Guidelines for 4-H Animal Exhibits:

Each species committee has adopted its own rules. Exact information, such as the actual date, will be published in newsletters and/or mailed to project members. If you have questions, contact project superintendents.

2026 Animal and Livestock Requirements:  All Beef, Dairy, Goats, Sheep, and Swine are required to have a valid premise I.D Number and appropriate 4-H animal enrollment forms for entry at the Newton County Fair.  These animals cannot unload without these documents and proper identification.

Each 4-H member shall own his/her 4-H exhibit. Ownership, personal possession, and regular care of the animal must be in effect on or before the county and state enrollment deadlines and continuously until after the 4-H show at the county and/or state fair.

  1. For 4-H breeding animals: family corporations and/or partnerships of 4-H members with one or more parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or legal guardians are acceptable.
  2. For 4-H dairy cattle: family corporations and/or partnerships of the 4-H member with unrelated persons or dairy operations are also acceptable.
  3. Dairy cows (as long as the animal is being shown by same 4-H'er from 2020 and forward) and heifers, horses, ponies, alpacas and llamas may be leased subject to approval of both the county 4-H dairy, horse and pony, or llama committee and the respective County Extension Educator. 4-H animals (horse and pony, dairy, alpacas and llamas) are only eligible to be leased by a single 4-H member in a 4-H program year.
  4. 4-H animals are expected to be in the possession and regular care of the 4-H member who owns/leases them (unless other arrangements have been agreed upon by the County 4-H Extension Educator) from the animal ID deadline until the conclusion of the county and/or state fair.
  5. 4-H market animals and commercial animals must be individually identified and verified under the supervision of the county 4-H program at county identification events by May 15th each year (or the following business day if the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday). These species include market lambs and commercial ewes, dairy wethers, dairy feeder steers, dairy beef steers, beef steers, market and commercial heifers, meat goat wethers, and market wether dams.
  6. 4-H animals purchased, sold or offered for sale after the ID deadline and prior to the Indiana State Fair (including animals that have gone through a "Premium Only Auction"), shall not be eligible to show in the 4-H show at the Indiana State Fair. Sale of products of animals (milk, cheese, wool, etc.) in lieu of the animal, are considered equivalent to a "Premium Only Auction."
  7. 4-H animals exhibited after the May 15 (or the following business day if the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday) State 4-H animal ID deadline at any show by anyone other than the individual whose 4-H enrollment record is connected to the ID of the animal in Indiana 4-H Online will not be eligible to be shown in the 4-H show at the Indiana State Fair. This term/condition does not apply to siblings, who may show each other’s animals at any show during the year without jeopardizing State Fair eligibility. 4-H animals that are selected by 4-H Extension Staff or 4-H Adult Volunteers for use in supreme showmanship contests (Master Showmanship, Round Robin, etc.) may be used in those county events without jeopardizing State Fair eligibility. This policy applies to all 4-H animal projects. For animal projects without state ID deadlines, the person who enters them in the Indiana State Fair 4-H show is the equivalent of the owner of the animals.
  8. Temporary guardianships established for the intent of animal exhibition or grooming purposes are not permitted and shall result in immediate disqualification.

See State Fair Terms and Conditions section of this handbook for the Indiana State Fair species ownership guidelines.

 

For more State 4-H Policies, please go to https://extension.purdue.edu/4-H/about/policies-and-procedures/index.html.