4-H Animal Lines

September 1998

VOLUNTEER LEADERS MUST BE CERTIFIED

VOLUNTEER LEADERS WHO MAY BE HELPING YOUR 4-H'ERS GROOM ANIMALS MUST BE OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED VOLUNTEER LEADERS OF THE 4-H PROGRAM IN MISSISSIPPI. This means you must submit the names of these volunteers to the State 4-H Department. Be sure to list the volunteer leaders who will be assisting your 4-H'ers with animals at the show. Prior to the State Fair, I will secure a list of volunteer leaders from the State 4-H Department to determine eligible volunteers.

REMINDER: 4-H/FFA MEMBERS MUST BE ETHICS CERTIFIED TO SHOW LIVESTOCK!!
The State Fair will be here soon and if you have new exhibitors who have not completed Ethics Certification, you should provide this training for them in September. Let us know if you need any materials for your training. Exhibitors completing this training will be certified until 12-31-2000. Recertification will be required for 2001.

STATE FAIR REMINDER - ENTRIES! All junior beef, swine, and lamb entries are due by September 15, 1998. Mail entries to the Extension Animal & Dairy Sciences Department, Box 9815, Mississippi State, MS 39762. We are requiring beef breeding, commercial heifer, swine, and dairy entries to be on computer diskette. You should have received the computer diskettes and instructions for this procedure about September 1. You will not send in an Entry Form 195. Do not forget to send in your stall or pen request forms for beef cattle and market lambs.

Note: On Lamb and Steers. We are asking that you put all lambs and steers on nomination forms for 1999 District and Round-Up Shows. We will use these as entries for the State Fair, in addition to the District and Round-Up Shows. This will save all of us some paper work. These nomination forms, noseprint cards, and computer diskettes are due September 15, 1998.

NOMINATION FORMS AND NOSEPRINTS DUE FOR LAMBS AND STEERS All lambs and steers showing in the 1998 District and Round-Up Shows must be nominated and noseprinted by September 15, 1998.

Dates concerning lamb and steer ownership, nomination, and noseprint deadlines are as follows:

Two legible noseprints per animal are required and must be taken by or in the presence of Extension Agent or Vo-Ag Advisor submitting and verifying the nominations. Be sure to include all information on noseprint card (ear tag number, exhibitor, state bred - yes or no - , steer or lamb, breed, and signed by the parent and Extension Agent or Vo-Ag Advisor.

Note: On Legible Noseprints. It is your responsibility to see that the noseprints you submit on each lamb and steer are legible. If noseprints are not legible, you will be running the risk of having an animal disqualified at the Dixie National Junior Round-Up Show in February. An official will read noseprints at the show, and if the noseprint that you submit is not legible or does not match up with the one taken at the show, the animal will be disqualified. It's up to you to have legible prints!!! Take time to do a proper job of securing good noseprints!

OUTSTANDING SHEPHERD AWARD AT STATE FAIR. The awards have been increased for this competition. Individual exhibitors or county groups can enter. Competition will be based on (1) creativity, (2) educational value of exhibit, (3) attractiveness of exhibit, and (4) cleanliness of pens and exhibit area. The Mississippi Junior Sheep Association will sponsor this award which goes to an exhibitor or county group that maintains the most outstanding stall area and educational exhibit. Individual exhibitors may enter this competition. Judging will be from 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 9, to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, 1998. The winner will be announced during the Junior Sheep Show. Contestants and county groups should register at the weigh-in Friday afternoon and pick up their exhibitor number.

COMMERCIAL HEIFERS AND STEERS - SPECIAL NOTICE! Double check with your 4-H'ers that are exhibiting steers and commercial heifers about horns. All commercial heifers and steers showing at the State Fair and District and Round-Up Shows must be polled or dehorned with no scurs or regrowth to exceed 1� inches above the skin line. Also, remember the minimum weight on commercial heifers is 400 pounds.

MARION COUNTY OPEN JUNIOR BEEF SHOW Marion County will have an open junior beef show on Saturday, September 19, 1998, at 9:00 a.m. with showmanship on Friday, September 18th, at 7:00 p.m. Entries and $10.00 entry fee are due by September 15th. Call the Marion County office at 736-8251 for more details.

MARSHALL COUNTY LIVESTOCK EXPO Marshall County will host a beef show, quiz bowl, judging contest, beef cook-off, and beef showmanship contest on November 7-8, 1998. Call Lemon Phelps or Ronnie Jones at 252-3541 for more information.

HOG PROJECT NOTICE! Most project pigs for the spring shows will be purchased for 4-H'ers in October and November, so now is the time to be lining up prospective members, and determining number of pigs that will be needed.

SOURCE OF PROJECT PIGS The State Feeder Pig Show and Sale will have 4-H market project pigs that will work for the 1999 District Shows and Dixie National Round-Up.

• State Feeder Pig Show and Sale
• Calhoun County Fairgrounds (Pittsboro)
• October 23, 1998 - 1:00 p.m. (Show at 9:00 a.m.)
• About 150-200 head of Yorkshire, Duroc, Hampshire, Chester, Spots, and Crosses consigned by Mississippi pig producers.

For more information, contact Mark Crenshaw, 601-325-3516.

Other Tentative Show Pig Sales

MID-SOUTH FAIR 4-H LIVESTOCK JUDGING CONTEST This contest will be an excellent experience for your judging members. The livestock judging contest will be on September 26, 1998, in Memphis. This contest begins at 9:00 a.m.

Each county can enter one junior and one senior team of either three or four members. Contestants are to assemble in the North Barn Arena Building. You should report to this contest location at 8:30 a.m. to get your teams properly entered.

They also have junior lamb, beef, and swine shows. If you need any information about these shows, let me know.

GREAT SHOW FOR MISSISSIPPI 4-H'ERS AT SOUTHERN REGIONAL HORSE CHAMPIONSHIPS The 1998 Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships in Little Rock, AR on August 3-6 was a very successful and fun event. Our Mississippi 4-H'ers had a great show! We won seven show classes, placed third in five classes, and the Demonstration Team placed first. Many others placed in the top ten in the show classes and communication contests. This was one of our most successful regionals.

HIGHLIGHT HONORS FOR 1998 GO TO:

The following are the official top ten placing for Mississippi 4-H'ers with name of class or contest, county and rank.

DAIRY EVENTS AT THE MISSISSIPPI STATE FAIR I hope you are planning for the dairy events at the Mississippi State Fair. If we can assist in this preparation or if you have a question, please call. We always appreciate your promotion and assistance with these contests.

DAIRY SWEETHEART CONTEST A Junior and Senior Dairy Sweetheart will be selected during the Mississippi State Fair. Winners will be selected based on poise, beauty, personality and knowledge of their project. The winners of each division will receive a 35-mm Camera. Special awards will be given to first and second alternates. Rules and regulations concerning the contest are found in the Mississippi State Fair catalog. The same entry forms as last year will be used. Please have the entries to our office by October 2. Please encourage your girls enrolled in the Dairy project to enter this contest.

JUNIOR DAIRY BOWL The state Junior Dairy Bowl will be held during the Annual Meeting of the Mississippi Holstein Association on November 21, 1998. The meeting will again be held at the Rankin County Extension Center. Dairy Bowl competition will begin at 9:30. This year we are allowing two person teams and more than one team per county to increase participation. Please let us know at the state office, if you have a team participating. If there is enough interest, we will also have a practice competition for senior teams. All Dairy Bowl events are sponsored by the Mississippi Holstein Association.

OUTSTANDING HOLSTEIN BOY AND GIRL The Mississippi Holstein Association is again sponsoring a Champion Holstein Boy and Girl Contest. The contest is open to all 4-H and FFA members 8-18 years of age and owning one or more registered Holsteins. Applications are available through our office and are due by November 17. Presentations of awards to winners will be made at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Holstein Association.

THE ANNUAL BLACK AND WHITE SHOW The Annual Black and White Show sponsored by the Mississippi Holstein Association will be held Saturday, September 19th, 1998 at the Pike County Fairgrounds. Entry deadline is 11:00 a.m., and the show will begin at 12:00 p.m. Please encourage your 4-H'ers involved in the dairy project who show Holstein cattle to participate.

DATES TO REMEMBER: