Animal Updates and Reminders

Nebraska Extension in Pierce County

111 West Court Street, Room 13, Pierce, NE 68767

Phone: 402-329-4821 Fax: 402-329-6417

Website: http://pierce.unl.edu

Email: Pierce-County@unl.edu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNLPierceCounty/

All animals (except dogs, cats, small animals, and poultry) shown at the county fair must be individually identified, listed on the appropriate 4-H identification form (affidavit) and on file in the Extension Office by the deadline. Make sure forms are filled out completely. Completed forms can be emailed or dropped of at the Pierce County Extension office.

Tags can be purchased from the Extension Office. County tags are $2.00 each and EID tags are $4.00 each.

ID Deadlines:

• Horse
• State Horse Show: June 1
• Pierce County Fair : June 15
• Breeding Beef, Market Beef, Bucket Calf, Cow/Calf Pairs, Feeder Calf, Dairy Cattle, Breeding Goat, Market Goat, Breeding Ewe, Market Sheep, Market Swine, Rabbits: June 15th

• All goats being exhibited needs a individually identified with some form of USDA official Scrapie ID. A legible tattoo in the ear or tail may be used in place of a scrapie tag for Dairy Goats. The tattoo must match registration papers if the goat is registered.

All sheep (breeding & market) must be tagged with a USDA Scrapie ID.

ID on County ID form and tagged with a 4-H/FFA or EID ear tag.

• Cow/Calf Pairs - include on the ID sheet ear tag number of calf as well as cow, age of cow, sex of calf, and birth date of calf.
• Registered Breeding Beef - All registered breeding beef must have legible tattoo in the ears. The tattoo will match registration papers if the breeding beef. Include on the ID Sheet the breed, tattoo, birth date.
• Commercial Breeding Beef - All commercial beef must have a tattoo or EID tag or County Only ear tag. On the ID Sheet it must have breed, tattoo or tag number, birth date.
• Market Beef - All market beef must have a EID tag or County Only ear tag. On the ID Sheet it must have breed, sex, tag number.
• Feeder Calves and Bucket Calves - need to be tagged with a 4-H ear tag or EID ear tag.

4-H Rabbits - ID sheet must include breed of rabbit, sex, tattoo, birth date, and color of the rabbit. Rabbits exhibited at the State Fair must be tattooed and entered into ShoWorks by 8:00 PM CT on August 10th

Remember - proof of current vaccinations for cat, dog, and ferrets are due with fair entries on July 1 and must be current at that time.

Markings may be drawn in or photos may be used on ID sheets. If using photos, clear views of the face and both sides of the horse are needed. Horse Level testing for County Fair must be complete by July 15. This includes signed books (or sheets) along with any needed reports.

• The State Horse Show in Grand Island is scheduled for July 11-15. Deadline for ID's and level testing documentation turned into the Extension Office is June 1, at 4:30 PM. Entries are due online at https://nhorse.fairwire.com by June 1.
• County Fair: Horse exhibitors have until July 15 to pass Horse Level test. ID sheets are due June 15 as well.
• Advancement Level Study Guides and Resources are available at https//:4h.unl.edu/horse (Horsemanship Advancement Levels). Now is a good time to take written tests for Horse Levels. Please call the office to set up a time so a test can be ready for you.

All livestock (4-H/FFA breeding livestock, market livestock , and feeder calves) in contention to exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair will be required to complete an online nomination with payment through Show Stock Manager (https://showstockmgr.com) and submit a DNA collection envelope with a hair sample. Cost is $7.00/head. Instructions for nominating animals are available at https://go.unl.edu/sfnomination.

New for 2026:

• Exhibitors planning to show the same animal at both the Nebraska State Fair and the Aksarben Stock Show (AKSS) must submit two separate DNA envelopes and online nominations.
• Please discard any old DNA envelopes from previous years as they will not be accepted. The new envelopes are valid only for the Nebraska State Fair.

DNA collection envelopes are DUE to the Extension Office June 15, and online nomination’s are DUE June 15.

ID requirements:

• Market Animals
• Beef and Swine - EID tag
• Registered Steers - EID tag and Tattoo
• Registered Swine - EID tag and Ear Notches
• Meat Goats/Sheep - USDA Scrapies tag
• Feeder Calves
• EID tag
• Breeding Animals
• Registered Heifers - Tattoo or identification type that is accepted by the breed association
• Commercial Heifers - Tattoo or EID tag
• Meat Goats - Scrapies tag
• Sheep - Scrapies tag
• Registered Swine - EID tag and Ear Notches
• Swine - EID tag

No online nomination or DNA required for State Fair Poultry or Rabbits. Rabbits exhibited at the State Fair must be tattooed and entered into ShoWorks by August 10. Poultry entries are due August 10 as well.

All 4-H and FFA animals with an EID tag are required to have a premises ID. A Premises ID can be obtained through the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and should correlate to the location in which livestock are kept/housed permanently.

• Only one Premises ID is necessary for a family with multiple exhibitors (provided livestock are housed at the same location).
• Only one Premises ID is necessary for an exhibitor that shows multiple species (provided livestock are housed at the same location).
• Any exhibitor that has completed YQCA and exhibits an animal with an EID tag at the Pierce County Fair or the State Fair will have a Premises ID.
• Premises ID numbers must be turned into the Extension Office by June 15.

There’s much more to 4-H livestock projects than simply showing animals at the fair. That’s why all Nebraska 4-H members enrolled in livestock projects must complete annual quality assurance training. Through the Youth for the Quality Care of Animals program, members learn about food safety and animal well-being. Youth enrolled in beef, dairy cattle, goat, poultry, rabbit, sheep, and swine projects may complete online training courses or attend in-person training workshops held by their county Extension office. Learn more at 4h.unl.edu/yqca.

Face-to-Face Training

Face-to-Face trainings is scheduled for June 1st (1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.) at the Pierce County Fairgrounds. To register for this Face to Face training you will need go to the YQCA website is yqcaprogra m.org. Log on and select "YQCA Training-Pierce" and the time that you want to attend (either 1 pm or 6 pm). After you have selected your time will have to pay a $3 fee per youth and take the pre-test. This fee has to be paid online and not in the office.