Livestock Shows

1. All Boone County Fair youth exhibitors must be enrolled and a member in good standing in a  4-H Livestock project or an FFA SAE program in Boone County or register as an out-of-county exhibitor. Exhibitors must designate as in-county or out-of-county exhibitor. The livestock shows are all open youth shows.
2. Each exhibit shall be OWNED AND UNDER THE CARE OF THE EXHIBITOR and shall represent work accomplished with the 4-H or FFA project during the current year.
3. Females of all species will be allowed to be shown in their respective market class. Females can also be sold at the Livestock Auction, subject to all other rules as described herein. Animals will cross the scale ONCE. No re-weighs will be allowed. Both weigh-ins will be conducted with superintendent, fair board member and at least one other volunteer present and monitoring weights at the scale.
4. All discrepancies or decisions will be at the discretion of the Boone County Fair Board. All decisions are final.
5. 4-H and FFA exhibitors may own their livestock in partnership (joint ownership) with immediate family. (Immediate family is defined as brother, sister, blended brother/sister, grandparent, parent or legal guardian of the exhibitor.)
6. Believing it is in the best interest of all youth exhibitors to maintain a reputation of integrity and to present a wholesome image, the Boone County Fair sets forth the following regulation: 4-H and FFA members are expected to conduct themselves according to the best traditions of their respective organizations as outlined in Missouri 4-H Youth Code of Conduct and Missouri FFA Code of Ethics. Inappropriate conduct (such as alcohol and substance abuse, stealing, vandalism, and indiscreet behavior) will NOT be tolerated: all livestock premiums will be forfeited, and the exhibitor will be disqualified from the Livestock Auction and/or the sale nullified.
7. All exhibitors must complete the required Show Me Quality Assurance (SMQA) training for their age in order to be eligible to show.
8. Exhibitors must be at the Show and at the Livestock Sale, except for a medical emergency in the family or a conflicting 4-H or FFA event as permitted by the Fair Board, or any Youth-related Activity on the Boone County Fairgrounds, in order to sell and receive premiums.
9. The day of each show, there will be a MANDATORY exhibitor meeting. All exhibitors MUST be at this meeting. If you have a conflict, you MUST contact the animal superintendent BEFORE the meeting. Schedule for meetings will be released with advanced notice.
10. Parents are responsible for the actions of their children.
11. Exhibitors are responsible for the feeding, watering, bedding, cleanliness, care and security of their animals while on the Fairgrounds.
12. No drenching of animals at the Boone County Fair without veterinarian approval and supervision.
13. Any alleged rule violation must be accompanied by a $100 cash deposit in order to be investigated. If the protest is upheld, the fee will be returned. If the protest is denied, the fee will be retained by the Boone County Fair. The depositor has the right to present their opinion to the Fair Board.
14. If an animal loses its required identification after the required identification or weigh-in date, the exhibitor must notify the species superintendent in writing via text or email as soon as the missing identification is discovered. Replacement identification numbers must be sent immediately to the superintendent. The superintendent is allowed to request further identification information, if necessary. The animal’s health certificate must reflect the animal’s current identification number by weigh-in. If an animal arrives on show day without required identification that corresponds to the superintendent’s current records and also to the health papers, the animal will be required to leave the fairgrounds and will not be eligible for show or sale.
15. A challenge to verification of animal identity must be made to the species superintendent within 24 hours of the show’s completion. The cost of complaint fee must accompany a written complaint.
16. All rule changes for the current show year must be made by October 1 with no rule changes made after for the current fair year.
17. Violation of any rule may result in disqualification from the current fair, including sale, and the subsequent county fair. The fair board reserves the right to determine any consequences for rule violations.

Entries

18. All exhibitors shall complete a livestock entry form online listing all animals. Entry fees are listed on the livestock entry website for each animal
19. Entries will be considered late if all payments and registration are not received by June 25, 2027. Entries that are not completely filled out or do not include the correct fee payment will NOT be accepted without a late fee payment. In-county exhibitors who do not register by the registration date will be allowed to register and incur a $100 late fee per animal entered.

20. Pre-entry or weigh-in forms turned in prior to the fair do NOT substitute for the  required Livestock Entry.

21. Exhibitors must declare at weigh-in or pre-entry if they will be showing the species in  4-H or FFA. An exhibitor may show one species in 4-H and another species in FFA, but is NOT allowed to show multiple animals of one species in both 4-H and FFA.

22. Animal identification is required on the Livestock Registration. Substitutions for breeding stock must be approved by the appropriate show superintendents.
23. Market animals that are at the first weigh in (market beef February, market lambs & market goats – May) can be entered as an individual or immediate family (father, mother, brother, sister, blended brother/sister, grandparent or legal guardian only).
24. All youth livestock shows are open to reciprocating counties. These exhibitors will pay the same entry fee and will be allowed to show in all classes. If the champion and/or reserve champion animal is shown by an out-of-county exhibitor, we will then select an in-county champion and/or reserve. 
25. Out-of-county exhibitors are not allowed to participate in rate-of-gain or home-raised classes. Out-of- county animals will not be allowed to sell at the livestock auction.
26. All out-of-county exhibitors are allowed to register online up until the day of the show. Same day entries will be accepted for out of county exhibitors.
27. All exhibited animals must be free of any visible signs of infection, illness, contagious disease or parasites. This includes visible lesions, abscesses, ringworm or warts. Exhibitors may be asked to remove any project animal not in good health. Dismissal will be at the discretion of the superintendent, judge, and/or fair board.

Home Raised Classes

28. Home raised for all Boone County livestock projects is defined as: any animal whose dam is owned by the exhibitor or a member of the immediate family (father, mother, brother, sister, blended brother/sister, grandparent or legal guardian only), at the time of birth, and is born on the local property that is owned or managed by the immediate family of the exhibitor. The animal must be cared for from birth to exhibition by the exhibitor on the local property. The dam does not have to be owned by the exhibitor/family at the time of breeding.

 

Animal Health Regulations

29. All youth livestock exhibitors must abide by current health regulations of the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
30. At the time of printing, the following is the current set of guidelines for Missouri Animal Health Requirements for exhibition.
    • Cattle: In accordance with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Missouri State Fair health guidelines, all cattle (including steers) must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate) to be eligible to show.

• Swine: In accordance with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Missouri State Fair health guidelines, all swine (including barrows) must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate) to be eligible to show. 
  • Sheep: In accordance with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Missouri State Fair health guidelines, all sheep (including wethers) must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate) to be eligible to This health certificate must have been written within 30 days of exhibition. All sheep must also be identified either by ear tag, electronic implant, or tattoo.
  • Goats: In accordance with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Missouri State Fair health guidelines, all goats (including wethers) must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (health certificate) to be eligible to This health certificate must have been written within 30 days of exhibition. All goats must also be identified either by ear tag, electronic implant, or tattoo.
• Poultry: Must have no signs of contagious or infectious disease. A representative from the Missouri Department of Agriculture shall have access to this event and may inspect or test poultry as considered necessary. This testing is done at the time of entry (See Poultry rules).

Youth Livestock Auction

31. Exhibitors may sell animals from a maximum of two species in the Livestock Auction. Generally, an exhibitor may sell only one animal/pen per species. If an exhibitor is awarded both Grand Champion and Reserve Champion within the same species, both animals will be required to sell. For purposes of the exhibitor’s sale limit, the Grand and Reserve Champion animals from that species will collectively count as one species/sale slot, allowing the exhibitor to sell one eligible animal from one additional different species (e.g. exhibitor wins Grand Market Goat and Reserve Market Chicken Pen but also brings a market swine to the fair. That exhibitor would be allowed to sell the swine in the auction in addition to the required grand & reserve animals). Any animal awarded Grand Champion or Reserve Champion is required to sell, even when doing so results in the exhibitor selling more than two individual animals.
32. All Grand & Reserve in-county market species winners MUST sell at the Livestock auction.
33. The day of the auction, there will be a MANDATORY auction exhibitor meeting. All exhibitors MUST be present at this meeting. If you have a conflict, you MUST contact the Livestock Committee Chair BEFORE the meeting.
34. All animals in the Livestock Auction must have received a blue ribbon in their show, unless approved by the Fair Board.
35. The sale species order will be determined by the Livestock Committee and approved by the Fair Board each year.
36. All sales are final at price offered. Failure to comply will result in loss of opportunity to participate in any future auctions with any species at the Boone County Fair.
37. Settlement will be made within 30 days following the Boone County Fair Livestock Auction pending payment by the buyer. Buyer must pay in full before exhibitor receives payment.
38. All livestock purchases will be paid in full and processed through the Boone County Fair, not paid directly to the seller. The person registered to the buyer number is responsible for payment. Consequences for not following payment rules will be that the seller will not be allowed to sell the following year.
39. Boone County Fair livestock exhibitors will not be allowed to sell an animal in the livestock auction if they have already sold in a previous county fair livestock auction of that same If an exhibitor sells an animal of ANY KIND/SPECIES in any previous or subsequent county fair livestock auction, the sale in Boone County will be nullified and the payout check will be voided. Exhibitors who sell in an additional county fair livestock auctions, before or after the Boone County Fair of that year, and who are awarded Grand or Reserve Champion animal of any species, will be treated as an out-of-county exhibitor in the eyes of the Boone County Fair livestock auction.

Showmanship Classes

40. Showmanship is for in-county exhibitors only. 
41. The following exhibitor ages (as of Jan. 1, current year) will be used to determine placement in all Boone County Fair Showmanship competitions. There will be 3 youth showmanship age divisions for each show. The divisions will be the following:
    • Junior Showmanship: 8-11
    • Intermediate Showmanship: 12-15
    • Senior Showmanship: 16 and over

Master Showman Award

42. The Master Showman is a round robin type competition where the champion intermediate & senior showman from each showmanship division will compete against each other by showing each market species identified in the guidelines. The Master Showman from the Senior and Intermediate division will receive a custom-made belt buckle.
43. Eligibility:
    • Youth must be a member of Boone County 4-H or
    • Youth must be selected as the champion showman of their age division in one of the market shows (Beef, Goat, Sheep, & Swine) at the Boone County Fair.
44. Master showman contest will be Friday morning before Time will be announced on Livestock Show Schedule.
45. Adult volunteers will identify livestock to be used for this show by getting permission from other exhibitors not in the competition to use their livestock and equipment (brushes, halters & show sticks).
46. Showmen will not be able to use their own livestock or a family member’s livestock for this competition.
47. Showmen will draw numbers to determine which specific animal they will show for each area of the competition.
48. Animals will be shown unfit.
49. Showmen will show animals in the following areas:
    • Market beef
    • Market goat
    • Market sheep
    • Market swine
50. If an exhibitor is eligible to participate in the Master Showman Contest in more than one species, he/she will represent the first species where he/she was awarded champion showman. The second-place winner in their unrepresented species will serve as the champion showman for that area.
51. If an exhibitor who has won champion of one of the divisions elects not to participate in the master showman contest, then the second place showman in that division will represent that species.
52. Once an exhibitor has been chosen as Master Showman of their age division, they cannot compete again for master showman in that age division.
53. Master showman will be selected at the discretion of the judge and the judge’s decision is final.

Market Carcass & 3-Point Competition

54. The Boone County Fair may offer a Carcass/Ultrasound Evaluation and 3-Point Competition for eligible market livestock species. Participating species may include Market Beef, Market Swine, Market Sheep and Market Goats, as determined annually by the Livestock Committee and Fair Board.
55. The competition is open to Boone County 4-H and FFA exhibitors only. Animals must meet all ownership, identification, weigh-in, health, entry and other eligibility requirements for their respective species.
56. To qualify for the 3-Point Competition, an animal must participate in all three components:

• Live Market Show
• Rate of Gain
• Carcass/Ultrasound Evaluation

The same animal must be used for all three components. An exhibitor may enter more than one eligible animal; however, each animal will be scored separately.

Carcass/Ultrasound Evaluation

57. Ultrasound measurements will be collected by a qualified ultrasound technician at a date and time established by the Livestock Committee.
58. Carcass evaluation will be based upon recognized carcass measurements appropriate for each species. Measurements may include ribeye/loin eye area, backfat thickness, intramuscular fat/marbling and other appropriate carcass characteristics.
59. Because desirable carcass characteristics differ among species, each species will be evaluated and ranked separately using criteria appropriate for that species.
60. The Livestock Committee will approve the carcass scoring criteria prior to the Fair. The scoring criteria will be made available to exhibitors prior to the competition.
61. The highest-scoring animal in each participating species will be recognized as Champion Carcass Animal, and the second-highest will be recognized as Reserve Champion Carcass Animal.

Rate of Gain

62. Rate of Gain will be calculated using the animal’s official initial weigh-in weight and official Fair weight.
63. Average Daily Gain (ADG) will be calculated by dividing the total pounds gained by the number of days between official weigh-ins.
64. Animals will be ranked within their respective species according to Average Daily Gain for purposes of the 3-Point Competition.

Live Show Component

65. The animal’s placing in the regular Boone County Fair market show will be used for the live-show component of the 3-Point Competition.
66. The regular selection of Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Market Animal will remain separate from the 3-Point Competition. Results of the 3-Point Competition will not change or replace the judge’s live-show placings.
67. Beef/Sheep/Goat Scoring:

Each eligible animal will receive points based upon its ranking in each of the following categories:

• Live Market Show – 20% of total score
• Rate of Gain – 40% of total score
• Carcass/Ultrasound Evaluation – 40% of total score

68. Swine Scoring:

• Live Market Show – 40% of total score
• Carcass/ultrasound evaluation – 60% of total score

69. The animal receiving the highest combined score within each species will be named the 3-Point Champion, and the animal receiving the second-highest combined score will be named the Reserve 3-Point Champion. In the event of a tie, the higher Carcass/Ultrasound Evaluation score will serve as the first tiebreaker, followed by Rate of Gain and then Live Market Show placing.

70. SCORING SYSTEM :

Live class placing	Points
1st	100
2nd	90
3rd	80
4th	70
5th	60
Below 5th	50

Rate of Gain Placing & Carcass Placing	Points	Rate of Gain Placing & Carcass Placing	Points
1st	100	11th	50
2nd	95	12th	45
3rd	90	13th	40
4th	85	14th	35
5th	80	15th	30
6th	75	16th	25
7th	70	17th	20
8th	65	18th	15
9th	60	19th	10
10th	55	20th	5

Placement points for each component will be multiplied by the assigned percentage weight for that component. The weighted component scores will then be added together to determine the animal’s Total 3-Point Score.

Example:

• 3rd in live class = 80 × 20% = 16
• 2nd carcass = 90 × 40% = 36
• 5th ROG = 60 × 40% = 24
• Overall score = 76