GENERAL RULES - See Livestock/Animal General Rules
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS - See Livestock/Animal General Rules
GROOMING RULES - See Livestock/Animal General Rules
YOUTH FOR THE QUALITY CARE OF ANIMALS (YQCA) - All 4-H youth enrolled in livestock projects are required to complete annual quality assurance training through YQCA.
ARRIVAL TIME – All goats (dairy, meat, and companion) must check-in between 9:00 am to 11:00 am on entry day, Thursday, August 7 and stay the entire fair.
TROPHY: See Knox County Trophy and Award List
BEST DRESSED GOAT CLASS
PREMIUMS: First, $2.00; All Others-Participation, $1.00
This class is open to all Dairy Goats, Meat Goats, and Companion Goats. This includes goats of any age or breed, wether, or doe. The class is for fun - exhibitors are encouraged to use their imagination to design a costume for their 4-H Goat. The attire should emphasize the personality of the animal. Limit of one entry per exhibitor.
DAIRY GOAT
PREMIUMS: Purple, $6.00; Blue, $4.50; Red, $3.00; White, $2.00
NUMBER OF ENTRIES PER EXHIBITOR: Four Dairy Goats
TROPHIES: See Knox County Trophy and Award List
IDENTIFICATION: Dairy Goats must have an official USDA scrapie identification tag and be identified on the ownership affidavit form and due in the Extension Office by June 15.
JUNIOR HERD - Will consist of 3 animals, one must be bred by exhibitor and one must be in milk.
DAIRY GOAT BREEDS: ALPINE, LAMANCHA, NUBIAN, OBERHASLI, RECORDED GRADE, SAANENS, and TOGGENBURG.
DAIRY GOAT CLASSES (All Breeds)
- Under 5 months
- 5 months to 8 months
- 8 months to 1 year
- 1 year to 2 years - Non-milking Doe
- Under 2 years-Milking Doe
- 2 and 3 years old - Milking Doe
- 4 years and older-Milking Doe
- Junior Herd
MEAT GOAT
IDENTIFICATION: To be eligible to show, the 4-H member must have cared for the market and breeding goat starting no later than June 15 of current year. All meat goats must be tagged with a USDA official scrapie ID and be recorded on the ownership affidavit due in the Extension Office by June 15. Identification for state fair meat goats and breeding does - Refer to the Nebraska Sate Fairbook.
SHOWING AND HANDLING PRACTICES: The use of showing and/or handling practices that may be considered objectionable or abusive, such as striking or slapping goats and exhibiting the goat with its front feet off the ground, are not acceptable. Goats may be braced but must have all four feet on the ground. The use of such practices may result in the lowering of a ribbon placing. (Lifting the goat in a fluid motion to set the front legs prior to quickly setting the feet back on the ground is acceptable.)
NECK CHAINS & HALTERS: Goats are to be shown with either a halter, smooth neck chain or smooth or pronged collars only.
HORNS: Blunting, tipping, and dehorning is permitted. Registered does may have horns per ABGA Breed Standards.
MARKET MEAT GOAT
PREMIUMS: Purple, $6.00; Blue, $4.50; Red, $3.00; White, $2.00
TROPHIES: See Knox County Trophy and Award List
NUMBER OF ENTRIES PER EXHIBITOR: Four Market Meat Goats
MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: All market goats are required to be born on or after December 1, 2024. Market goats are to have milk teeth and there shall be no evidence of breaking of the skin or eruption of the two permanent front teeth.
DEFINITION of MARKET GOATS: Market goats may be doe or wether kids. Short scrotum, cryptorchid or buck kids are not eligible as market goats. All breeds (including crossbred) will be shown together. Market does and wethers will show together.
HAIR LENGTH: Market Goats must be shorn sufficiently short from the knee and hock up to allow inspection for club lamb fungus.
MINIMUM WEIGHTS for MARKET GOATS: Market goats weighing less than 50 pounds at weigh-in will not be eligible for a purple award.
MARKET MEAT GOAT CLASSES (classes split be weight)
MARKET MEAT GOAT BONUS - Rader Feed & Supply LLC of Creighton is sponsoring a Market Meat Goat Bonus to encourage the project. The FFA & 4-H top purple winners will compete against each other for the cash prizes.
First Place - Trophy +$75 Second Place - Trophy + $50 Third Place - Trophy + $25
BREEDING MEAT GOAT
PREMIUMS: Purple, $6.00; Blue, $4.50; Red, $3.00; White, $2.00
TROPHIES: See Knox County Trophy and Award List
NUMBER OF ENTRIES PER EXHIBITOR: Two Breeding Meat Goats
MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: All breeding doe kids must have all temporary teeth present. Yearling does can have yearling teeth but cannot have two-year old teeth. Breeding does may be mouthed for age. Does exhibiting two-year old teeth will be allowed to show but will not be eligible to compete for championship.
BREEDING MEAT GOAT CLASSES (Registered and Commercial will show together)
- Doe Kids - born 9/1/2024 to 6/1/2025
- Yearling Does - born 9/1/2023 to 8/31/2024
- Aged Does - born prior 9/1/2023 (ineligible to show at State Fair)
BREEDING MEAT GOAT BONUS - Rader Feed & Supply LLC of Creighton is sponsoring a Breeding Meat Goat Bonus to encourage the project. The FFA & 4-H top purple winners will compete against each other for the cash prizes.
First Place - Trophy +$75 Second Place - Trophy + $50 Third Place - Trophy + $25
COMPANION GOAT
PREMIUMS: Purple, $4.00; Blue, $3.00; Red, $2.00; White, $1.00.
TROPHIES: See Knox County Trophy and Award List
NUMBER OF ENTRIES PER EXHIBITOR: Two goats - wethers or does. (Includes Pygmy Goats, Fainting Goats, Dairy Wether Goats, etc.)
IDENTIFICATION: Companion Goats must be identified with an USDA official scrapie ID and recorded on the ownership affidavit due in the Extension Office by June 15.
JUDGING: Companion Goats will be judged on the following:
1) Breed Characteristics
2) Cleanliness of Animal
3) Development
4) Compatibility
COMPANION GOAT CLASS (Companion Goat, doe or wether, all ages)
- Advanced Division (4-H members ages 11 and over)
- Beginning Division (4-H members ages 8-10)