4-H / FFA LIVESTOCK GENERAL RULES
Overall Rules and Appropriate Conduct
- All Boone County Junior Fair Exhibitors must be enrolled and a member in good standing in a 4-H Livestock project or an FFA SAE program in Boone County.
- 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.
- 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.
- ALL Animals will cross the scale ONCE. No re-weighs will be allowed.
- All discrepancies or decisions will be at the discretion of the Boone County Fair Board. All decisions are final.
- 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.)
- Believing it is in the best interest of all junior 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.
- All exhibitors must complete the required Show Me Quality Assurance (SMQA) training for their age in order to be eligible to show.
- 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 Livestock Auction Committee, or any Youth-related Activity on the Boone County Fairgrounds in order to sell.
- 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.
- All animals that are being sold in the Livestock Auction are required to stay at the Boone County Fairgrounds until after the completion of the Livestock Auction on Friday night. Animals not being selected for sale, or that are being shown as breeding stock, are not required to stay but are highly encouraged to stay. All species will arrive on their designated show day at the specified time (see show calendar for details) and show order will be rotated on an annual basis.
- Stall assignments will be posted in the barns if possible. It is very important to check stall assignments prior to unloading.
- Parents are responsible for the actions of their children.
- No drenching of animals at the Boone County Fair without veterinarian approval and supervision.
- Any alleged rule violation must be accompanied by a $100 cash deposit in order to be investigated, if valid than the deposit will be returned, if not valid the deposit goes to the species committee. The depositor has the right to present their opinion to the chairman.
- A challenge to verification of animal identity must be made to a species committee chairman within 24 hours of the show’s completion. The cost of complaint fee must accompany a written complaint.
- 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.
- Violation of any rule may result in disqualification from the current fair, including sale, and the subsequent county fair.
Entries
- All exhibitors shall complete a livestock entry form online listing all animals. Entry fees are listed on the livestock entry website for each animal division. All Exhibitors must purchase an exhibitor pass.
- Entries will be considered late if all payments and registration are not received by June 27, 2025. Entries that are not completely filled out or do not include the correct fee payment will NOT be accepted.
- Pre-entry or weigh-in forms turned in prior to the fair do NOT substitute for the required Livestock Entry.
- 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.
- Animal identification is required on the Livestock Entry Form. Substitutions for breeding stock must be approved by the appropriate show superintendents.
- 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, or legal guardian only).
- All livestock shows are open to reciprocating counties. These exhibitors will pay the same entry fee and will be allowed to show in the market division classes. If the champion and/or reserve champion market animal is shown by an out-of-county exhibitor, we will then select an in-county champion and/or reserve.
- 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.
- All out-of-county exhibitors are allowed to register online by the deadline date of in-county exhibitors. Same day entries will also be accepted for out-of-county exhibitors.
Home Raised Classes
- 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, 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.
- Exhibitors may only have one animal in the home-raised class per species. Animal Health Regulations
- All junior livestock exhibitors must abide by current health regulations of the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
- 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 show. 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 show. 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. Poultry must have a VS Form 9- 2 (or similar certificate) showing a negative Pullorum-Typhoid test within the past 90 days to exhibition, or originate from a flock approved by the NPIP. Waterfowl are exempt from this testing requirement. 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 #13 under small animal rules).
Junior Livestock Auction
- Exhibitors may only sell two animals (one per species) in the Livestock Auction. If an Exhibitor has more than two animals that have been awarded Grand and/or Reserve Champion Overall, the Exhibitor will be required to sell EACH animal that has been awarded Grand and/or Reserve Champion Overall.
- The day of the auction, there will be a MANDATORY exhibitor meeting. All exhibitors MUST be represented at this meeting. If you have a conflict, you MUST contact the Livestock Committee Chair BEFORE the meeting.
- All animals in the Livestock Auction must have received a Blue ribbon in their show.
- Animals offered for sale in the Livestock Auction must meet the following minimum weight requirements.
- Market Beef –1,100 pounds
- Swine –230 pounds
- Lambs – 110 pounds
- Meat Goats – 60 pounds
- Poultry Meat Pen – 3 per pen of same breed, same sex, per pen; 6-8 weeks of age
- Rabbit Meat Pen – 3 per pen of same breed and variety; not over 5.5 lbs each; 10 weeks of age.
- Once an animal has been offered for sale or is sold, it will not be allowed to be shown at the Missouri State Fair unless a premium sale is held locally, or if a Missouri State Fair Advance Sales Agreement is signed by all parties, exhibitor and buyer(s). Missouri State Fair Advance Sales Agreements are the responsibility of each exhibitor.
- The sale species order will be determined by the Livestock Committee and approved by the Fair Board each year.
- Market beef, sheep, meat goats, swine, and rabbit and poultry meat pens that are offered for sale in the Livestock Auction will NOT be released until the conclusion of the auction on Friday.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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 year. 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
- Showmanship is for exhibitors representing Boone County only.
- 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
- 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.
- Eligibility:
- Youth must be a member of Boone County 4-H or FFA.
- 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.
- Master showman contest will be Friday morning before noon. Time will be announced.
- 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).
- Showmen will not be able to use their own livestock or a family member’s livestock for this competition.
- Showmen will draw numbers to determine which specific animal they will show for each area of the competition.
- Animals will be shown unfit.
- Showmen will show animals in the following areas:
- Market beef
- Market goat
- Market sheep
- Market swine
- 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.
- 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.
- Once an exhibitor has been chosen as Master Showman of their age division, they cannot compete again for master showman in that age division.
- Master showman will be selected at the discretion of the judge and the judge’s decision is final.
Herdsmanship and Sportsmanship Awards
- Herdsmanship is not an individual award. The award will be given to the club or chapter that exhibits the qualities of good herdsmanship in the areas of animal care, exhibitor conduct, cleanliness of alley and stalls, appearance of animals and educational information about the species. Herdsmanship awards will be announced at the beginning of the livestock auction.
- Sportsmanship is an individual award which is voted on by the exhibitors of each species. One exhibitor for each species will be recognized as the sportsmanship winner. Voting will take place before the livestock auction and will be awarded at the auction.