Ohio's century-long history of butter cows at the state fair

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Columbus saw its first butter cow display in two years unveiled Tuesday as the Ohio State Fair prepared to reopen to the public.

The traditional butter cow and calf are being shown by young exhibitors inside the butter cooler at the Ohio State Fair this year. The display, presented by the American Dairy Association Mideast, celebrates the fair’s agricultural heritage. (Courtesy Photo/American Dairy Association Mideast)
The butter display returns to the Ohio State Fair this year, honoring the fair’s agricultural roots by depicting youth exhibitors who work hard to raise their animals and show them at the fair. (Courtesy Photo/American Dairy Association Mideast)
After missing the fair for the past two summers, the butter cow is not only back in the Dairy Products Building, but it’s the biggest display ever. The theme pays homage to the agricultural heritage of the Ohio State Fair. (Courtesy Photo/American Dairy Association Mideast)
The butter cow is back at the Ohio State Fair, and this year it’s being shown by a young exhibitor. Four other exhibitors in the display proudly show a calf, lamb, chicken and pig, all depicted in life-size butter sculptures. It’s a theme that honors the agricultural roots of the Ohio State Fair. (Courtesy Photo/American Dairy Association Mideast)
For the first time ever, the traditional butter cow and calf are joined by other farm animals inside the butter cooler. This year’s butter display celebrates the agricultural roots of the fair, depicting young exhibitors showing their animals. (Courtesy Photo/American Dairy Association Mideast)
Technical sculptor Paul Brooke works inside a 46-degree cooler to chisel the details of this year’s butter display. Fairgoers returning to the fair this year can enjoy the biggest butter display ever, which took over 2,500 pounds of butter to create. (Courtesy Photo/American Dairy Association Mideast)
Tammy Buerk sculpts the traditional butter calf inside a cooler at the Ohio State Fair. For the first time in three years, the butter display is back and bigger than ever. Fairgoers can gaze upon more than 2,500 pounds of butter, artfully crafted into life-size sculptures. (Courtesy Photo/American Dairy Association Mideast)
A team of technical sculptors were back inside the cooler at the Ohio State Fair for the first time in three years to sculpt the biggest butter display ever. More than 2,500 pounds of butter were used to create a massive display celebrating the kids who work hard to raise their animals and show them at the fair. (Courtesy Photo/American Dairy Association Mideast)

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the butter sculptures vanishing, along with any gathering beyond the 4-H competitive livestock shows in the two years prior. Before that, however, the butter cows have gone hand in hand with the state fair for over a century in a tradition dating to 1903.

The first butter cow was not its own attraction, but was part of a butter sculpting contest sponsored by the Ohio State University and the Dairy Processors of Ohio, according to the Ohio State Fair. However, when butter distributors A.T. Shelton & Company made a life-size cow out of the product, it became so popular that the fair cemented it as a permanent tradition.

Fast forward to the present, and each year the American Dairy Association Mideast uses over 2,200 pounds of butter past its expiration date, spending around 500 hours working on the sculptures.

Look below for a selection of past butter cows and their accompanying themes from 2019 to 2015.

2019: Apollo 11 moon landing

(Courtesy Photo/American Dairy Association Mideast)

The 2019 butter display honored the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, and included sculptures of Neil Armstrong next to the lunar module, the full Apollo 11 crew, the official Apollo 11 patch and the traditional butter cow and calf.

From left to right, Ohio native Neil Armstrong is walking on the moon, saluting the flag. The sculpture next to the geared-up space explorer shows Armstrong with his fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

This display also included the first butter cow and calf sculpture to feature ear tags. One of them reads “Apollo” and the other “11.”

2018: A Christmas Story

(NBC4 File Photo)
(NBC4 File Photo)
(NBC4 File Photo)
(NBC4 File Photo)

2018’s wide array featured Ralphie in his bunny suit, a Christmas tree decorated with real twinkling lights, Randy in his snowsuit and the iconic leg lamp. The display paid tribute to the movie “A Christmas Story,” which was filmed in Cleveland in 1983.

2017: Salute to chocolate milk

The 2017 display saw the traditional cow and calf accompanied by a gigantic chocolate milk bottle, as well as four student-athletes who drink it. The bottle reaffirms this with the Ohio High School Athletic Association logo, which says chocolate milk is the organization’s official beverage.

The athletes in this display showed off weight lifting, soccer, tennis and baseball.

2016: Cleveland Cavaliers take NBA championship

At the 2016 Ohio State Fair, the American Dairy Association Mideast paid tribute to the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. In June, the team rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA championship. The display featured the mascot duo Sir C.C. and Moondog, as well as a replica of the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

2015: The Ohio State Buckeyes are College Football champions

(NBC4 File Photo)
(NBC4 File Photo)
(NBC4 File Photo)
(NBC4 File Photo)

The Buckeyes got their own tribute in the 2015 butter sculpture display. The American Dairy Association Mideast picked the team for their next project after they won against the Oregon Ducks to take the inaugural College Football Playoff national championship. Included in the sculptures were mascot Brutus Buckeye, coach Urban Meyer and an OSU football helmet.