4-H Dairy Department
   Judging Time
           Sunday, July 19th  9:00a.m.,
      Inside Arena

(Beginning with Dairy Females and concluding with the Dairy Steers)

Note: Dairy Feeder Steers and Dairy Steers will show after the Dairy Heifers on Sunday, July 19th  approximately 1-2 pm.

RULES: Read pages 21-24 regarding General Animal/Exhibition Rules, Grooming Policy and Indiana 4-H Quality Assurance policy. The 4honline animal enrollment is due May 15 annually and FairEntry July 6, 2026.

  To be eligible for ISF, ALL DAIRY animals must submit HAIR SAMPLES for possible DNA testing!


  1. 4-H dairy females must be registered in the herd book of their breed association; or the 4-H dairy female must have a V.I.P. status from the Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) or in the lease program. Certificates of Registration or Qualified Holstein herd book or V.I.P. Identification will be examined.
  2. All animals must be identified by either their own registration number or their dam’s registration number. Enrollments will not be accepted on that list “Papers Applied For”. The animal’s birth date, name and tattoo (if required for registration by the respective breed association) must be listed on the 4-H online livestock enrollment page and these numbers must match the animal’s registration paper. All 4-H members’ dairy cows and heifers must be owned or leased and enrolled by the  4-H exhibitor by May 15th and must remain under that 4-H member’s continuous care and responsibility through  the date of the 4-H dairy show at the Putnam County fair or the Indiana State Fair if the 4-H’er is exhibiting at the State Fair.
  3. For ISF, in addition to tagging ID for dairy feeder steers, DNA hair samples will be required.  The hair samples will be due in the county office by May 15th for dairy feeder steers.  Envelopes will be provided at the County Extension Office. 
  4. Registration papers must be made available upon request for checking tattoos or color patterns at the stalls upon arrival. Dairy cows and heifers whose tattoos or color patterns do not match their registration paper will be placed in the “Grade” Class and will not be eligible for the overall title of Grand/Reserve.  Acceptable registrations are (1) in the 4-H member’s name, (2) John Smith & Sons, (3) John Smith, Sons & Daughters, (4) John Smith & Family (family includes sons, daughters, and legal guardian youth only),  (5) Mark Smith (brother) & Mary Smith (sister), (6)  Family Corporations, where the 4-H member’s name appears as a holder of stock in the corporation and proof of the same must be supplied on or before the enrollment date,  (7)  Family partnership where the 4-H’ers father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent, and/or legal guardian is also in the family partnership and the 4-H member’s name appears on the legal, notarized partnership.  A copy of the written document must be submitted to the Extension office before the enrollment deadline. 
  5. A dairy cow or heifer may be co-enrolled by siblings.  The animal(s) only need to be listed on one sibling's 4-H member’s animal electronic enrollment form.  However, only one 4-H-er may exhibit the animal.
  6. A 4-H’er will be permitted to exhibit more than one breed of dairy cattle but may exhibit only two animals in each class. If an exhibitor has two animals that are in the same class, then another Putnam County 4-H’er must show the second animal.
  7. All dairy breeds [includes crosses, steers, cows (females)] must have an RFID (e.g. 840, EID) tag. These tags are available at the Extension office for $2 each.
  8. All calves must be castrated and dehorned and these areas must be healed prior to the Putnam County Fair.  Any young calf or cow with horns longer than 3 inches will not be allowed to exhibit at the fair.  In-tact bull calves will not be allowed at the fair.
  9. All non-milking cows can arrive between 12 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday, July 17th and between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. Saturday July 18th. Milking cows must arrive Saturday, July 18th by 9:00 p.m. and are released after they show. Non-milking dairy animals' early release will be Friday morning, July 24th, starting at 12:01 am until 8:00 am. and then final release will be  Saturday morning starting at 12:01 am until 8:00 am.  All livestock and tack must be gone by 8 am Saturday.
  10. 4-H Exhibits must remain on exhibit at the Putnam County Fair until established release time, unless approved by the Superintendent and 4-H Youth Educator.  For any exhibit removed from display prior to the official release time, placings and prizes (ribbons, medals, trophies, etc.) will be forfeited.  The current year Achievement Program recognition for that project will be forfeited.
  11. The Dairy Lease Program is only for 4-H members who do not own their own dairy cow and/or heifers. 4-H members may not enroll both leased and owned dairy animals. Leasing a dairy heifer will be considered the equivalent of ownership. The 4-H member should be regularly involved in the care of the heifer regardless of where the heifer is kept, and the 4-H member should have exclusive show rights to the heifer during the 4-H lease period from May 15th through the Putnam County 4-H Dairy show and the Indiana State Fair, if exhibiting at the State Fair. Leased 4-H dairy heifers must be registered (although it is not necessary to have the registration paper transferred to the 4-H member’s name) by May 15th with their registration number listed on the 4-H member’s dairy enrollment form.  A lease agreement form must also be submitted to the Dairy Superintendent by May 15th.  The superintendent reserves the right to deny the 4-Her the ability to lease an animal.
  12. All livestock exhibited must meet health requirements as designated by the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. Indiana livestock exhibitors no longer have to present a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) at Indiana shows under state law. All livestock exhibitors were required by the state to obtain premise identification by September 1, 2006. If you have not completed this premise identification, please contact the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. For additional questions about Indiana's premise ID program contact BOAH at animalID@boah.in.gov or 317-544-2381
  13. DAIRY SCRAMBLE

   Dairy Bucket class is open to first year 4-H dairy exhibitors who were in grades 3rd - 5th on January 1st of the current year.

    a.) Sign up must occur during the previous year’s fair to be eligible for the bucket calf project. Please contact the dairy superintendent at the Dairy Barn for specific instructions and details to sign up for the dairy bucket calf project.
    b.) 4-H’ers participating in the bucket calf class can have only one dairy animal at the county fair.
    c.) The free bucket calf will be provided at approximately 6 weeks of age and be identified with a county tag and RFID.  Calf will also be dehorned and castrated before delivery.
    d.) In case of an unavoidable circumstance, such as death, a replacement calf will not be permitted for exhibition. The 4-H’er must contact the dairy superintendent to submit an alternative exhibit for the dairy bucket calf project.
  1. DAIRY FEEDER STEER

    Exhibitors must bring feeder steers to the weigh-in on March 7th from 9-11am to get feeder steers weighed and ear tagged. An electronic RFID and a county tag will be placed in each animal with a fee of $4 per head.  If the steer fails to make weigh-in, it will NOT be eligible to compete for the Rate of Gain award.  All steers are required to come to weigh-in to get a county tag and an RFID tag.  If the calf was shown in the previous year and already has a county tag and RFID tag and the 4-Her does not want to compete for Rate of Gain, then the steer does not need to come to weigh-in.  If you cannot make it to weigh-in and your animal needs an RFID tag or county tag then you must make arrangements with the Extension office to get this done before May 15th.

a.) Steer must be 100% Dairy Feeder Steer, either purebred or a mix of dairy breeds. The 4-H exhibitor may exhibit one (1) or two (2) dairy feeder calves.
b.) The calves must weigh between 300 and 700 pounds at fair weigh-in.
c.) Calves will be slick shown (clipping optional).
d.) Dairy Feeder Steers must be castrated and dehorned and healed prior to exhibition.
e.) Show sticks are optional but encouraged.
  1. DAIRY MARKET STEER

   Dairy market steer(s) must be 100% dairy blood.

a.) All dairy market steers must be weighed and tagged with a five-digit county ear tag during the weigh-in to be eligible to exhibit. The cost of the tag and RFID tag will be $ 2.00 per tag or $4.00 per head, and needs to be paid when weigh-in and ear tagging takes place.
b.) Show sticks are optional but encouraged.
c.) For county exhibition a dairy market steer must weigh at least 701 pounds and over. (To be eligible to show at the Indiana State Fair a dairy market steer must weigh at least 1,000 pounds.)
d.) The age requirement for dairy steers will correspond with the Indiana State Fair 4-H Dairy Steer rules.
  1. When 4-H members are showing cattle in 4-H classes, they must wear no clothing bearing the name of a farm, their name, or advertising of any sort.
  2. The 4-H’er will need to bring their own straw for bedding.
  3. Fans must have proper (safety approved) shrouds.
  4. Generators will not be permitted in the dairy barn.
  5. ALL SALE ANIMALS MUST MEET LIVESTOCK DEPARTMENT SALE ENTRY DEADLINES.
  6. 4-H animals purchased, sold or offered for sale after the animal enrollment deadline and prior to the Indiana State Fair shall not be eligible to show in the  4-H show at the Indiana State Fair.
  7. Dairy Feeder Steers and Dairy Market Steers will be shown by weight not by breed.  That means after weigh-in at the Putnam County Fair, dairy feeders and dairy market steers will be broken down into their respective weight classes by the Superintendent.  There will be three divisions in each the feeder steers and the market steers.  That being lightweight, midweight and heavyweight.  Awards will be given for each division and the champion and reserve champion from each division will compete for overall dairy feeder steer champion and dairy market steer champion.

 

General Dairy Barn Member Rules

  1. Each dairy project member is being asked to work a shift in the dairy milkshake stand.  Failure to sign up or show up for a shift, may result in the forfeit of all awards (ribbons, medals, trophies, etc..
  2. Any 4-Her that cannot control their animal by themselves or with limited assistance may be excused from their class.  Any 4-Her/animal excused from their class will forfeit their awards for that entry and therefore will not be eligible for the auction, but may be sold on the market truck.

SEE PAGE __21__ FOR THE PUTNAM COUNTY 4-H GROOMING GENERAL RULES 

 

SEE PAGE__23__FOR THE PUTNAM COUNTY 4-H SHOWMANSHIP GENERAL RULES

 

THE FOLLOWING WILL BE CLASSES FOR DAIRY BREEDS:

This table lists codes for the dairy breeds

CODE

BREED

AR

AYRSHIRE

BS

BROWN SWISS

GR

GUERNSEY

HL

HOLSTEIN

JR

JERSEY

MS

MILKING SHORTHORN

AOB

Grade


AGE GROUP CLASSES

  • Spring heifer calf — born March 1, 2026 to May 15th, 2026
  • Winter heifer calf — born December 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026
  • Fall heifer calf — born September 1, 2025 to  November 30, 2025
  • Summer yearling heifer — born June 1, 2025 to   August 31, 2025
  • Spring yearling heifer - born March 1, 2025 to May 31, 2025
  • Winter yearling heifer — born December 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025
  • Fall yearling heifer — born September 1, 2024 to November 30, 2024
  • Yearling heifer in milk — born September 1, 2024 or later (Brown Swiss, Jersey, Milking Shorthorn)
  • Junior 2-year-old cow — born March 1, 2024 to   August 31, 2024
  • Senior 2-year-old cow — born September 1, 2023 to February 28, 2024
  • Junior 3-year-old cow - born March 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023
  • Senior 3-year-old cow - born September 1, 2022 to February 29, 2023
  • 4-year-old cow - born September 1, 2021 to     August 31, 2022
  • 5-year-old cow — born September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021
  • Aged cow six years and older, born prior to September 1, 2020
  • Aged cow (dry)- born prior to September 1, 2021
      (Holstein)
  • Three or four-year-old cow (dry) born September 2021– August 31, 2023 ( Holstein only).
  • Dry cow, born prior to September 1, 2023 (Aryshire, Brown Swiss)
  • Dry cow, any age (Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn)