3” or more than 5” in diameter. Label items for grain/hay identification.
Classes
Class 1: Winter Wheats
Class 2: Spring Wheats
Class 3: Oats
Class 4: Barley
Class 5: Any variety of Rye
Class 6: Alfalfa
Class 7: Alta Fescue
Class 8: Crested Wheat Grass
Class 9: Orchard hay
Class 10: Red Clover
Class 11: Red Top
Class 12: Reed’s Canary
Class 13: Sunflowers in seed stage
Class 14: Timothy
Class 15: Any other
Class 16: Hay – One (1) eight-inch slice from center of bale
Division B – Tallest, Largest, Oddest Shape
Classes
Class 1: Tallest produce/flower – Each variety can be its own entry.
Class 2: Largest produce – Largest produce by weight. Each variety can be its own entry.
Class 3: Oddest shape produce – Oddest shape or freaky growth from any of the vegetable division..
Division C – Vegetables
GUIDELINES & REMINDERS
The exhibitor must have his/her exhibits ready for display. There are no facilities for washing or preparing exhibits at the display building.
Beet, Carrot, Kohlrabi, Onion, Radish, Parsnip, and Turnip tops to be 1/2 inch to one (1) inch.
Leave 1/4 inch stem on cucumbers.
Roots to be left on onions. All other roots removed.
Must have 3 entries of same variety in a class before separate ribbon can be awarded. Classes will be combined and judged together as the Superintendent deems necessary.
Classes
Class 1: Asparagus (4)
Class 2: Beans, stem (4)
Class 3: Beets (2)
Class 4: Broccoli
Class 5: Brussels Sprouts (3)
Class 6: Cucumbers (2)
Class 7: Cabbage
Class 8: Carrots, 8 inches and longer (3)
Class 9: Carrots, short/stubby, under six inches (3)
Class 10: Carrots, any other variety (3)
Class 11: Cauliflower
Class 12: Celery (1 plant)
Class 13: Chard, Swiss (1 plant)
Class 14: Chives (5 plants)
Class 15: Corn, Roasting Ears, in husk (3)
Class 16: Corn, Indian, strip back husk (3)
Class 17: Dill, 12-inch stem, free of Aphids (4 heads)
Class 18: Eggplant (2)
Class 19: Garlic (3)
Class 20: Gourds, three (3) of same variety
Class 21: Horseradish (3)
Class 22: Kale (2 bunches with crown)
Class 23: Kohlrabi (2)
Class 24: Leeks, cut at third junction (2)
Class 25: Lettuce, head (2 in plastic bag)
Class 26: Muskmelon
Class 27: Cantaloupe
Class 28: Onions, two (2) of same variety (roots on)
Class 29: Onions – Green, leave roots and tops (3)
Class 30: Parsley (1 plant with roots)
Class 31: Parsnips (2)
Class 32: Peas, in pod (6)
Class 33: Peppers - Bell, two (2) of same variety
Class 34: Peppers - Hot, three (3) of same variety
Class 35: Peppers - Sweet, three (3) of same variety
Class 36: Pumpkin
Class 37: Potatoes, three (3) of same variety
Class 38: Radishes (1 bunch of 3)
Class 39: Shallots, prepared for storage, dried (3)
Class 40: Rutabagas (2)
Class 41: Squash
Class 42: Zucchini
Class 43: Tomatoes, two (2) of same variety
Class 44: Tomatoes – Cherry, five (5) of the same variety
Class 45: Turnips (2)
Class 46: Watermelon
Division D – Fruit
Classes – Fruit with Stems
Class 1: Apples, two (2) of same variety
Class 2: Plums, any variety (3)
Class 3: Grapes, any variety (2 bunches)
Class 4: Strawberries, (1 pint)
Class 5: Gooseberries, green or red (1 pint)
Class 6: Cherries (1 pint)
Class 7: Pears, any variety (2)
Class 8: Rhubarb, remove all green portion of leaf, leave base of stem (3)
Class 9: Any other variety of fruit, with stems (2 if large, 1 pint if small)
Classes – Fruit without Stems
Class 10: Raspberries (1 pint)
Class 11: Blackberries (1 pint)
Class 12: Blueberries (1 pint)
Class 13: Haskap (Honeyberry), any variety (1 pint)
Class 14: Peaches (2)
Class 15: Apricots (2)
Class 16: Any other variety of tree, vine or bush fruit
Division E – Honey
Classes
Class 1: Display comb honey (1 frame)
Class 2: Honey, chunk of comb
Class 3: Honey, cream
Class 4: Creative, extracted honey *Judged based on display.
Class 5: Creative, beeswax (2 items) *Judge based on display.
Class 6: Honey, any other (1 8oz jar)
Division F – Eggs
Eggs should be clean and as uniform as possible.
CLASSES
Class 1: Chicken eggs, white half dozen
Class 2: Chicken eggs, colored half dozen
Class 3: Turkey, half dozen
Class 4: Goose, half dozen
Class 5: Duck, half dozen
Class 6: Any other variety, half dozen
Division G – Container Grown Gardens
Classes
Class 1: Fruit, Vegetable, or Herb Container – Each different container may be a separate entry. Container is limited to 3-5gallon vessel.
Class 2: Container Garden – Must contain a minimum of three (3) different varieties of plants. This may include fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Container is limited to 3-7 gallon vessel. For example, a culinary herb garden, a salsa garden, a pasta garden.
Division H – Wool
Guidelines & Reminders
The finer the wool, the higher the quality. In fact, the character of a fleece is judged by the evenness, distinctiveness, overall uniformity, and number of crimps in the fibers. Please choose a representative sample to judge these qualities. An exhibit must be submitted in a clear gallon size bag.
Classes
Class 1: Sheep
Class 2: Rabbit
Class 3: Llama
Class 4: Goat
Class 5: Other type of wool (not listed above)
Division I – Herbs
All Herbs must be grown by exhibitor.
Classes
Class 1: Herb, dried display, single variety
Class 2: Herbs, dried display, multiple variety
Division J – Garden Exhibits
Guidelines & Reminders
Individual and Master Garden Exhibits will be judged by the following point scale:
50 points on quality of exhibit
25 points on varieties
25 points on appearance of display
Exhibitor must supply a list of plant material used in the display. Pictures and other materials may be used to enhance the exhibit.
Classes
Class 1: Individual Garden Exhibit – Exhibitors are required to include no less than 5 different items and no more than 10 items.
Class 2: Master Garden Exhibit – Exhibitors are required to include no less than 25 different items. Exhibitors are required to show active certification within the Montana Master Gardener Program.
Class 3: Group Garden Exhibit – Exhibitors are required to include no less than 10 different items and no more than 15 items. Examples of groups include but are not limited to school groups or clubs, community interest groups, group homes, etc.
Division K – Garden Friends
Guidelines & Reminders
All entries must be handmade or decorated by exhibitor.
Classes
Class 1: Scarecrows
Class 2: Gnomes
Class 3: Faries
Class 4: Animal figures