WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO ENTER?
4-H is open to all youth between the ages of 5 and 18 (4-H age), regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or family status as determined by the following age criteria:
- 4-H is the age of the youth before January 1 of the current year.
- If your birthday is on January 1, your 4-H age is the age you were on December 31st. (If you turn 8 on January 1, your 4-H age is 7. If you turn 9 on January 1, your 4-H age is 8).
- 4-H eligibility is determined based on the 4-H age. (The age of the member on December 31st of the previous year)
- The first year of eligibility for participation in the 4-H Clover Kids program is the 4-H age of 5 and the last year of eligibility is the 4-H age of 7.
- The first year of eligibility for the regular 4-H program is the 4-H age of 8 and the last year of eligibility is the 4-H age of 18.
TO WHOM ARE ENTRIES MADE? Prior entries will be required in all pre-fair and fair exhibits. Entry forms will be available from the Extension Office in July. Prior entries in the 4-H Horse Show shall be final. "SCRATCHES" MAY BE PERMITTED BUT NO LATE TRANSFERS OR ADDITIONS WILL BE ALLOWED.
HOW MANY AND WHAT ENTRIES MAY BE MADE?
● Participants in the 4-H Horse Show will be limited to the use of ten (10) horses in 4-H. A horse exhibited in a 4-H event cannot be exhibited in any FFA events.
● A 4-H member is limited to exhibiting the following animals:
▪ two (2) market beef,
▪ two (2) breeding heifers,
▪ two (2) second-year bucket calves,
▪ two (2) fall feeder calves,
▪ two (2) cow/calf projects,
▪ three (3) feeder calves,
▪ two (2) bucket calves,
▪ three (3) dairy animals,
▪ four (4) swine,
▪ two (2) breeding sheep,
▪ four (4) market sheep,
▪ two (2) bottle lambs,
▪ four (4) dairy goats,
▪ two (2) breeding (meat) does,
▪ four (4) meat goats,
▪ two (2) companion goats,
▪ six (6) birds in each division of poultry, but no more than 2 birds in Other Poultry,
▪ one (1) pen production trio,
▪ eight (8) rabbits,
▪ two (2) cats,
▪ two (2) dogs, and
▪ four (4) companion animals
● No individual animal may show in both breeding and market classes. The feeder calf may be shown as a feeder calf and as a cow/calf project.
● All 4-H members are limited to one (1) exhibit per entry number and four (4) exhibits per project in all other 4-H projects (unless specified different).
● Only articles listed in the premium list will be given a place in the show unless special notice is given by the Extension Office.
WHEN SHOULD EXHIBITS ARRIVE AT THE FAIR?
- All 4-H exhibits other than livestock will be entered Wednesday, August 6 from 4:00 to 8:00 pm.
- All horses will be entered and shown on Wednesday, August 6.
- All swine must be in place by 9:00 am on the official entry day, Thursday, August 7, and properly registered with the superintendent. Swine will check in and weigh from 7:30 am to 9 am. Swine may be unloaded at the fairgrounds for vet inspection ONLY on Wednesday, August 6 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
- All breeding beef, market beef, second-year bucket calves, fall feeder calves, bucket calves, market sheep, breeding sheep, bottle lambs, dairy animals, dairy goats, meat goats, and companion goats must be in place by 11:00 am of the official entry day (Thursday, August 7) and properly registered with the superintendent. Animals will check-in and weigh from 9 am to 11 am.
- Poultry & Rabbits will check in on Wednesday, August 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. or Thursday, August 7 from 9 to 11 am. All poultry & rabbits must be in place by 11:00 am on Thursday and properly registered with the superintendent.
- Feeder calves and cow/calf pairs must be entered by 9:30 am on Friday, August 8 and shown on that day. Animals will check-in from 8:30 am to 9:30 am.
- Cats must arrive 15 minutes or more before the time of showing on Thursday, August 7.
- Dogs must arrive 15 minutes or more before the time of showing on Thursday, August 7.
- Companion Animals must arrive 15 minutes or more before the time of showing on Sunday,
August 10. - Dairy animals will have the option of being stalled throughout the Fair (must be in place by 11:00 am on the official entry day, Thursday, August 7) or can be taken home after the show on Thursday, August 7.
- Any exhibit arriving after the entry deadline will be marked "LATE" and will have its ribbon and premium lowered one place. If the class it belongs in has been judged it will not be accepted.
WHEN WILL EXHIBITS BE RELEASED?
All horses will be released after the horse show competition. All animals coming in for one-day showing will be released after the show. All exhibits may be released on Sunday evening after 5:00 p.m. Static Exhibits may stay Sunday evening and be released on Monday at 8 am. Livestock exhibits must be removed from the Harm & Tulleys Event Center by 8:00 am on Monday.
RIBBONS AWARDED: 4-H exhibits will be judged according to standards that indicate the level of performance or quality of work. Purple ribbons designate an exhibit of superior quality that has met and exceeded all of the standards. Blue ribbons denote an above average exhibit that has met almost all of the standards in a way that surpasses the norm. Red ribbons indicate average quality and indicate that the exhibit has met the majority of standards in such a way that the benchmark was reached but not exceeded. White ribbons indicate that the exhibit has not met the majority of the standards. Exhibits must have received a purple ribbon to be eligible for a trophy or a related special award with the exception of the following: dog, BB gun, air rifle, pistol .22, shotgun, and archery classes. A few classes will not be judged and each of these exhibits will receive a "participation" ribbon. A participation ribbon is recognition of the 4-H exhibit's presence at the Fair. The objective of the project is primarily focused on a high level of individual planning and creativity.
PREMIUMS: All premiums stated in the 4-H section of this "fairbook" are maximum premiums to be paid for each exhibit. The Knox County Agricultural Society will make every effort to pay the maximum premiums. If, however, for some reason maximum premiums cannot be paid, all premiums will be adjusted uniformly on a percentage basis.
NEBRASKA 4-H CODE OF CONDUCT: All 4-H staff, volunteers, members and parents/guardians should adhere to the code of conduct during participation at all 4-H events, including the Knox County Fair.
USE OF COPYWRITTEN IMAGES -Copyrighted writing, artwork, videos, and images may be used in 4-H educational exhibits under Fair Use for educational purposes of Copyright Law. In order to qualify for Fair Use, 4-H’ers must: 1) only use a small amount of copy-written work, 2) add new meaning to the work to make it original, 3) rework it and use it in a totally different way, and 4) use it in nonprofit purposes (not to make money). Giving credit to the original creator is also recommended.
STATE FAIR ELIGIBILITY: Youth must be enrolled in 4-H by June 15 of the current year. A 4-H member must be 8 before January 1, of the current year, or becomes 9 years of age during the current year. The last year of eligibility is the calendar year the member becomes 19.
Exhibit numbers preceded by ** are NOT ELIGIBLE FOR STATE FAIR.
Procedure for Making State Fair Entries – 4-H animal entries (beef, sheep, swine, goats, poultry, rabbits and dogs) will be entered through ShoWorks online by the 4-H family. All “in-person” events such as fashion show and contests will be entered through ShoWorks online by the family. The entry deadline is August 10 by 8 pm. For livestock entries (beef, swine, sheep, goats), youth will have until August 10 to declare if they will show 4-H or FFA at State Fair. All static entries will be entered by the extension office.
All static exhibits must have received a purple ribbon at the county fair to advance to the State Fair.
State Fair Premier Science Award – Each individual is limited to one application.
Objective: Recognize 4-H member static exhibits incorporating or demonstrating concepts from the areas of 4-H Science (science, technology, engineering, or applied math) at the Nebraska State Fair. Exhibits in all curriculum areas will be considered for the award.
Application:
- 4-H members may select ONE exhibit from any department which was selected for State Fair to complete their awards application about.
- Application form: go.unl.edu/NSFPremierScienceApp
- Applications are due by noon on Monday, August 11th.
- Entries are only judged on the information included in the application.
- Award applications need to include a photograph of the exhibit. The photograph will not be used for judging but is needed if the exhibit needs to be located in the exhibit hall.
Judging:
- A scoresheet will be used to judge each exhibit. Exhibits which do not have a completed application or photograph can be disqualified at the discretion of the judge.
- 4-H members will be scored on how well they communicate their use of the Scientific Method or Engineering Process Design while completing their exhibit.
- An exhibit involving a science topic does not necessarily qualify it to be the best choice for this award.
- All award applications entered will receive a participation certificate. No ribbons or premiums will be awarded.
Eligibility: The awards application and the exhibit selected for the Nebraska State Fair which the application is written about must both be at the State Fair. Awards applications which do not accompany an exhibit (which has been checked in at the exhibits department) will be disqualified.
Resources: Scoresheets, forms, contest study materials, and additional resources can be found at https://4h.unl.edu/4-h-fairbook-nebraska-state-fair/contests/premier-science-award/. There are many variations of the different steps in the scientific method and engineering design process. Examples can be found at the link above.
Recognition:
- Up to three top exhibits will be chosen to receive a cash award sponsored by the Nebraska 4-H Foundation. Special recognition will be placed on their exhibit to showcase their achievement.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE:
The respective superintendent has the authority to make appropriate decisions based on the 4-H Premium Book. When needed, a committee shall be appointed to serve as a grievance review group. They will meet when needed to act upon concerns.
1. All protests must be submitted in writing and signed.
2. The written protest must be submitted to the Extension Educator and must include:
a. names of person(s) involved
b. nature of concerns
c. situation and documentation
d. recommendations for correction
e. specific action, rule, etc., in question
f. additional persons committee may contact for further clarification
g. procedures and/or steps carried out by the person involved prior to submission of the protest to the Extension Educator.
3. The committee will review the written protest. They may discuss the situation with affected person(s) and show officials to include County Fair management. The recommendations will be followed and communicated both verbally and in writing to the group or individual affected.
4. In cases of protest, the exhibitor may be allowed to show but results of showing will be subject to change based on the outcome of the protest process. This allows for smooth operation of the show and facilitates appropriate processing.
5. The management reserves the right to withhold premium and/or award. The exhibitor may be excluded from the show if action warrants.
6. Protests will not be accepted after the exhibit is released from the 4-H Division of County Fair.
Protests related to judges' integrity, decisions, placing, or other evaluations will not be accepted.
DISCLAIMER OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR EXHIBITS AT KNOX COUNTY FAIR:
4-H exhibits at County Fair are entered and displayed at the risk of the 4-H member. The Knox County 4-H Department, in cooperation with the County Ag Society, accepts exhibits and will exercise due care to protect them. However, the 4-H Department and Ag Society cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage due to the conditions imposed by large crowds, the arrangement of the buildings in which displays are housed and the great number of exhibits. 4-H'ers who have exhibits of great sentimental and/or monetary value should carefully consider whether such exhibits should be exposed to the hazards of the fair. While the greatest possible care will be exercised by the management to protect patrons of the County Fair, each individual will be held personally responsible for any injury.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE. Use or possession of alcoholic beverages or drugs (except for medical purposes) by any exhibitor who is participating in 4-H at the County Fair will result in immediate disqualification of that exhibitor's entry.