Ag Society and 4-H/FFA Rules and Regulations

PLATTE COUNTY 4‑H AND FFA FAIR DEPARTMENTS

1. To provide an opportunity for 4‑H and FFA youth to showcase skills gained through 4‑H and FFA as well as receive recognition for their accomplishments.

2. To inform the public of the educational program 4H has to offer that encourages youth to “Learn by Doing”.

Agricultural Society General Rules and Regulations

  1. While the greatest possible care will be exercised by the management to protect patrons of the Platte County Fair, each individual will be personally responsible for his or her actions, and management will not be accountable or responsible for an injury.
  2. The Platte County Agricultural Society will not be responsible for any damage to any animal or article but will do all that is possible to protect exhibits. 
  3. All entry forms used by exhibitors must contain the following clause: The exhibitor of the items and/or animals listed releases the Platte County Agricultural Society from all liability for loss or destruction arising from the exhibition of the same on its premises. The exhibitor must sign each entry form- either hard copy or electronic. 
  4. All articles must be entered with strict adherence to the rules. Any intentional misinformation will disqualify the entry.
  5. Premiums may be increased or decreased by a definite percentage so that the total premium paid will not exceed the fair board budget.
  6. Fair Premium money will be issued at the 4-H Fair Office Sunday, July 12, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. and on Monday, July 13, from 8:30 a.m.-12:00 noon. 
  7. All premiums must be collected by 12:00 noon, Monday, July 13, 2026, or they will be forfeited.
  8. All protests must be filed in writing during the fair with the secretary accompanied by a deposit of $50.00 as a guarantee of good faith. Protests will be acted upon at the first regular monthly meeting of the Board. 4-H/FFA related protests must be filed with that organization according to their policy. 
  9. The exhibit hall will be open the following hours: Wednesday, 5:00-10:00 p.m.; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 12:00-10:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 12:00-5:00 p.m.
  10. Horse and Stock trailers must be parked on the east side of the track or run the risk of being towed.
  11. All persons, including exhibitors, must be off the fairgrounds by 1:00 a.m. every night. Exception for the families who have campers/trailers parked in designated areas assigned by the Ag. Society. All campers must register with the General Office of the Platte County Agricultural Society during normal business hours. A fee of $5.00 per day per camper must be paid in advance to obtain a parking permit. The permit is non-transferable. One adult/owner must stay in the camper during the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Designated areas are on a first-come, first-serve basis. No electrical or water hook-ups available.
  12. It shall be the duty of the Parking and Police Committee and its assistants to supervise the parking of automobiles. All automobiles will be required to park in places designated by those in charge of the department. The fair management assumes no obligation or liability for any theft or damage that may occur to the car or its contents.
  13. Distributions of handbills and advertising material are strictly prohibited except from advertiser’s place of exhibit. Posting of advertising bills or placards will not be permitted on the grounds.
  14. No soliciting of any nature will be permitted on the grounds.
  15. The Board will carefully guard against extortion in any form practiced on the patrons of the fair. A violation of this rule will cause the forfeiture of contract, money paid and expulsion from the grounds, as the Board may direct. Under no circumstances will practices of a questionable nature or demoralizing tendency be tolerated on the grounds or in the buildings.  All business must be conducted in a legitimate and trade like manner. No space may be reassigned or sublet without the written permission of the Fair Manager. 

4-H/FFA Rules and Regulations

ELIGIBILITY

The Nebraska 4-H Youth Development program abides with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture. 4-H is open to all youth between the ages 5 and 18 (4-H age), regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, immigration status and marital or family status as determined by the following age criteria; 4-H: the age of the youth before January 1 of the current year; To be eligible to exhibit in the 4-H or FFA Division, members must be between the ages of 8 and 18 before January 1st 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 eight (8) on January 1, your 4-H age is seven (7). If you turn nine (9) on January 1, your 4-H age is eight (8). The first year of eligibility for the regular 4-H program is the 4-H age of eight (8). Clover kids are youth turning 6, 7, or 8 during the calendar year to be eligible to enter in projects/events specified as such. Enrollment in the 4-H program must be completed online by June 15, 2026. Any youth enrolled as active members of a Platte County FFA Chapter may also exhibit. 

Nebraska 4-H will recognize 4-H members and volunteers of the 4-H program in which they are enrolled in irrespective of their place of residence. A member cannot enroll in the same 4-H project area in more than one county or state in the same year. (Example: beef [bucket calf, feeder calf, market beef and breeding beef are among those listed within the beef project area], clothing, horse, foods, etc.) Exception: Youth may enroll in shooting sports projects in more than one county. Enrollment should occur by discipline (i.e., shotgun, BB gun) based on available certified instructors. Youth may not be enrolled in the same discipline in more than one county. If a member is enrolled in more than one county, a member may not duplicate specific 4-H experiences by participating in more than one county or state in the same year. For team eligibility, see specific contest rules and guidelines. 

OWNERSHIP

                All exhibits must be property of the 4-H and FFA exhibitors and the products of the current year’s work. All breeding animals (4-H or FFA) must be owned by or in partnership with any member of the immediate family. Farm name is acceptable. 

A) Beef, dairy, dairy goat, horse, sheep, or swine project animal may be owned: 1. a. solely by the 4-H exhibitor or b. in partnership by the 4-H exhibitor and/or other members of his or her immediate family. Only the name of the showman can be on the show entry.  c. Immediate family is defined as members of a household including parents, brothers, sisters, and youth in the care of the head of the household. 2. When 4-H exhibitor(s) and parent(s) sign an ownership affidavit, indicating the exhibitor(s) will feed and care for the animals from the identification deadline until exhibition at the Platte County Fair, it is required that the exhibitor(s) will have primary responsibility for the animals during this time period. All exhibitors making animal entries in the Platte County Fair, must show, on request, proof of ownership showing animal(s) have been owned by the exhibitor by the required deadline and for the duration of the time. In cases where the exhibitor may not have primary responsibility for the duration of the project (i.e. separation of parents and more than one residence), it is recommended the exhibitor request exception from the local 4-H Council. The time the exhibitor will be able to care for the animals should be clearly defined in the request.

B) Horses, Dairy Animals, and Dairy Goats: 1. An exhibitor in a 4-H show of a horse, a dairy animal, or dairy goat, may show an animal owned by someone outside of the immediate family provided: a. he or she manages (cares for, feeds, trains, grooms, etc.) and has use of the animal as a 4-H project animal at least 75% of the time during the project year; and b. permission for use of the animal is certified by the owner on the 4-H member's ID sheet (ownership affidavit).

ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION

All market and breeding livestock MUST be properly identified by the May 15th Animal Nomination/ID deadline for exhibition at the Platte County Fair. This includes animal identification affidavits, which is a complete inventory of all animals identified by a specific exhibitor and/or family. All market livestock identified for exhibition at the Platte County Fair must also have DNA collected and an accompanying DNA envelope completed for each animal identified by the May 15th deadline for the nomination to be complete. NOTE: LATE NOMINATIONS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED UP TO THREE BUSINESS DAYS PAST THE DEADLINE. The following non-refundable late nomination fees will be collected accordingly: Large Animal (beef, dairy, sheep, goat, swine) = $50.00 per animal; Small Animal (poultry, rabbit, dog, companion animal) = $25.00 per animal; Static = $20.00/per exhibitor. Absolutely NO exceptions once the three-day late entry window has passed. REMINDER: After the selection of the Grand Champion and Reserve Champion in each market species (beef, goat, sheep, and swine), all four winners will have another DNA sample pulled. REMINDER: 4-H Staff will also pull up to three random samples per specie in addition to the champion samples. The samples will be sent to a lab for comparison. If DNA does not match after testing, the exhibitor forfeits livestock sale money and youth is banned from exhibiting at the following year’s Platte County Fair. Reference the Animal Exhibitor Handbook for complete animal identification guidelines. The same animals can be dual identified in both 4-H and FFA. Animals may be shown at the county fair in either program. Regardless of which program animals are shown in at the county level, animals may be entered for the state fair in either 4-H or FFA. 

EXHIBITING

All 4-H livestock exhibitors may show all the exhibits allowed in each department and if enrolled also in FFA, may show all the exhibits allowed in each department as long as they are different animals and recorded on the appropriate ID sheets. All 4-H and FFA livestock exhibits will be exhibited by the Platte County 4-H or FFA members-owners when possible, and other Platte County 4-H and FFA members, when determined impossible by the superintendents of the department involved. In no case will a person other than a Platte County 4-H or FFA member exhibit in the

4-H or FFA Division. All 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors must have completed YQCA to exhibit.

If an exhibitor has two animals in the same class, one animal may be moved to the next heaviest class. Only one move per exhibitor per species will be allowed. Check with show superintendent. Premiums will be withheld from exhibitors not showing their own animals. Only one person to exhibit animals in individual classes. No product of any other youth project may be shown in the 4-H or FFA Division. An exhibit cannot be identified or shown in both 4-H and FFA at the Platte County Fair. 

All livestock exhibitors must exhibit in at least one showmanship class or lose entire premium.

SCHEDULED INTERVIEWS

STATIC: Interviews scheduled through Sign-Up Genius are strongly encouraged and should be treated as a required step rather than an optional suggestion. If youth do not sign up for interviews on Sign-Up Genius, remaining time slots will be available on entry day. Missed interview times will automatically be reassigned to the end of the day (unless staff are otherwise notified due to extenuating circumstances).  

BOTTLE GOAT: Interviews will take place on Thursday by appointment only.  We will send out a link for Sign-Up Genius to sign up for an interview time.

BUCKET CALF: Interviews will take place on Thursday at the County fair with timeslots beginning at 3 pm. Interviews will take place during a scheduled interview time. We will send out a link for Sign-Up Genus to sign up!

DRESS CODE

4-H – 4-H Exhibitors may either wear a white T–shirt/blouse or a county/club 4-H t-shirt. There is to be a 4-H emblem or patch on all 4-H member shirts. 4-H Chevrons are for sale at the 4-H office to wear on white shirts. Blue jeans, preferably dark blue are to be worn. Jeans should not have holes. It is recommended that all showmen wear hard-soled‑ shoes. No hats or caps are allowed in the show ring. Dairy exhibitors are encouraged to wear white pants, white shirt with 4-H Chevron or county fair shirt. This is not required!  Horse exhibitors should see the Horse department for their specific dress code requirements. 4-H members participating in interview judging are encouraged to wear a 4-H Chevron or 4-H t-shirt.

                FFA – FFA Exhibitors may wear an FFA t-shirt. The shirt should be easily identified as an FFA shirt and can be any color. FFA shirts can ONLY be worn by exhibitors who are showing an FFA project at the time. Blue jeans, preferably dark blue are to be worn. Jeans should not have holes. It is recommended that all showmen wear hard‑soled shoes. No hats or caps are allowed in the show ring. 

ENTRIES/STALL RESERVATIONS

All fair entries are submitted electronically online through ShoWorks website. Deadline to submit online entries is Monday, June 15, 2026. After deadline, ShoWorks online website will not be accessible. Late fees will be accessed on all entries received after the County Fair Entry deadline and submitted on a “fair entry worksheet” provided by Extension Office. LATE ENTRIES WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED UP TO THREE BUSINESS DAYS PAST THE DEADLINE. The following non-refundable late entry fees will be collected accordingly: Large Animal (beef, dairy, sheep, goat, swine) = $50.00 per animal; Small Animal (poultry, rabbit, dog, companion animal) = $25.00 per animal; Static = $20.00/per exhibitor. Absolutely NO exceptions once the three-day late entry window has passed. 

NEW: To ensure a sustainable and meaningful show experience, a livestock/animal show must have a minimum of five youth exhibitors entered each year. If fewer than five exhibitors participate in a given year, the show will enter a three-year probationary period. During this time, the show will continue to be offered in hopes of increased participation. Should the project fail to meet the minimum of five exhibitors for three consecutive years, the show will be discontinued from the fair program. Unfortunately, it is not feasible to continue providing awards and resources for a project with limited participation. 

Exhibitors showing beef, dairy, goat, horse, rabbit, sheep, and swine at the Platte County Fair must complete a stall reservation form. Non-refundable stall reservation fee of $5.00 per stall for horses. Goat, swine and sheep pens are $5 for first two pens per exhibitor per specie; any additional pens will be $20.00 per pen. $5.00 per 4 feet of space in the cattle area with $20.00 for any tack space. 50 cents per poultry and rabbit cage. One tack pen will be distributed per club at no cost. Members are expected to share. Stall reservation form and fees are due to Extension Office by Monday, June 15, 2026.

JUDGING/PREMIUMS

Judges will divide exhibits into groups according to merit: Purple, Blue, Red, and White. Equal premium will be given to each exhibit in the same color group under each class number. A participation ribbon will be awarded to exhibits in some departments. Only purple ribbon exhibits in all areas will compete for grand and reserve champion of the fair. The judges’ decision in all cases will be final.  All Clover Kid exhibits will receive participation ribbons. Only purple ribbon exhibits will be eligible for trophies/awards with exception of horse and dog departments. 

ETHICS 

                Nebraska 4-H livestock programs strive to create an atmosphere that encourages good character, accountability, and ethical decision-making. The International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) National Code of Show Ring Ethics outlines a number of specific guidelines for all exhibitors and others involved with 4-H livestock projects and will be followed for the Platte County Fair.  The entire IAFE document can be found and was distributed in the Platte County Animal Handbook released each spring.

TESTING FOR CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS

All market livestock exhibitors will be required to complete a Platte County Fair 4-H and FFA Exhibitor Affidavit and Statement of Disclosure. All completed and signed affidavits are due at check-in. 

At the discretion of superintendents, any animal will be subject to both urine and blood analysis for diuretics and anabolic compounds.

GROOMING

Clipping, blocking, trimming or grooming of any animal by anyone other than exhibitors, exhibitor’s parents, legal guardians, brothers or sisters will not be permitted at the Platte County Fair. Platte County exhibitors may also help each other. In cases where there are no family members available for grooming assistance, an appeal should be brought before the Platte County 4-H Council stating who will be helping with grooming by 5:00 p.m. on June 15th for approval. If there is a violation of these rules, potential consequences could include the exhibitor’s animal(s) in the specie in violation will receive no higher than a red ribbon. NOTE: This rule does not prohibit holding, touching, or feeding the animal when necessary.

RELEASE

NO RELEASE of 4-H and FFA exhibits (livestock or static) before 5:00 pm on the last day of fair, without permission from 4-H staff or the general 4-H/FFA Superintendents. Any exhibits going home without permission could potentially have consequences such as: lose all premium money, lose all awards including championships, and could be banned from exhibiting that specie or class for one year. Livestock Only: Special circumstances dealing with health issues only will require a veterinarian letter to be presented to 4-H staff before the animal can be released. Exhibit hall entries will be released on the last day of fair from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. and on the following morning from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.

GRIEVANCE POLICY

                The Grievance Committee may be convened for alleged wrong doing or rule violations. The Grievance Committee will NOT be convened for grievances related to judges’ integrity, decisions, placings or other evaluations will not be accepted, issues related to deadlines for membership enrollment, livestock identification, and/or county fair pre-registration. Due process will be provided by Extension staff. Code of Conduct-related violations, which will be addressed by staff according to the established process. 

Grievances may be submitted by any 4-H member, parent/guardian or leader. All 4-H/FFA protests must be in writing. All forms should be signed by three individuals. Such protests must state plainly the cause of the complaint or appeal, signed and accompanied by a deposit of $50.00 cash or certified check, which will be forfeited if protest is not sustained, and delivered to the General 4-H/FFA Superintendent within the grievance deadlines listed below.

Grievances MUST include the following: Date, Time and Signature (of person/s of grievance); Names of the persons involved; Cause of complaint or appeal; Situation/description and supporting documentation; Recommendations for correction/desired action; Specific action, rule, etc., in question; Additional persons the committee may contact for clarification; Procedures and/or steps carried out by the person involved prior to submission of the protest to the 4-H Council Grievance Committee. A $50 deposit will accompany the written grievance. (The deposit will be forfeited if the protest is not sustained. Deposit will be returned if grievance is upheld.)

Protests will be considered by the grievance committee as quickly as possible and their decision in the matter shall be final. The Grievance Committee will review the written grievance in a timely manner. The committee may call for a face-to-face meeting with affected persons and event leadership to discuss the situation and the official ruling. Recommendations will be developed, followed, and communicated both verbally and in writing to the individual or group affected. All Grievance Committee decisions are final. 

For grievances during the Platte County Fair prior to the release of exhibits, they must be filed within 24 hours of the situation. For any situation relating to the county fair, a grievance must be filed no later than 14 days from the conclusion of the county fair. For any other situation outside of the county fair, a grievance must be filed within two business days. 

The Grievance Committee shall consist of: 1) Chief Superintendent of the Lot in which protest is made; 2) Member of Platte County 4-H Council Executive Committee; 3) Impartial member of 4-H Council not involved in Protest Lot; and 4) Extension Office Staff in an advisory position only. If more than one grievance is filed for one situation, the Grievance Committee will hear both sides of the grievance. Grievance Committee members cannot be used for more than one situation during the duration of the Platte County Fair.

The Grievance Committee has the right to withhold or deny any award or recognition relating to the grievance.

HEALTH REGULATIONS 

                The 4-H Department Superintendent Team, 4-H Staff, and the Fair Committee of the Platte County Agricultural Society shall have the final authority to reject or dismiss any animal which does not meet the requirements, as stated in the health regulations.

                If any animal is found to be affected with an infection, contagious or otherwise transmissible disease, or is suspected of being so affected, it shall be moved immediately to a place of quarantine as ordered and directed by fair officials.  The quarters, including all places and materials, that become contaminated by such animal or animals, shall be promptly cleaned and disinfected by the Fair Management.

 

86th Annual Platte County Fair: July 8-12, 2026