Beef

This is your online resource for the 4-H Beef project. The record sheet and online identification instructions are attached below. If you have any questions, please refer to the 4-H Handbook or contact the Extension Office.

*If you have trouble accessing any of these documents below because of a disability, please contact the Jackson Co. Extension Office at (812) 358-6101 or send an email to schneidh@purdue.edu.

Here are the requirements for this project:

Beef

Read official health terms and conditions, general terms and conditions and official ownership terms and conditions in previous section. Pay particular attention to terms on tampering, misrepresentation, conduct, drugs, etc. All 4-H beef animals must be identified in the online system by the assigned date listed below. Information on how to enroll will be included in the 4-H Newsletter. 4-H members should completely fill out all information on the online system. Exception will be for registered heifers. No beginning weight date and beginning weight will be needed for registered heifers.

Steers & Non-registered/commercial heifers must  

• Attend ID Day (Check newsletter for date)
• Be identified in 4HOnline by May 15th.

Beef Feeder Steers must

• Attend ID (Check newsletter for date)
• Be identified in 4HOnline by May 15th.

Market Heifers (in order to be eligible for Auction)

• Attend ID Day (Check newsletter for date)
• Be identified in in 4HOnline by May 15th.
• Be weighed at the fair
• Shown in a Market Heifer Class

Registered Heifers must

• Have Tattoo & 840-RFID tag
• Have Registration papers
• Be identified in 4HOnline system by May 15th.

Additional guidelines:

• No bulls are to be shown in any 4-H class at the Jackson County Fair.
• Market animals are weighed once at I.D. Day and once at the fair.
• All market beef animals must have milk teeth at fair weigh in. The 4-H Livestock Committee reserves the right to randomly inspect all animals for milk teeth.
• Purebred heifers must have registration papers from their breed association and be identified by a readable tattoo and registration number or dam registration number and birth date at time of enrollment.
• The 4-H Beef Committee may require 4-H’ers to have heifer birthdays and steer weights printed on back numbers.
•  A steer or heifer enrolled in a particular breed may be changed to the crossbred section before final entries are made.
• Registration certificates must be presented on Monday (for heifers) and at fair weigh in or ID weigh in, stating that the exhibitor owns the animal as per ownership terms on or before the enrollment deadline and continuously until show date. No exceptions will be allowed. Only registration papers issued by the breed association will be accepted – no photo copies or carbon copies and no FAX except a FAX directly from the national breed association to the Jackson County Extension Office.
• Steers and market heifers will be shown by breed and weight classes depending on the weight of the animal within a breed. Market animals should weigh at least 900 pounds to be sold through the auction. Market animals must have milk teeth in place to show and sell.
• Feeder calves will be shown by WEIGHT ONLY, not breed. Weight limit at fair time is 700 lbs. Feeder calves weighing more than 700 lbs. will be judged in a separate class and receive a red ribbon. Feeder calves will NOT be sold in the Auction. Feeder calves may be brought back the next year.

1. All Aberdeen Angus, Chianina, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Limousin, Maine-Anjou, Red Poll, Saler, Santa Gertrudis, Shorthorn, and Simmental steers shown in the respective breed shows must be registered and must present valid registration certificates from their national registries.
2. The Indiana Charolais Association requires Charolais steers to be 50% Charolais blood. Charolais steers must be sired by a registered Charolais bull and/or the steer’s dam must be a registered Charolais female. Black and black-baldie steers wil not be accepted in the Charolais show. “Smokie colored” steers will be accepted, however, the breed classification committee will be instructed to sift dark gray and dark red steers out of the Charolais show.
3. Limousin steers must be 50% or greater Limousin, sired by a registered Limousin bull or out of a registered Limousin dam, with a DNA type of the registered parent on file with the North American Limusin Foundatin (NALF). Must have original NALF registration certificate. No faxes or photocopies accepted. Steers are subject to DNA testing to verify parentage.
4. The Indiana Maine-Anjou steers must be 25% from Sire or Dam, have a legible and accurate tattoo with year letter and beeder prefix.
5. To show a Purebred Red Poll steer, a valid registration certificate from the American Red Poll Association or a Certificate of Ownership as provided and signed by the secretary of the Indiana Red Poll Association, must be presented for entry.
6. Shorthorn steers must be at least 15/16 Shorthorn to be eligible to show.
7. Simmental steers must be at least 50% Simmental to be eligible for the Simmental classes.
8. Gelbvieh steers must have an American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) Steer Affidavit with breeder’s signature. The affidavit verifies that the steer is recorded with the AGA, is at least 50% Gelbvieh and is sired by a Gelbvieh bull registered with the AGA.
9. Hereford steers must have either Registration papers or a Steer Certificate issued from the American Hereford Association. The proper papers must have both the sire and dam’s registration number listed. Steers out of “commercial Hereford cows” will NOT be accepted. Polled and Horned will be combined.
10. The Indiana Red Angus Association requires that all Red Angus steers be a category 1, or at least 87% Red Angus, that they be red in color, polled, and exhibit no ineligible white.
11. Steers not meeting the above requirements may show as crossbred.

Beef Steers and Market Heifers: (Exhibited by breeds.) Classes may be subdivided more at the discretion of the Beef Superintendent. Suggested weight range is 900 to 1300 pounds.

    Beef Breeding Heifers: Simmental, Limousin, Chianina, Maine Anjou, Shorthorn, Saler, Angus, Herefords, Charolais, Crossbred.

               1. Junior Heifer - Calved after January 1, 2021

               2. Senior Heifer - Calved between September 1 and December 31, 2020

               3. Late Summer Yearling Heifer - Calved between July 1 and August 31, 2020

               4. Early Summer Yearling Heifer - Calved between May 1 and June 30, 2020

               5. Late Junior Yearling Heifer - Calved between March 1 and April 30, 2020

               6. Early Junior Yearling - Calved between January 1 and February 28, 2020

               7. Senior Yearling - Calved between September 1 and December 31, 2019

               8. Showmanship

Poster Exhibit Requirements: Posters are due the Wednesday before the Fair.

All posters, notebooks, and display boards must include a reference list indicating where information was obtained, giving credit to the original author, to complete the 4-H member’s exhibit. This reference list should/might include web site links, people and professionals interviewed, books, magazines, etc. It is recommended this reference list be attached to the back of a poster or display board, be the last page of a notebook, or included as part of the display visible to the public. A judge is not to discredit an exhibit for the manner in which references are listed.

Level 1 (Grades 3-5)                                  

1. Complete a minimum of 4 activities per year in the Level 1 Beef manual. Turn in your manual and your green folder with record sheet on Wednesday prior to the fair.
2. Exhibit (do a minimum of one)
   1. Exhibit your animal(s) at the Jackson County Fair.
   2. An educational poster (following poster guidelines) that shows something the 4-H’er learned from a completed activity in the Level 1 manual.
   3. Action Demo at the Fair. (Sign up at the Extension Office by Wednesday before the fair.)

Level 2 (Grades 6-8)

1. Complete a minimum of 4 activities per year in the Level 2 Beef manual. Turn in your manual and your green folder with record sheet on Wednesday prior to the fair.
2. Exhibits (do a minimum of one)
   1. Exhibit your animal(s) at the Jackson County Fair.
   2. An educational poster (following poster guidelines) that shows something the 4-H’er learned from a completed activity in the Level 2 manual.
   3. Action Demo at the Fair. (Sign up at the Extension Office by Wednesday before the fair.)

Level 3 (Grades 9-12)

1. Complete a minimum of 4 activities per year in the Level 3 Beef manual. Turn in your manual and your green folder with record sheet on Wednesday prior to the fair.
2. Exhibits (do a minimum of one)
3. Exhibit your animal(s) at the Jackson County Fair
4. An educational poster (following poster guidelines) that shows something the 4-H’er learned from a completed activity in the Level 3 manual.
5. Action Demo at the Fair. (Sign up at the Extension Office by Wednesday before the fair.)

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