August 2024 - 4-H Animal Lines

2024-2025 4-H/FFA Livestock Show Deadlines

2024-2025 OWNERSHIP/ENTRY/VALIDATION/CLASSIFICATION SCHEDULE

All market steers, commercial beef heifers, market lambs, market hair sheep, commercial meat goat does, wether dams, breeding hair sheep, market hogs, and market goats MUST BE validated (DNA hair sample collected) to show at the 2024 Mississippi State Fair and 2025 District and Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Shows during the week of September 9-11, 2024. During the validation period, steers, commercial beef heifers, market hair sheep, and breeding hair sheep will be classified as well. 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, September 9: Hattiesburg – 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
• Tuesday, September 10: Raymond – 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
• Wednesday, September 11: Greenwood – 8:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.
• Wednesday, September 11: Oxford – 2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.

For the 2025 District/DNJR shows, all market hogs, commercial gilts, and MS Bred Barrows must be owned and entered by December 2 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. 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 2, 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 2025 District and Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Shows during the week of December 9-12, 2024. 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 9: Hattiesburg – 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
• Tuesday, December 10: Raymond – 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
• Wednesday, December 11: Greenwood – 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
• Thursday, December 12: Oxford – 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon

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

The Mississippi State Fair will be here soon and the Mississippi Livestock Quality Assurance training for NEW exhibitors and parents or guardians must be completed by October 1, 2024. Code of Conduct Forms are available as an Extension publication.

OFFICIAL HEALTH CERTIFICATE – REMINDER

An Official Health Certificate with each animal identified will be required on all livestock showing at the 2024 Mississippi State Fair. This includes all market animals, beef breeding cattle, commercial beef heifers, dairy cattle (purebred and commercial dairy heifers), dairy goats (purebred and commercial), wether dams, breeding hair sheep, registered breeding Boer does, and commercial meat goat does.

MISSISSIPPI STATE FAIR PREMIUM BOOKS

A PDF file of the premium book will also be sent by email when it is finished. Please make sure your exhibitors and parents have a copy of the rules for the shows in which they participate. A copy of the schedule of events is included in this newsletter.

DAIRY SWEETHEART, MEAT GOAT PRINCESS, AND LAMB PRINCESS CONTESTS

A Junior and Senior Dairy Cattle Sweetheart, a Junior and Senior Dairy Goat Sweetheart, a Junior and Senior Meat Goat Princess, and a Junior and Senior Lamb Process will be announced during the Mississippi State Fair. Winners will be selected based on poise, beauty, personality, and knowledge of their project. Rules and regulations concerning the contest are found in the Mississippi State Fair premium book. Please have the entries postmarked by August 30, 2024. All interviews are planned to take place before the State Fair. Please encourage your girls enrolled in dairy, goat, and lamb projects to enter this year.

COMMERCIAL HEIFER AND MARKET STEER EXHIBITORS – SPECIAL NOTICE!

Check with your 4-H/FFA exhibitors that are exhibiting steers and commercial beef and dairy heifers about horns. All commercial heifers and steers showing at the Mississippi State Fair and District and Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Shows must be polled or dehorned with no scurs or re-growth to exceed 1½ inches above the skin line. Remember the minimum weight on commercial heifers is 500 pounds for the Mississippi State Fair. ALL exhibitors are responsible for weighing their commercial heifers and market steers and declaring their animal’s show weight in the online check-in app. Official scales will be made available for weighing livestock.

MARKET GOAT EXHIBITORS – SPECIAL NOTICE!

Check with your 4-H/FFA exhibitors who are exhibiting market goats about horns. Goats may be shown that are polled, dehorned, or disbudded with no re-growth to exceed 1½” above the skin line. Removal of horns is not allowed on the show grounds. Remember the minimum weight of market goats is 40 pounds with no maximum weight for the Mississippi State Fair. ALL exhibitors are responsible for weighing their market goats and declaring their animal’s show weight in the check-in app. Official scales will be made available for weighing livestock.

COMMERCIAL MEAT GOAT DOE SHOW EXHIBITORS – SPECIAL NOTICE!

Remember the minimum weight of commercial meat goat does is 40 pounds with no maximum weight for the Mississippi State Fair. ALL exhibitors are responsible for weighing their commercial meat goat does and declaring their animal’s show weight in the check-in app. Official scales will be made available for weighing livestock.

MARKET LAMB AND MARKET HAIR SHEEP EXHIBITORS – SPECIAL NOTICE!

Remember the minimum weight of market lambs and market hair sheep is 70 pounds with no maximum weight for the Mississippi State Fair. ALL exhibitors are responsible for weighing their market lambs and market hair sheep and declaring their animal’s show weight in the check-in app. Official scales will be made available for weighing livestock.

WETHER DAM AND BREEDING HAIR SHEEP EXHIBITORS – SPECIAL NOTICE!

Remember the minimum weight of wether dams and breeding hair sheep is 75 pounds with no maximum weight for the Mississippi State Fair. ALL exhibitors are responsible for weighing their wether dams and declaring their animal’s show weight in the check-in app. Official scales will be made available for weighing livestock.

MARKET HOG EXHIBITORS – SPECIAL NOTICE!

Remember the minimum weight of market hogs is 200 pounds with no maximum weight for the Mississippi State Fair. ALL exhibitors are responsible for weighing their market hogs and declaring their animal’s show weight in the check-in app. Official scales will be made available for weighing livestock.

COMMERCIAL DAIRY HEIFER AND COW EXHIBITORS – SPECIAL NOTICE!

Remember the minimum weight of commercial dairy heifers is 200 pounds for the Mississippi State Fair. ALL exhibitors are responsible for weighing their commercial dairy heifers and declaring their animal’s show weight in the check-in app. Official scales will be made available for weighing livestock. This year, all commercial dairy cattle must have an 840 visual/EID combination ear tag ordered from the 4-H Livestock Program.

REGISTERED BREEDING BOER DOE EXHIBITORS – SPECIAL NOTICE!

There is a newer show called the Registered Breeding Boer Doe Show for the Mississippi State Fair. ALL exhibitors are responsible for declaring which animals are at the show using the check-in app.

COMMERCIAL DAIRY GOAT EXHIBITORS – SPECIAL NOTICE!

Remember the minimum weight of commercial dairy goats is 30 pounds for the Mississippi State Fair. ALL exhibitors are responsible for weighing their commercial dairy goats and declaring their animal’s show weight in the check-in app. Official scales will be made available for weighing livestock.

Commercial dairy goat exhibitors have the option of purchasing the 840 visual/EID combination ear tag from the 4-H Livestock Program, or they can utilize an 840 animal ID microchip. If exhibitors of commercial dairy goats go the 840-microchip route, they should provide their own microchip reader.

Commercial dairy goat exhibitors can purchase the 840 microchips online with the applicator and readers. There are a couple of steps to obtain the information needed to purchase the 840 microchips. First, the exhibitor/farm must have a premise ID number. To get this, you should go to https://agnet.mdac.ms.gov/MBAHPremises and complete the online premise ID registration. When a number is assigned, it will be emailed to you. This number should be saved in your records file, as you will need this again later. The next step is to obtain a flock or scrapie ID number. To get this, you can contact the MS Board of Animal Health at 601-359-1170 and give them your premise ID number. They can contact their person with the USDA to get a flock/scrapie ID number to email to you. Or you can call USDA’s toll-free tag line at 866-873-2824 and their staff will assign a flock ID to your flock/herd. If you have any trouble reaching their staff on the national toll-free line, you can contact them by email at scrapie@usda.gov. In your email, please include the State where your sheep/goats are located and your phone number. Once you have obtained your premise ID and flock/scrapie ID numbers, you can order the 840 ID animal microchip in varying quantities based on how many commercial dairy goats the exhibitor is seeking to nominate. Since the exhibitor is responsible for the microchip reader, there are different options there as well.

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