SHOWMANSHIP & RECORD BOOKS
Each 4-H exhibitor participating in any of these Showmanship Contests must wear either a white shirt/blouse with 4‑H Chevron, Arm Band, or County/Club 4H T-shirt, blue or dark denim jeans & proper footwear. It is recommended that all showmen wear hard-soled shoes. No hats or caps are allowed in the show ring. All FFA exhibitors are required to wear official FFA T-shirts when showing livestock. Dairy exhibitors are encouraged to wear white pants, white shirt with 4-H Chevron or a county fair shirt. This is not required! Grooming of animals shall be done according to the Platte County grooming rule. Only the owner may show an exhibit in showmanship. All animal exhibitors will be expected to participate in one or more Showmanship Contests or overall premium will be withheld.
Premium: Purple $6.00; Blue $5.00; Red $4.00; White $3.00.
Completed record books must be turned in to superintendents during each specie check-in. Record books are not required for Poultry, Rabbits, or Small Animals. Record books will then be judged for ribbon placing. Purple ribbon books will receive premium and the top book in each specie will receive a Grand Champion Rosette. Record books found not complete or not turned in by end of each specie check-in will drop exhibitor one ribbon placing in showmanship. Record Book Premium: Purple $2.50
All Pee Wee exhibitors should be 5 years and older not in 4-H and under 4-H age. Due to Nebraska 4-H Policy, no Pee Wee exhibitors will be allowed to exhibit an animal over 350 lbs. Also, each Pee Wee exhibitor must have an older teen or adult accompany them while exhibiting. Parents of exhibitors will be required to sign a waiver releasing Ag Park of any liability of their youth while participating.
ROUND ROBIN CHAMPION SHOWMANSHIP COMPETITION
The Champion Senior Showman in Beef, Goat, Sheep and Swine will automatically be entered into the Round Robin Showmanship Competition taking place on Saturday at 4:00 pm. There will be one judge for the competition, meaning all four youth will show the same specie at the same time. There will be a beef, goat, sheep and swine class, with 4 head of livestock secured in each specie. Youth will draw for the tag number of the animal they will show. If a youth is Champion Senior Showman in more than one specie, they will choose one specie to represent and the Reserve Champion in the specie they don’t choose will move into the competition. If the Grand Champion Showman for a particular species is ineligible, the Reserve Champion will be selected to participate. If the Grand and Reserve Champion showman are ineligible to compete, a representative will be chosen and placed in the final showmanship judging round. Previous Round Robin winners will not be eligible to complete in Round Robin for the same species in the future. They will be eligible if they win in another species’ Senior Division. The Previous year’s winner will be recognized by being a ring assistant and/or handout the prize to the new winner.
HERDSMANSHIP
All animal clubs will participate and will automatically be entered in Herdsmanship; This includes beef, swine, sheep, goat, dairy, rabbit, and poultry. All animal clubs will be required to follow the guidelines. No leaders or adults will be permitted to clean stalls or alleys. If violated, no points for that day. Exhibitors are encouraged to display names of project animals. Herdsmanship can be judged at any time of the day but will not be judged during the show of any given species.
Premium: Purple $8.00; Blue $6.50
Guidelines/Criteria
- Animal Husbandry (50 points): Do the animals appear to be clean, dry, and free of manure? Is the bedding fresh and clean? Are urine and manure spots removed?
- Tack, Equipment, and Alleys (40 points): Is the tack area neat and tidy with feed and equipment stored properly when not in use? Is the area free of trash and debris? Are the isles kept clean and swept? Is the use of electrical equipment being used safely and appropriately?
- Display Appearance (10 points): Stall cards should be easily seen with exhibitor name and club/chapter name.
- Bonus (+3 points): If exhibitor is present, shows courtesy and respect to superintendent and public, three bonus points can be awarded
Premiums will be placed according to the following point scale.
Purple 100-‑94 Blue 93-‑87 Red 86-‑80 White 79-‑0