What the Beaufort County 4-H Livestock Show and Sale Is
The Beaufort County 4-H Livestock Show and Sale is the county's youth market animal project, run by the N.C. Cooperative Extension Beaufort County Center. Youth raise hogs, goats, lambs or beef animals (heifers and steers), show them in showmanship and market classes, and may take one animal through the auction. The most recent show and sale was held Thursday, March 12, 2026.
The project is built around the months of preparation before show day: choosing an animal, attending clinics, caring for it, keeping an animal book and writing thank-you notes to buyers.
Who Can Enter
Exhibitors must be enrolled 4-H members in 4-HOnline for the show year. Age divisions are set by 4-H age:
| Division | 4-H age |
|---|---|
| Cloverbud | 5 to 7 |
| Junior | 8 to 12 |
| Senior | 13 to 18 |
Species are hogs, goats, lambs and beef (heifers and steers). For 2026 youth could show more than one species but could take only one animal through the auction unless they placed as a champion with more than one species.
Classes
- Showmanship classes, unchanged from the prior year.
- Regular market class for male animals.
- Breeding class for female animals.
All species follow the format used for cattle in 2025.
How It Works: The Timeline
- October 1, 2025: registration opens.
- November 7, 2025: registration closes for cattle. A Zoom meeting, Selecting Animals for 4-H Livestock Show, ran November 10 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
- November 12, 2025: on-site date for heifers and steers.
- December 15, 2025: registration closes for hogs, goats and lambs. A Livestock Care Clinic was held December 18 at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom.
- January 9, 2026: registration fee due.
- January 11, 2026: on-site date for hogs, goats and lambs.
- February 21, 2026: County Showmanship Clinic, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
- March 12, 2026: show and sale.
- May 1, 2026: animal books and thank-you letters due at the Extension office.
Rules and Requirements
- Registration fee: $20 per child, per species.
- Animals must be on site by the on-site dates above.
- Each exhibitor completes a livestock animal book (a separate book for each species, with Cloverbud, Junior and Senior versions) and turns it in with thank-you notes.
- Parents of first- or second-year exhibitors attend one information clinic: December 29 at 10:00 a.m. (Zoom), January 6 at 4:00 p.m. (in person at the Beaufort County Center) or January 8 at 6:00 p.m. (Zoom). Youth may attend but are not required to.
- A care or showmanship clinic is required for any child who has not shown competitively for at least three years. Cloverbud showing does not count. The state sheep and goat showmanship clinic was held February 14 in Kinston.
Youth may also skip the auction. They can do the project without fundraising, or raise money and not auction, turning in the collected money by the Monday after the show.
Awards, Scholarship and Financial Help
- The Sandra L. Boyd Livestock Scholarship; the 2026 application was due January 9, 2026.
- A USDA FSA Youth Loan application form is linked from the county page for families who need financing for the project.
- Program cover design contest (designs due February 13, 2026) and the 4-H Farm Friends Photography Contest (photos due March 6, 2026).
Where
N.C. Cooperative Extension, Beaufort County Center, 155-A Airport Rd, Washington, NC 27889. The in-person parent clinic is held at the same center.
Questions
Do we have to sell the animal at auction?
No. Youth may opt out of the auction and either do the project without fundraising or fundraise without auctioning.
How much does it cost to sign up?
The registration fee is $20 per child, per species.
Can my child show more than one species?
Yes, but only one animal goes through the auction unless the youth places as a champion with more than one species.
Who do I call?
The Beaufort County Center: (252) 946-0111.
Official Links
- 2026 Beaufort County 4-H Livestock Show and Sale: dates, requirements, rules and forms
North Carolina Cooperative Extension: The Essentials
North Carolina Cooperative Extension serves all 100 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee through 101 local centers, per the Extension overview. It is a partnership of N.C. State, N.C. A&T, USDA and local governments.
Programs
Program areas include agriculture, food and nutrition, 4-H youth development, environmental and natural resources, home and families, and community and rural development.
Find your center
The county centers list links each county name to its own site.
4-H and gardens
The 2022 annual report counted 188,255 youth in 4-H activities and Master Gardener programs in 83 counties.
Soil tests
Soil testing is free for residents until samples reach the Raleigh lab by 5:00 p.m. on November 30, then $5 per sample, per the NCDA&CS notice.
N.C. A&T
Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T focuses on small farms, food safety, families and 4-H, with special attention to small, beginning and limited-resource farmers.
Next steps
Call your county center before you visit, and bring a sample or photo.
Other Upcoming Events Nearby
- Harnett County 4-H Art Showcase
Farm City Week 4-H art contest and display; entries are taken the morning of November 13, 2026, shown during Ag Day on November 14, and released at 2 PM.
- Harnett County Ag Day
Farm City Week Ag Day in Lillington at the Harnett County Resource Center and Library, set for November 14, 2026 and held each year in mid-November.
Lillington, NC | Organizer: Harnett County Center, N.C. Cooperative Extension Official event details - Johnston County Youth Livestock Festival Supper
Festival supper on Friday, November 20, 2026 that leads into the Johnston County Youth Livestock Show & Sale held the following March in Smithfield.
2736 NC 210 Highway, Ste A, Smithfield, NC 27577 | Organizer: Johnston County Cooperative Extension Official event details - NC Youth Cattle Working Contest, Ashe County Regional
Regional round of the NC Youth Cattle Working Contest for youth from Ashe, Alleghany, Avery, Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba and nearby counties, at the Ashe County Agriculture Center on November 23, 2026.
162 Agriculture Way, Jefferson, NC 28640 | Organizer: N.C. Cooperative Extension Official event details - Catawba County 4-H Livestock Club
Monthly evening meeting of the Catawba County 4-H Livestock Club for youth ages 5 and older, hosted by the Catawba County Center in Newton; next meeting Monday, January 4, 2027.
1175 S Brady Ave, Newton, NC 28658 | (828) 465-8240 | Organizer: N.C. Cooperative Extension, Catawba County Center Official event details
All North Carolina events by date
Listing checked Nov. 11, 2026 against this source. Details can change; confirm with the organizer.