October 2023 - 4-H Animal Lines

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” Zig Ziglar

DATES TO REMEMBER . . .

December 1 - Ownership and entry/nomination deadline on all hogs, beef breeding, commercial beef heifers, registered and commercial dairy cattle, commercial meat goat does, registered Boer does, & registered and commercial dairy goats for 2024 District & Junior Round-Up Shows

December 4 - Entries for Premier Exhibitor Contest & applications for Dixie National Sale of Junior Champion Scholarships MUST BE POSTMARKED

December 11-14 – DNA/Classification Week (see page 3)

January 18-20 - NW District Livestock Show, Batesville

January 18-20 - SE District Livestock Show, Hattiesburg

January 18-20 - NE District Livestock Show, Verona

January 22-24 - Delta District Livestock Show, Greenwood

January 18-20/29-30- SW District Livestock Show, Jackson

January 29-February 8 - Dixie National Junior Round-Up, Jackson (see schedule on pages 32-33)

OFFICIAL HEALTH CERTIFICATE – REMINDER

An Official Health Certificate with each animal identified will be required on all livestock showing at the 2024 Dixie National Junior Round-Up. This includes all market animals, beef breeding cattle, commercial beef heifers, dairy cattle (purebred and commercial dairy heifers/cows), dairy goats (registered and commercial senior/junior does), wether dams, breeding hair sheep, Boer goat does, commercial gilts, and commercial meat goat does. Because the market shows are non-terminal, all market animals must be accompanied with an official health certificate obtained from a veterinarian.

ANIMAL HEALTH RECORDS/WORKBOOKS

Exhibitors are required to turn in a completed health record form for each animal to be shown that lists all medications and treatments received within 60 days prior to the show. Extension agents and agriculture education teachers – be sure to distribute these health record forms early so exhibitors can keep track of their livestock treatments. This form is to be turned in online using the app located at https://webapps.msucares.com/livestock.

REMINDER – 2024 DISTRICT AND JUNIOR ROUND-UP SHOWS!!

PURCHASING PROJECT ANIMALS FOR SPRING SHOWS

Spring shows will be here soon. Now is a good time to run a final survey of your 4-H’ers to determine if additional purchases are needed and to be locating them. The only ownership deadlines that have passed are for market steers, market lambs, market hair sheep, and market goats. You have until December 1 to purchase your market hogs, beef breeding animals, commercial beef heifers, dairy cattle, wether dams, breeding hair sheep, commercial gilts, commercial meat goat does, registered Boer does, and dairy goats (registered and commercial). December 1 is also the entry deadline for these livestock.

REGISTRATION PAPERS FOR JUNIOR SHOWS

Double check registration papers on registered livestock to be sure they are in proper order. Now is the time to correct any problems. Remember that papers must be in the exhibitor’s name only. Farm names or joint ownership with adults are not acceptable. DON’T ASSUME THAT EVERYTHING IS RIGHT – CHECK!! Papers may be in multiple siblings’ names provided they are all 18 years of age or younger.

ENTRIES FOR DISTRICT & ROUND-UP SHOWS

Now is the time to be getting your entries in order. All entries must be turned in to the Extension office by December 1, 2024. All original nomination forms must be sent to the ADS Office along with a printout of all entries with the signature of the person in your county with Livestock responsibilities verifying that all entries are complete and accurate.

REMINDER: 4-H/FFA MEMBERS MUST BE ETHICS CERTIFIED TO SHOW LIVESTOCK!!

The 2024 District and Dixie National Junior Round-Up livestock shows will be here soon and the Mississippi Livestock Quality Assurance training for NEW exhibitors should be completed by December 1, 2023. Any youth going from a junior (age 8-13) to a senior (age 14-18) will also need to be recertified as a senior. The training is available on the 4-H livestock website. Code of Conduct Forms can be printed by searching in Publications for livestock code of ethics.

EXHIBITOR’S AGE FOR DISTRICT LIVESTOCK SHOWS & DIXIE NATIONAL JUNIOR ROUND-UP

Remember that exhibitor’s age will be 8 –18 years of age as of January 1, 2024. Agents/teachers have the responsibility to see that all exhibitors are of the proper age.

The only exception to the eligibility rule is for exhibitors who have not passed his/her 19th birthday before January 1st of the current year and are currently enrolled in high school are also eligible to show. For youth who meet this eligibility criteria, agents/teachers will not be able to submit these entries in the online entry system on the Extension Intranet. Instead, these entries need to be mailed to Dean Jousan and clearly marked that the exhibitor’s livestock entries need to be inserted manually. I will see that the entries are submitted once an offload of the entry data is received.

IMPORTANT RULES TO KEEP IN MIND

1. For the 2024 District/DNJR shows, all market hogs, commercial gilts, and MS Bred Barrows must be owned and entered by December 1 and MUST BE validated at the locations and times below. All market hogs and commercial gilts will be classified at the 2024 DNJR as listed on the schedule above. For newly entered commercial beef heifers, wether dams, breeding hair sheep, and commercial meat goat does that were not processed in September, but were entered by December 1, these animals MUST BE validated, and the commercial beef heifers and breeding hair sheep will also be classified at the same time to show at the 2024 District and Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Shows during the week of December 11-14, 2023. See the locations and times below. Make your exhibitors aware of these locations and dates so they can make plans to get their animals processed.

Monday, December 11: Hattiesburg – 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

Tuesday, December 12: Raymond – 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

Wednesday, December 13: Greenwood – 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

Thursday, December 14: Oxford – 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon

2. Animals with pending registration numbers after January 5, 2024, will not be allowed to show at the District and Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Shows unless extenuating circumstances are presented in writing to the Rules Committee within 5 days of the deadline date. Animal registration information will be verified electronically before the shows. This means if you have exhibitors who nominate any registered animal (beef breeding; purebred dairy cattle; Boer does; dairy goats) with a pending information number by December 1, the exhibitor must turn in completed registration information to you by January 5 to show at the District/DNJR. These animals must have a name and date of birth to be entered at the time of entry. You will then email the completed animal information to ADS using the same spreadsheet you used back in September.

3. This rule below pertains to some purebred dairy cattle exhibitors: A signed affidavit by the current owner, exhibitor, exhibitors’ parent or guardian and Extension Agent or Agriculture Education Teacher stipulating to the fact that the exhibitor is in possession and has ownership of the animal for the purposes of showing at any Mississippi Junior Dairy Show for the dates recorded on the affidavit. All other rules concerning possession, housing and care of the animal would still apply as per Mississippi show rules and regulations. A copy of the affidavit and registration certificate must be sent to the ADS by the ownership deadline of December 1.

When junior dairy exhibitors show a purebred dairy animal using the affidavit, they should have the ORIGINAL affidavit and a copy of their dairy animal’s registration certificate in their possession.

HOGS SHOWING AT 2024 DISTRICT AND DIXIE NATIONAL JUNIOR ROUND-UP LIVESTOCK SHOWS

Nomination Process for Hogs - What you must submit for each hog nominated:

1.  Mail individual nomination form for each hog to ADS Department. Each nomination form must be completed (P.O. Box address is not acceptable for physical location of an animal) and signed by the exhibitor, parent, and supervising Extension Agent or Agriculture Education Teacher.
2. Official ear tag number – each hog must be tagged with official ear tag for 2024 prior to nomination deadline.
3. Submit county entries through the Extension Intranet website (should be available by mid-November 2023).
4. Keep a hard copy of your entries for your files.

Let hog exhibitors know about these dates and double check with them to be sure your records are in order and that all market hogs are properly entered. Do not send us nomination forms after deadline date. Please do not wait until the last day to take care of this business.

Order form for hog tags and nomination forms for hogs were sent to you earlier. If you failed to get this material, please call my office. Extension Agents or Agriculture Education Teachers must make nominations of hogs for exhibitors under their supervision.

Each hog must have an individually completed nomination form including breed information and signature of the exhibitor, parent, and Extension Agent/Agriculture Education Teacher.

MARKET STEERS, COMMERCIAL BEEF HEIFERS, COMMERCIAL DAIRY HEIFERS AND MARKET GOATS

Check with your 4-H’ers who are exhibiting market steers, commercial beef heifers, commercial dairy heifers and market goats about horns. All commercial beef heifers, steers and market goats showing at the District and Dixie National Junior Round-Up Shows must be polled or dehorned, with no scurs or regrowth to exceed 1½ inches above the skin. All commercial dairy heifers must be dehorned. Now is the time to take off the horns or any regrowth to allow for proper healing. Horn length will be checked at all District Livestock Shows.

REMINDER ABOUT WEB APP TO CHECK-IN LIVESTOCK

At the 2023 Mississippi State Fair, we continued with a web app that is used to check-in all livestock instead of having to hand in weight cards and stand in line. We will use this app for the 2024 Dixie National Junior Round-Up. Thanks to the MSU Extension CTO Team for making this happen.

2023 MISSISSIPPI STATE FAIR RESULTS

The 2023 Mississippi State Fair junior livestock shows were outstanding and a showcase for the junior livestock program in Mississippi. Extension agents, agriculture education teachers, leaders, parents, and exhibitors are to be commended on their fine cooperation and dedicated work put into this event to make it successful. Congratulations!

Number of Exhibits at the Mississippi State Fair (2014-2023) Contest	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Beef Breeding	542	556	546	602	578	545	515	528	555	506
Commercial Beef Heifers	149	158	190	163	177	134	111	128	118	118
Market Steers	69	59	77	74	70	79	71	75	51	73
Market Lambs	113	120	114	102	92	71	74	88	79	50
Wether Dams	-----	-----	-----	-----	23	30	14	32	30	35
Market Hair Sheep	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	8	25	21	29
Breeding Hair Sheep	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	16	16
Market Swine	20	42	37	39	24	28	36	20	36	15
Market Goats	165	129	140	102	93	110	109	90	108	126
Commercial Meat Goat Does	177	149	174	140	138	147	107	134	95	98
Breeding Boer Does	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	21	26
Dairy Goats	82	93	121	131	107	119	111	123	115	147
Commercial Dairy Goats	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	8	8	35
Purebred Dairy Animals	72	122	102	103	130	107	99	99	98	86
Commercial Dairy Heifers/Cows	34	20	13	25	26	25	18	21	22	21
TOTAL ANIMALS EXHIBITED	1423	1448	1514	1481	1458	1395	1273	1371	1373	1381
Pretty Cow Contest	17	7	8	10	24	25	15	13	14	12
Sweetheart/Princess Contests	18	32	28	18	15	17	12	17	11	14
GRAND TOTAL PARTICIPATION	1458	1487	1550	1509	1497	1437	1300	1401	1398	1407