4-H Swine Project Rules and Regulations

Updated 2018-2019

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Please review this quick reference along with your project book and the fair book guidelines. Make sure members AND parents understand what is expected in your project, this will make your 4-H year a lot more fun!

4-H Registration and Project Requirements:

1. December 31 is the deadline to re-enroll as a 4-H member in a Ravalli County 4-H club.
2. March 31 is the deadline to enroll as a new 4-H member in a Ravalli County 4-H club.
3. May 1 is the drop/add deadline for all 4-H projects if you want to participate in the Ravalli County Fair as a 4-H member for your specific project.
4. When enrolling in a swine project you must register for Swine Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3, AND Market Swine OR Swine Breeding OR Swine Independent Study.
5. Individual members are allowed to tag more than one hog as a companion animal(s). Families with two or more children in the swine project will be able to share a family hog.
6. All members enrolled in the market hog project are required to keep complete records on their companion hog(s) or any family hog, as well as their actual market animal. These records must be included in their record books and shown to their Organizational Leader.
7. Definitions of companion and family hogs:

a. Companion hog is owned by a specific member and ownership cannot be transferred to anyone.
b. Family hog is shared by a family of two or more children. One of the children may show this hog at the fair in place of the one they signed in under their own name, provided that the hog was listed on the paperwork as a family hog at spring weigh in.

Project Requirements:

Forms and Record Books:

1. As a 4-H member, you are required to complete a ‘My 4-H Year’ form for your record book each year. It is meant to be completed during the year, not at the end of the year.
2. In addition to the ‘My 4-H Year’, an ‘Animal Project Journal & Financial Record’ form is required for the swine project as well. This form is used to keep track of feed costs, weights, veterinary costs, supplies, etc.
3. Members are required to have these forms up-to-date and checked by your Organizational Leader prior to submitting entries for the Ravalli County Fair. You must also bring all of these forms to your mandatory swine interview prior to the fair. These forms are to be completed and signed by your Organizational Leader by September 30 (end of the 4-H year).
4. It is easiest if you keep a separate record of feed in close proximity to where you store the feed. This way, you can simply create a log of how much you feed your animal each day.
5. Project requirements in regard to the level enrolled: you must complete a minimum of seven activities and three to five learning experiences each year to complete the project for the year. Please refer to the Clover, Montana 4-H Project Selection Guide for additional information.

Spring Weigh-in and Tag-in:

1. All market swine must be registered in the weigh-in/tag-in process every spring in order to be eligible to show at the Ravalli County Fair. The spring weigh-in/ tag-in for 2019 is scheduled for Saturday, May 18, 2019, 8:00AM-1:00PM, at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds Swine Barn.
2. Two options for the spring swine weigh-in/tag-in (you MUST do one of these options):

   a. Option 1: Weigh-in/Tag-in: Bring your market swine project hogs and all completed paperwork to the Ravalli County Fairgrounds on May 18, 2019, between 8:00AM-1:00PM, to participate in the weigh-in at the fairgrounds. The Swine Superintendent and Committee will tag your hog, weigh it, and accept the completed paperwork for each member. Hogs who weigh-in at the fairgrounds will be eligible to participate in the Average Daily Gain competition during fair.

b. Option 2: Self Tag-in: Starting two weeks prior to the spring weigh-in, youth members should come to the Ravalli County Extension Office to pick up ear tags for each market hog, companion hog, and family hog they are entering into the market class. It is the responsibility of the youth member and family to tag each market hog at home. Members are required to bring a color picture showing the market hog with the tags in its ears, and all required paperwork to the spring weigh-in at the fairgrounds on May 18, 2019, between 8:00AM-1:00PM, and turn the paperwork into the Swine Superintendent and Livestock Sale Administrator. You do not need to bring your animal to the fairgrounds, only the completed paperwork and picture. Swine that are entered through a self tag-in will not be eligible for the Average Daily Gain competition during fair.

Additional Information:

1. Animal Quality Assurance training is MANDATORY for 4-H members who have a swine project. Members must become Quality Assurance certified once between the ages of 8-13 (as of October 1) and once again between the ages of 14-18 (as of October 1). If you are not Quality Assurance certified at the appropriate level, you will not be allowed to sell your animal at the Ravalli County 4-H & FFA Livestock Sale. Milk or other foods not considered ration for a market hog to be sold at the fair cannot be fed to your hog. This also includes human foods such as table scraps. This is considered unethical and you will not be allowed to participate in the market swine show or sale at the fair.
2. If your hog loses an ear tag, you must contact a Swine Superintendent immediately and have the tag replaced prior to the fair. Do not wait until you get to the fair weigh-in. Hogs without a Ravalli County Fair ear tag will NOT be allowed to compete as a market hog.
3. If 80 or fewer youth have swine officially tagged for the Ravalli County Fair, swine exhibitors in the Ravalli County Fair will be allowed to exhibit two market hogs in the market hog show.

Prior to the Fair:

1. Submit your completed fair entry form and fees by the first Friday in August to the Fair Office.
2. Prior to the fair, the Swine Superintendents will make hog pen assignments. Pen assignments are generally posted by the Sunday before fair. If they are not, and you need your pen assignment prior to weigh-in (to decorate your pen area, etc.), then contact a Swine Superintendent.
3. Please decorate your area of the barn! You can use whatever you want as long as you remember NO balloons and keep the decorations high enough that your animal, and those around you, cannot reach them. They will eat nearly anything and often do!
4. About one week before the fair, you may want to pick up your fair entry tags at the Fair Premium Office. It is located directly south of the Fair Office, in its own white building. In addition to the fair entry tags, you will receive an exhibitor number on an index card which will be displayed on your upper left arm during showmanship and the market hog show(s). Please be certain to have this number with you during the fair. You must be wearing your correct exhibitor number or you will not be let into the show ring.
5. Wash your animal before bringing it to the fair. Make sure that the ear tag numbers are visible!

Arriving at the Fair:

1. Swine weigh-in at the fair is traditionally on the Tuesday of fair week. Check the fair book for the exact date and time.
2. In addition to your animal, you will want to bring enough feed for the duration of the time your animal is at the fairgrounds, a tack box and the additional equipment that is outlined below.
3. Bedding for your hog pen will be provided by the fairgrounds.
4. The weight range for market hogs is from 230 lbs. to 300 lbs. These weights better meet current SOE (Swine of Excellence) standards and market changes. Hogs will be weighed in one pound increments only!
5. Hogs will be weighed in for the Ravalli County Fair only once right off the truck/trailer on fair entry day. Members and parents can watch the weighing. Any concerns about the weight must be resolved before the animal leaves the scale area.
6. All animals not entered in a class must be removed from the fairgrounds immediately after the weigh-in.
7. A mandatory meeting for all swine exhibitors will be held at the Hornung Arena on Monday evening of fair week at 7:30 PM.
8. Hogs weighing less than 230 lbs. are eligible for the underweight class. This class is intended for those members whose market hog did not make weight and they do not have a market hog at the fair. Animals in this class arenot eligible for the Ravalli County 4-H & FFA Livestock Sale. Hogs over 300 lbs. can be sold at the Ravalli County 4-H & FFA Livestock Sale, but the member will be paid for no more than 300 lbs.

Equipment for the Fair:

You will need specific items to care for your hog and your assigned areas in the barn at the fair. Since storage space is extremely limited during the fair, if several members in the same 4-H club are showing swine at the fair, you may want to determine what equipment you need as a group. You can then assign members to bring specific items so there is not an excess of tools in the storage areas.
Tools/Equipment:

 Wheelbarrow                                                      Bedding rake/pitchfork
 Shovel                                                                  5 gallon bucket
 Broom and dustpan                                          Floor squeegee

Exhibitors must provide their own pig waterer: maximum diameter 6”, maximum height 48”, and you MUST have a cap for the top to keep the water contained.

You will also want to have your own tack box in which to keep your personal items. Tack boxes are to be no larger than 2 foot wide, 3 foot long, and 20 inches tall (2’x3’x20”). Please keep your items contained and your tack box locked to protect everything.

Tack Boxes:

• Soap/Shampoo
• Wet wipes
• Rags and old towels
• Spray bottle
• Scissors
• Scrub brush
• Muck boots
• Sharpie/felt-tip marker
• Show brush
• Show stick, cane or whip
• ** Thank you note for your buyer at the livestock sale! **

Please make sure everything you bring to the fair is clearly labeled with your name! Items have a tendency to be borrowed or moved, and if you want to leave with what you come with, we strongly encourage you to make it easier by having a name on it for identification.

During the Fair:

1. You are responsible for the care of your animal during the fair. This includes, but is not limited to, feeding, watering, and cleaning pens and walkways in your assigned areas. All feed kept in the barn MUST be in a sealed container (for example: small Rubbermaid tub with a latching lid). Do not help yourself to someone else’s animal feed or use your feed for someone else’s animal. You are responsible for your own feed supply for the duration of the time your animal is at the fair. Please remember that the majority of the hogs are at the fairgrounds until the Monday morning (Labor Day) following the fair.
2. Check the swine barn during the fair for a listing of rules and regulations, show times, weight classes, showmanship drives, and any updates or important information you might need. Please do not hesitate to ask a Swine Superintendent any questions you may have.
3. Please take the time to visit with fair attendees about your animals and projects. This is part of the reason people attend the fair. Many people who walk through the animal barns would love to know specific facts about your animal and what is involved in its care. They especially like to hear information from youth about raising livestock.
4. Make sure that your thank you note for your buyer at the livestock sale has been checked by a Swine Superintendent prior to the sale. Anyone who is selling must have a thank you note to go through the sale.
5. A limited supply of animal bedding is available during the fair. You should change the bedding in your animal’s pen as it becomes wet or dirty. Please make a note of the “Clean Bedding” and the “Dirty Bedding” locations and dispose of the used bedding in the proper location.
6. Milk from dairy goats/dairy cattle or any meat/meat by-products are not to be fed to the hogs.

Show Days:

1. Arrive early to make sure your animal is fed, well hydrated and clean.
2. Market hog weight range is from 230 lbs to 300lbs. Hogs weighing less than 230 lbs. will be in an underweight class. Hogs weighing more than 300 lbs. will be in an overweight class.
3. Market hogs and showmanship classes will be judged by a single judge.
4. Please conduct yourself with good sportsmanship at all times towards fellow showmen, the judge, our volunteers and helpers, and all of the animals.
5. Check the fair book for current mandatory dress code rules for market classes and showmanship classes. You WILL NOT be allowed in the ring if you do not meet these requirements!
6. If a member is showing more than one species of market animal, he or she must let a Swine Superintendent or the Sale Administrator know which animal they will be selling immediately after the last market show they are involved in.
7. Members may show two hogs (ONLY if 80 or fewer swine are tagged for the fair) but will only be allowed to sell one animal. The Grand Champion and Reserve Champion market hogs must sell, unless you sell in the Western Montana Fair in Missoula, but in the event that both hogs are owned by the same exhibitor, only one will sell. Exhibitors must let a Swine Superintendent know which animal they intend to sell no later than one hour after the conclusion of the market hog show.

Sale Day:

1. Arrive early to make sure your animal is fed, well hydrated and clean.
2. Hogs over 300 lbs. can be sold at the 4-H & FFA market sale, but the owner will be paid for no more than 300 lbs.
3. With the exception of Grand and Reserve Champions and the finals (purple) drive, the sale order will be determined by random draw. The swine sale order will be Champions, purple, blue and red ribbon hogs.
4. Please check the fair book for current dress code rules for selling your animal. Official dress is mandatory for FFA members. Western style or cowboy hats will be allowed.
5. Be at your pen, with your animal, and ready to go when it is time for you to line up for the sale. If you are not ready with your animal, you do not sell.

After the Fair:

1. After the livestock sale you must continue to feed and water your animal daily, until your animal is removed from the barn. If you fail to feed and water your hog(s) and/or keep their pen clean until your hog(s) leave the fairgrounds, you will have $50.00 deducted from your sale check or you will be billed and the fee paid to the Swine Committee. AND you will not be allowed to show hogs at this fair next year.
2. Underweight hogs that were shown in the underweight class or showmanship class must be removed on Sunday from 7:00 am – 2:00 pm, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Swine Superintendents.
3. You must clean the pen used to house your animal during the Ravalli County Fair. There will be a $50.00 fee charged for any dirty, unclean pens. Pens must be cleaned between the hours of 11:00 am and 2:00 pm on Monday (Labor Day) following the fair. This fee will be deducted from your sale check or you will be billed and the fee paid to the Swine Committee. It must be paid before you will be allowed to show at the fair again.

DEPARTMENT 44

4-H & FFA Swine

Co-Superintendents

Chris Thorson • 961-3405

Brenda Beard • 406-361-1120

Brody Huls

Animals to be brought to the Fair Tuesday of Fair week, 10 am - 8 pm

Mandatory Barn Meeting Monday night at 7:30 pm

• Senior Showmanship - Ages 14 & over
• Intermediate Showmanship - Ages 12-13
• Junior Showmanship - Ages 8-11
• Novice Showmanship - 1st year swine member, regardless of age

RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. See General 4-H, FFA, & Livestock Rules for more information.
2. The Barn Superintendent, prior to the Fair, will make hog pen assignments.
3. See the Ravalli County Swine Rules and Guidelines book for complete directions for the Spring Weigh-in/Self tag-in.

4. Members can bring multiple hogs to the spring weigh in/ tag in but will only be able to sell 1.

5. If 80 or less member’s tag hogs for the fair by the validation ear tag ownership date then the market project members will be allowed to show two animals in the market class. Both of these animals must have official tag and have been tagged by tagging date. Exhibitor will only be allowed to sell one animal and the Exhibitor showing two market hogs must notify the Barn Superintendent which animal that they intend to sell within one hour after the conclusion of the market hog show.
6. The Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion livestock market animals must sell in the Ravalli County 4-H Livestock Sale unless you sell in the Western Montana Fair in Missoula. In the event that an Exhibitor wins more than 1 Grand Champion or Reserve Grand Champion, they must choose which one to sell.
7. All animals not entered in a class must be removed from the Fairgrounds immediately after the weigh-in.
8. Market hog weight range is from 230 lbs. to 300 lbs., to better meet the SOE standards and market changes. Hogs will be weighed in 1-pound increments only!
9. Hogs over 300 lbs can be sold at the 4-H & FFA market sale, but the owner will be paid for no more than 300 lbs.
10. It will be at the judge’s discretion for any market hog weighing over 300 lbs to be called back for the final market drive for Grand and Reserve Champion.
11. With the exception of Grand and Reserve champions and the final ring, the sale order will be determined by random draw. The Swine Sale Order will be Champion, purple, blue and red ribbon hogs.
12. Market hogs will be judged by a single judge.
13. Hogs less than 230 lbs. are eligible for the underweight class; this class is for those members who do not havea market hog at the fair. Animals in this class are not eligible for the market sale.
14. Underweight hogs that have been shown in the underweight class or showmanship class must be removed on Sunday from 7 am - 2 pm unless prior arrangements have been made with Barn Superintendents.
15. Milk from Dairy Goats or the Dairy Barn or any meat or meat by-products are notto be fed to the hogs.
16. It is the responsibility of the 4-H and FFA market hog members to feed and water their hog(s) and to keep their hog’s pen(s) clean or to make arrangements to do so, from the time they arrive at fair until their hog(s) leave the fairgrounds. If you fail to feed and water your hog(s) and/or keep their pen(s) clean until your hog(s) leave the fairgrounds, you will have $50.00 deducted from your sale check or you will be billed and the fee paid to the swine committee. And you will not be allowed to show hogs at this fair next year.
17. In addition there will be a $50.00 fee charged for any dirty, unclean pens. All pens for “All exhibitors” must be cleaned between the hours or 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM on the Monday (Labor Day) following the Fair. This fee will be deducted from your sale check or you will be billed and the fee paid to the swine committee. It must be paid before you will be allowed to show at the Fair again.
18. Release time for the market hogs will be posted in the barn at Fair.

Premiums: $3.00; $2.00; $1.00

Class A - Showmanship

Lot No.

1. Junior Showmanship - ages 8-11 yrs.
2. Intermediate Showmanship - ages 12-13 yrs.
3. Senior Showmanship - age 14 & over
4. Novice Showmanship - 1 year swine (members, regardless of age)

Champion - Rosette

Reserve Champion - Rosette

Class B - Market

Lot No.

1. Market hog

GRAND CHAMPION MARKET HOG -ROSETTE

RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION MARKET HOG - ROSETTE

Class C - Hogs

Lot No.

1. Underweight hog
2. Breeding Project Interviews and Display - make a wall display, usually one or two 14” x 22” posters depicting some part of the project. Interviews will take place on Friday and times will be posted in the Swine Barn.
3. Educational Poster must be made during the current 4-H year by the Exhibitor entering this lot.
4. Mandatory Financial Records Interview: Bring all of your project and animal records with you to the interview. Your records should be in ink and secured in a 3-ring binder.