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

1. All 4-H Swine must be farrowed between  December 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.
2. All animals must be owned by the exhibitor, in his/ her care and records started no later than May 15th. 4-H Swine must be enrolled on 4-H online by May 15th. These animals must remain in the same continuous ownership through the Putnam County Fair, and the Indiana State Fair swine show, if exhibiting at the Indiana State Fair.
3. Swine intended for exhibit at the County Fair must have ear notches along with an RFID tag.  Animals with fresh, bleeding, and/or scabbed ear notches or ear notch changes after May 15th will be disqualified. It is the 4-H’er’s responsibility to make sure that the ear notches that are documented on their 4-H Online enrollment are identical to the ear notches on their 4-H barrow and gilts.  Any discrepancy in the actual ear notches from those listed using the online swine enrollment process will result in disqualification of the animal from the 4-H swine show. 
4. A 4-H member may exhibit a total of (6) barrows or gilts or any combination of barrows or gilts that total (6).  For example, you can show (3) barrows and (3) gilts, (4) barrows and (2) gilts, or (6) gilts, etc.  Only(3) can be of the same breed per sex.   For Example, you can show (6) barrows, but only (3) can be cross barrows, etc.
5. Each 4-H member may show a market litter of any breed.  4-H exhibitors must farrow and raise, from same sow, their pigs for a market litter. A market litter consists of four (4) animals: all barrows, or a combination of barrows and gilts, but must contain at least one (1) barrow.  This litter may be shown in the regular 4-H show as individuals by the 4-Her and/or the 4-Her’s eligible siblings.
6. 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. www.boah.in.gov. For additional questions about Indiana's premise ID program contact, BOAH at animalID@boah.in.gov or 317-544-2381.
7. Registration certificates are required for all purebred barrows when the animals are weighed and the papers checked at the county fair. The registration certificate for purebred barrows must be transferred into the name of the 4-H exhibitor or any of the other acceptable forms of animal ownership listed in the Indiana State Fair 4-H/FFA handbook or 4-H online enrollment form. Registration certification will not be accepted for purebred barrows if the certificate is still in the breeder’s name and the 4-H member’s name is simply written or typed in the “transfer to _________” category on the certificate. Breed associations reserve the right to pull certificates of animals without proper breed characteristics.
8. Purebred barrows without registration certificates, barrows whose ear notches do not match the notches recorded on their registration certificates, and barrows whose registration certificate indicates the animal was mis-notched will not be allowed to show in purebred classes. These barrows will, however, be eligible for the crossbred division, so long as their ear notches match the notches listed on the 4-H member’s swine electronic enrollment form.
9. All 4-H gilts must be ear notched. The ear notches of purebred gilts must be recorded on their registration papers, which must be presented for verification to the Swine Superintendent.
10. Purebred gilts MUST be registered and have registration papers available at weigh-in time on Saturday before the swine show.
11. Purebred gilts without registration certificates, gilts whose ear notches do not match the notches recorded on their registration certificate, and gilts whose registration certificate indicates the animal was mis-notched will not be allowed to show in purebred classes. These gilts will, however, be eligible for the crossbred section, so long as their ear notches match the notches listed on the 4-H member’s online swine enrollment information and they have met all other 4-H rules.
12. All purebred gilts must meet the registration requirements of their breed.
13. Pens will be assigned by the superintendent. PEN FORMS WILL BE DUE JULY 6TH, 2026 AND THERE IS A $5 FEE PER PEN. Failure to clean out your assigned pens within 14 days of the conclusion of the auction will result in a $20 per pen cleaning fee. 
14. Exhibitors must furnish feed, and troughs. PVC tube watering systems are not allowed in the barn, any watering systems with a nipple source will not be allowed due to the leaking and getting neighboring pens saturated. Exhibitors will be required to hand water their animals so as not to cause other exhibitors to have saturated bedding. They will be expected to keep pens and exhibits in presentable conditions at all times.
15. All exhibits must arrive between 6:00 am – 9:00 am Saturday July 18th unless other arrangements were made with the swine barn superintendent.  Swine will be weighed, tagged and checked as they are offloaded from the trailer.  NO divider gates may be taken out of the pens. Pens are to be left as they have been set up.
16. All swine MUST be weighed between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 am on Saturday, July 18th unless other arrangements were made with the swine barn superintendent.

    All barrows and crossbred hogs will be weighed and ear tagged. All purebred gilts must verify registration papers and ear notches as they come off the trailer. The first weight will be official for 4-H show and sale. All hogs must be designated to a member at weigh-in time.

17. RELEASE TIME will be from 12:01 am- 8am on Tuesday, July 21st, for all swine not in the auction.  If this time frame is missed, the next opportunity will be early Friday morning, July 24th from 12:01 am-8 am. All livestock and tack must be gone by 8 am Saturday.   Loading out at the west end of the barn will not be allowed. Earlier dismissal allowed only with permission of the barn superintendent prior to Tuesday, July 21st. All sale animals must remain in the swine barn unless due to health reasons the situation changes. 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.
18. All swine to be sold in the livestock auction must be entered Sunday, July 19th, time TBD.
19. All pigs remaining after the completion of the show must have their pens cleaned out and re-bedded by Tuesday at 10pm.  Failure to do so can result in forfeiture to participate in the auction and forfeiture of awards.
20. Wash pens shall at no time be used for feeding purposes or as a holding pen during show time.
21. No pig may be shown by more than one competitor, unless a sibling is showing a siblings pig as part of their market litter.
22. When 4-H members are showing swine in 4-H classes, the 4-H’er’s clothing must not bear the name of a farm or their name, or advertising of any sort. The exhibitor’s midriff should not be exposed when standing or bending over.
23. Slick clipping or body shaving of 4-H barrows and gilts is prohibited.  Animals slick clipped or body shaved will not be allowed to exhibit.  A minimum of one half inch of hair in length on the body is preferred by the packers that purchase and process these animals.
24. No tampering, misrepresentation, drugs, forced fillings, etc. is allowed. Read official health terms and conditions, general terms and conditions and official ownership terms and conditions located in the front of the Indiana State Fair 4-H/FFA handbook/premium list for further clarification.
25. Any barrow showing evidence of testicular tissue is ineligible for the 4-H barrow show. If testicular tissue is discovered in a barrow during the “harvesting” procedure, the exhibitor will receive carcass value and lose any premium value.
26. Any pig weighing less than 220 lbs. may not be eligible for the 4-H sale; this will be at the discretion of the Swine Barn Superintendent and assistants.  This minimum does not apply to scramble exhibitors.
27. Exhibitors can sell (1) barrow or (1) gilt in the auction.
28. 4-H animals purchased, sold or offered for sale after the 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.
29. There will be no guarantee of separate classes for Dec, Jan, Feb and March gilts. Classes will be broken as equally as possible by the number of animals exhibited.
30. For ISF, in addition to ear notching ID for barrows and gilts, DNA hair samples will be required for all swine to be eligible for ISF.  The hair samples will be due in the county Extension office by May 15th.  Envelopes will be provided at the Extension office.  Additionally, 840 RFID tags will again be required to be in all swine prior to entering the state fairgrounds.  This RFID tag number will be required in the 4honline enrollment, due by May 15th.
31. All swine intended for show at the Putnam County Fair must have an 840 RFID tag.  It is the responsibility of the 4-Her(s) and their parent(s) to purchase and tag or have the animal tagged.

SCRAMBLE CLASS: 4-H’ers in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade on January 1st of the current year and  who are enrolling in the swine project for the first time can choose to participate in the swine scramble program. Each 4-H swine scramble member will show only one pig (barrow). Deadline for sign-up will be announced. Scramble pigs will be limited to scramble classes only.  Scramble class will show first after the lunch break.

 

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

SEE PAGE__23__FOR THE PUTNAM COUNTY 4-H SHOWMANSHIP GENERAL RULES