Division 750: Field Crops
A completed crop production worksheet must accompany each grain and plant exhibit or it will be lowered one ribbon placing. The worksheet must include the exhibitor’s name and address, county, plant hybrid or variety, plant population, whether crop production was irrigated or dryland, and general information including farm cropping history, soil type and weather effects. The worksheet also must include an economic analysis of the project, listing individual expenses and income, on a per acre basis. Other topics to discuss are the selection of variety or hybrid, impacts of tillage and conservation practices, inputs (fuel, fertilizer, irrigation, labor, pesticides, etc.), any observations made during the growing season, and what you learned from your crops project. The worksheet counts as 50% of the total when judged. Worksheet must be the original work of the individual exhibitor, or it will be lowered one ribbon placing. Attach the worksheet to the entry in a clear plastic cover such that it can be read without removing it from the cover. In addition to the worksheet, grain and plant exhibits will be judged on condition, appearance (i.e. disease and insect damage, grain fill), uniformity (size, shape, color, maturity), and quality of exhibit. Scoresheets, forms and additional resources can be found at https://go.unl.edu/ne4hagronomy.
Grain exhibits must be one gallon per sample placed in a clear container so it can be viewed and displayed. Grain exhibits harvested in the fall (e.g., corn or soybeans) may be from the previous year's project and brought in an appropriate sized container for display.
Plant exhibits, with the exception of ears of corn, must be the result of the current year's project. Corn 10 ears or 3 stalks (cut at ground level with no roots or soil and bound together). Grain Sorghum - 4 stalks (cut at ground level and bound together). Soybeans - 6 stalks (cut at ground level and bound together). Small grains (oats, barley, wheat, triticale) - sheaf of heads 2 inches in diameter at top, tied, with stems about 24" long. Other crops (alfalfa, millet, etc.) - sheaf of stems 3 inches in diameter at top, tied, with stems cut at ground level or half size small square bale.
G750001 Corn (includes yellow, white, pop, waxy, or any other type)
G750002 Soybeans
G750003 Oats
G750004 Wheat
G750005 Any other crop (includes grain sorghum, alfalfa, millets, barley, rye, triticale, amaranth, dry beans, sugar beet, mung bean, canola, forage sorghum, safflower, etc.)
The purpose of the display is to tell an educational story to those that view the display. The display is a visual representation (pictures, charts, graphs) no larger than 28” wide by 28” tall on plywood or poster board. The display should be neatly titled. Make sure to label display with exhibitor’s name, address, and county on back side. Explain pictures and graphs clearly and concisely. Consider creativity and neatness. Each display must have a one-page essay (minimum) explaining why the exhibitor chose the area of display and what they learned from their project. Include any references used. The essay should be in a clear plastic cover with the exhibitor's name outside. If a display does not have an essay, it will be lowered one ribbon placing.
G750006 Crop Production Display of educational information about crop production aspects, such as crop scouting, alternative crops, pest management, etc.
G750007 Crop Technology Display about aspects of technology used in crop production, such as genetic engineering, crop breeding, GPS, yield mapping, computers, etc.
G750008 Crop End Use Display about the final product or end uses for a crop, such as food, feed, fuel, or other products. (i.e., corn can be processed into livestock feed, ethanol, plastics, etc. or soybeans can be processed into biodiesel, pet bedding, crayons, oil, etc.) This should not be about the process of crop production but focus on the end product(s).
G750009 Water or Soil Display about water or soils, such as how soils are being used for crop production, range, conservation, wildlife, or wetland use, or ways to protect or conserve water and soil resources.
G750010 Career Interview Display to investigate a career in agronomy. Youth should interview one person that works with crops about such topics as, what parts of their job do they enjoy or dislike, why did they choose that career, what was their education, etc. Include a picture of the person interviewed.
Supporting documentation for Special Agronomy Project (½ to 1-page in length) should include: economic analysis and/or research that supports feasibility of this crop in Nebraska or how the crop has evolved over time; past/current commercial production of this crop including the selection of variety or hybrid, impacts of tillage and conservation practices, inputs (fuel, fertilizer, irrigation, labor, pesticides, etc.); any observations made during the growing season about this crop and what you learned from your crops project. This ½ to 1-page summary counts as 50% of the total when judged. In addition to the summary, grain and plant exhibits will be judged on condition, appearance (i.e. disease and insect damage, grain fill), uniformity (size, shape, color, maturity), and quality of exhibit. The crop of the year for 2025 is Sunflowers.
G750011 Special Agronomy Project Educational Exhibit based on what was learned from the project. Present information on plywood or posterboard. The 4-H member’s name, age, and county must be on the back of the exhibit. Refer to Scoresheet SF259. Each display must have a ½-page essay (minimum) explaining why the exhibitor chose the area of display and what they learned from their project. Include references used.
G750012 Special Agronomy Project Video Presentation 4-H exhibitor designs a multimedia presentation related to the crop. This could include narration of the growing process, presenting facts about the crop or any other innovative multimedia practices. The presentation should be at least 2 minutes in length and no more than 5 minutes in length, appropriate graphics, sound and either a video clip, animation or voice over and/or original video clip. Any of the following file formats will be accepted: mp4, .mov, .ppt, or .avi.
G750013 Special Agronomy Project (Freshly Harvested Crop) Plant exhibits must be the result of the current year's project. Depending on the type of crop selected for the current year:
- Corn - 10 ears or 3 stalks (cut at ground level with no roots or soil and bound together)
- Grain Sorghum - 4 stalks (cut at ground level and bound together)
- Soybeans - 6 stalks (cut at ground level and bound together)
- Small grains (oats, barley, wheat, triticale) - sheaf of heads 2 inches in diameter at top, tied, with stems about 24" long.
- Other crops (alfalfa, millet, etc.) - sheaf of stems 3 inches in diameter at top, tied, with stems cut at ground level.
Division 751: Weed Science
At least 15 specimens must represent this year’s work. For assistance identifying plants, participants can use the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains book. Exhibits will be judged based on completeness of plant mount, accuracy of identification, label, neatness, and conformity to exhibit requirements.
Book Guidelines: Plants must be mounted on sheets that are no larger than 14” by 14”. Proper plant mount should include root as well as stem and leaf tissue. Plants should be glued rather than taped and the mounts should be protected with a clear cover. Each completed mount must have the following information in the lower right corner of the mounting sheet: 1. Scientific name (in italic or underlined), with authority, 2. Common name, 3. County of collection, 4. Collection date, 5. Collector’s name, 6. Personal collection number, indicating the order that plants were collected in your personal collection, 7. Other information depending on class selected, i.e., noxious, life form. This information should be typed or printed neatly.
G751001 Weed Identification Book collection of a minimum of 15 plant mounts including at least two of the following prohibited noxious weeds (Canada thistle, musk thistle, plumeless thistle, saltcedar, leafy spurge, purple loosestrife, diffuse knapweed, spotted knapweed, Japanese knotweed, bohemian knotweed, giant knotweed, sericea lespedeza or phragmites) and at least three weeds that are a problem primarily in lawns.
G751002 Life Span Book collection of 7 perennials, 1 biennial, and 7 annual weeds.
Display Guidelines: The purpose of the display is to tell an educational story to those that view the display. The display is a visual representation (pictures, charts, graphs) no larger than 28” by 28” on plywood or poster board. The display should be neatly titled. Make sure to label display with exhibitor’s name, address, and county on back side. Explain pictures and graphs clearly and concisely. Each display must have a one-page essay explaining why the exhibitor chose the area of display and what they learned from their project. Include any references used. The essay should be in a clear plastic cover with the exhibitor's name outside.
G751003 Weed Display original, creative exhibit that contains educational information about weeds, such as interesting information about a weed species, effects of weed control, herbicide resistant weeds, what makes a weed a weed, or uses for weeds.
Division 330: Range Management
Each exhibit must be properly identified with Unit and Class. All plant displays and display covers must be the result of the current year's work. Plant identification and lists of appropriate plants in each category (grasses, forbs, shrubs, and grass-like plants) can be found in the Range Judging Handbook and Contest Guide (EC150), Common Grasses of Nebraska (EC170), and Common Forbs and Shrubs of Nebraska (EC118). Exhibits will be judged based on completeness of plant mount, accuracy of identification, labeling, neatness and conformation to project requirements. Scoresheets, forms, contest study materials, and additional resources can be found at http://go.unl.edu/ne4hrange.
For books, plants must be mounted on sheets that are no larger than 14” wide by 14” high. Plants should be glued rather than taped and the mounts should be protected with a clear cover. Proper plant mount should include root as well as stem and leaf tissue. Each completed mount must have the following information in the lower right corner of the mounting sheet: 1. Scientific name (in italic or underlined), with authority. 2. Common name. 3. County of collection. 4. Collection date. 5. Collector's name. 6. Personal collection number, indicating order that plants were collected in your personal collection. 7. Other information, depending on class selected, i.e., value and importance, life span, growth season, origin, major types of range plants. This information should be typed or printed neatly.
D330001 Value and Importance for Livestock Forage and Wildlife Habitat and Food Book collection of 12 different plant mounts, with four classified as high value, four as medium value, and four as low value for livestock forage, wildlife habitat, or wildlife food. Value and importance classifications can be found in the Range Judging Handbook and Contest Guide, Appendix Table 1 (EC150). Plants can consist of any combination of grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs. Assemble plant mounts in order of high, medium, and low value importance. Label each plant mount with its value and importance classifications for each of the three areas; Livestock Forage, Wildlife Habitat, Wildlife Food.
D330002 Life Span Book collection of 6 perennial plant mounts and 6 annual plant mounts selected from grasses or forbs.
D330003 Growth Season Book collection of 6 cool-season grass mounts and 6 warm-season grass mounts.
D330004 Origin Book collection of plant mounts of 6 native range grasses and 6 introduced grasses. Introduced grasses are not from North America and often used to seed pastures.
D330005 Major Types of Range Plants Book collection of plant mounts of 3 grasses, 3 forbs, 3 grass-like, and 3 shrubs.
D330006 Range Plant Collection Book collection of 12 range plant mounts with something in common (i.e. poisonous to cattle, or historically used as food by Native Americans, or dye plants, or favorite antelope forage, etc.) Include a short paragraph in the front of the book which describes what the plants have in common and why you have chosen to collect them.
D330007 Parts of a Range Plant Poster mount a range plant on poster board no larger than 28”x28”. The poster should be neatly titled. Label all the plant parts. Include the plant label in the lower right corner, including the scientific and common name of the plant. Put your name and 4-H county on the back of the poster.
Display boards should be no larger than 30” wide by 36” tall. Display boards should be adequately labeled.
D330008 Special Study Board display of the results of a clipping study, a degree of use study, range site study, etc. A short essay must accompany the display to explain the reason for the study, what was learned and study results. Place essay in a sheet cover attached to the board.
D330009 Junior Rancher Board should include a ranch map with a record book or an appropriate educational display on some phase of rangeland or livestock management. A short essay must accompany the display to explain the purpose of the rancher board, what was learned, etc.